Evening star., 1942-10-06

the Job Of wrecking the New Y
next few years might go tearing
est teams in baseball history.
1t Is a son-of- f-a-gun of a baseball
cluo-much better than any one
suspected even when it was running
Wild in the closing stages Of the
National League race. There is nc
team IN either league at this time
With anything approaching the all
around punch, pitching and polish
OF the new world champions.
On the off chance that somebody
might think We are going overheard
on the bold young men of Manager
Billy Southworth, few figures
might be in order:
Win Al Out of Last 81.
Through yesterdays deciding game
at the stadium, which was won by
AZ on a two-run homer by George
kuroWski, rookie third baseman, in
the ninth inning, the Cardinals won
~ OF their last 81 contests in the
1912 season. That comes to an
altltudinous winning average of 1924
down the stretch.
They slugged and slashed their
way to victory in their last six
stralght games in the league race,
paused only to drop the World Series
opener, in st. Louis, and then bat
tered the Yankees into submission
IN 1our straight. Some time. some
team might have set a record that
looks comparable in print. but for
give us II we doubt that the COM
petltlon was as tough as that bowled
over by the Cardinals in their amaz-
ing drive to the top.
with all due respect for the
brooklyn Dodgers, it would have
oeen a shame if the Cards sensa-
tlonal charge had fallen short of the
National League pennant. Two ca
paclty crowds in st. Louis and three
vast gatherings of nearly 10000 here
would have been deprived of a base
pail treat to be treasured.
IL Is doubtful the Dodgers could
nave beaten the Yankees. They
lacked pitching. AS the series un-
Iolded 1t became obvious that the
Carolnals not only had all the dash
ana color which had become their
hallmark, but that they also pos
sessed great pitching in quantity,
Mort Cooper, their biggest winner,
was slugged from the box twice bv
the Yanks, yet they had the men
VINO could take up the slack in
Johnny Beazley, Ernie White and
Max Lanier.
beazley Probably the Hero,
Beazley, the solemn 23-year-old
rookie from Nashville, who defeated
the Yankees in the second game to
square the series and then came
back to clinch the championship
yesterday. probably deserved to be
called the series star. He pitched
TWO great games and showed an as
tonlshing store of poise for
youngster.
But the Cardinals lineup was
studded with stars. 1t strictly was
a team victory. Take Kurowski
the rookie third -sacker from Read
ing, Pa. His game winning blow
Yesterday was little more IMPORT
ant than the triple he smacked in
the second game to drive in a run
and throw the aYnkees into
tantrum Of umpire-baitinp from
"nlch they never recovered
Or Terry Moore, the teams great
captain and center fielder. In the
course OF the series he made two of
The most spectacular catches ever
seen on any field to stif1e Yankee
rallies and generally lent support to
the claim that he is the equal of
Joe Dl Maggie. He singled and
later scored the sixth -inninp run
that tied the count at % Yesterday
and set the stage for Kurowski;s
winning wallop.
Or Enos Slaughter, who saved two
Games with marvellous plays, one a
Dead-Eye Dick peg to third base
from right field and the other
leaping catch of what should have
been a home run by Charley Keller
To top of his fine performance,
he slugged fourth inning home
run into the deep right-field stands
on Red Ruff1ng yesterday to equalize
a four-bagger with which little Phil
had greeted Beazley in the
opening round.
Others Do Their Bits.
And then there was White, the
southpaW, who blanked the Yankees,
2 to 0, in the third game, and Walker
Cooper, who out-starred Bill Dickey
behind the plate, climaxing his ef-
forts with snap peg that caught
Joe Gordon off second base in the
ninth inning yesterday.
And Marty Marion, the towering
Cardinal shortstop who was bril-
liant in every game, and Jimmy
Brown and Johnny Hopp and Stan
Each contributed exactly
the right amount to the triumph.
For the most party they did not
the distance hitting quail
ties of the Yankees, but each of
them seemed to hit or come up with
a great play when it was needed
most.
AS for the Yankees, they simply
ran into a bunch of game, hard
playing. hungry youngsters. After
they won the second game at St.
Louis the Cardinals actually be-
lieved they would take three straight
at the stadium here. and said so.
Those of us who heard them thought
1t merely was youthful exuberance.
We didn't quite know the Cardi-
nals-then.
The most inexplicable collapse of
the classic was contributed by Joe
Gordon, the Yank second baseman.
Standout of the II series, when he
practically beat Brooklyn single
handed, Gordon made only two hits
In 81 times at bat against Cardinal