Evening star., 1942-07-08
Rusted Soldiers,
Sailors Prove
Soft Victims
Rigney FeIIer's Relief,
Games Best Pitcher;
Bob Routed Early
BY CHARLES DUNKLEY,
AsSnciated Press Snnrts WrlLer

CLEVELAND. July 8.-The Amer
ican League All-Stars have proved
by all tests that they are, currently,
the mightiest in baseball,
Before a patriotic throng of 62,094
spectators in Clevelands mammoth
Municipal Stadium last night, the
triumphant American Leaguers also
proved their pitching was too sharp
for eyes dulled by months of devo-
ton to another task and their bats
too potent for pitching arms grown
dusty in the armed services of their
country.
The American Leaguers routed
proud Bullet Bob Feller of the Navy,
Cleveland's own fireballer, with a
three-run outburst at the start, and
then went on to trounce 1t. Gordon
Mickey Cochrane's' soldiers and
sailors, to 0.
For six innings the American
Leaguers clung to 3-to-0 lead COL
lected at Feller's expense in the
first two, and then soWed up the
game in the seventh with 2-run
attack on Mickey Harris, former
Boston Red Sox lefty.
Iron Mike" Cochrane, once man.
ager of the Detroit Tigers, and one
of the greatest catchers in baseball
history. took the defeat calmly.
Blow Big Opportunity.
I'VE lost in the first inning
Cochrane explained 1--WE had the
bases loaded, and single would
have changed the whole story. We
just muffed a big opportunity.
That's all. You don't get a chance
to beat a team like those American
Leaguers every day in the week.
Poor Feller didn't have a thing.
I've never seen him get belted like
that. 1t proves that he wasn't
there-that his duties in the Navy
have robbed him of his timing, his
control"
Best looking pitcher of the night
was John Duncan Rigney, late of
the Chicago White Sox, now a
''gob" at the Great Lakes Naval
Training Station. The 27-year-old
Rigney went to Feller's rescue with
no one out in the second and
pitched five runless innings, allow
ing the mighty American Leaguers
only three hits, one a miserable
infield grounder that Rigney was
unable to field. Rigney left the
game in the sixth to make way
for pinch hitter. Johnny Luca-
dello. formerly of the st. Louis
Browns.
Load Bases on Bagby.
The Service All-Stars threatened
chiefly in the first inning, when
Jim Bagby, jr., of the Cleveland
Indians was on the mound. Bagby,
whose father made pitching history
with Cleveland % years ago, got
the bases loaded, with one out,
chiefly through his wildness, which
he blamed against poor umpir-
ing" He walked Benny Mccoy of
Philadelphia AS, and then Don
Padgett of the st. Louis Cardinals
sent a single screeching into left
field. Cecil Travis of the Wash
ington Senators also was passed.
filling the bases. Up stepped Joe
Grace of the st. Louis Browns.
He waited for three balls and then
looked at three strikes. johnny
Sturm, Yankees first baseman, end
ed it by grounding.
The homecoming of Feller, making
his first appearance in Cleveland
since late last September. was
pathetic. When he proudly strolled
to the mound, cheers greeted him.
After Lou Boudreau, 24-year-old
Cleveland manager, had flied out,
Tommy Heinrich of the Yankees
rolled scratch single toward the
box, which Feller was unable to
reach. Ted Williams, the Boston
(See ATJ-STAPC PAGE CAY