Evening star., 1942-06-24
Gets 9Th Victory
In Relief Role
~
Against bucs
=
Also Man Who Halted
Two Losing Streoks;
Yankees End Slump
BY JUDSON BAILEY,
Associated Press Sports Writer.


The Brooklyn Dodgers have
erased virtually all question of their
retaining the National League PEN
nant, but they are giving their fans
something to ponder in the way OF
batting and most valuable player
honors.
Pete Reiser and Joe Medwick are
away out in front of every one else
in the league in batting and 1t is
generally conceded that they are
the two foremost candidates for
recognition this year as the most
valuable player in the league.
But the records would seem to
show that laughing Larry French
Is Just about as valuable as any
other one man on the Dodgers He
stepped into the breach again last
night in a relief role to beat the
Pittsburgh Pirates, 60, for his sixth
triumph without defeat this year.
Almost Released in Spring.
The left-hander who was almost
cut loose by the Dodgers during
spring training stopped Brooklyn's
worst losing streak in May with a
four-hit. thinning, 81 victory over
the ST. Louis Cardinals: he stopped
another short losing streak later
that month by shutting out the New
York Giants, and last week he
stopped a st. Louis winning streak.
French always has been around
when needed and last night when
Whitlow Wyatt couldn't get his
throwing arm loosened up. Larry
was tagged in from the bull pen at
the start of the third inning. The
score was % at the time and
French pitched shutout ball for the
rest of the way and also set off the
winning rally. g
With two out in the fifth inning
the pitcher singled. Two more hits
loaded the bases and then Rei5er
singled two runs home and Med
wick knocked another pair across
with Notwithstanding his bat
ting streak to 26 games.
Yankees Make IA Hits.
The New York Yankees came out
of their slump by nosing out the ST.
Louis Browns, 6-5. with l4-hit bar
rage. including three safeties by Joe
Gordon and a like number by Joe
Di Maggie. The Browns succeeded
in betting Alley Donald of The
mound with three-run uprising in
the eighth. but it was insufhcient.,.
The Boston Red SoX smashed the
Detroit Tigers into submission. 60,
with Oscar Judd scattering eight
hits and himself getting one Of Bos:-
tons three home runs. Ted VIII
liams hit one, his 10Th OF the season,
and Jim Tabor the other.
The Cleveland Indians also COL
lected three homers in oVerpoWerirg
the Philadelphia Athletics, rs. The
Tribes round-trippers were by OrS
Hockett, Less Fleming and Ken
Keltner. The AS made four runs in
the fifth inning, when Bob john
son homered with two aboard.
Giants Call Halt on Reds.
The Cincinnati Reds. who had
won Is of their last II games and
were hopeful of getting within sight
of the Dodgers during their Eastern
invasion, were rudely shut out by
the New York Giants. 10, as Bill
Lohrman pitched a four-hitter,
1t was the Giants seventh victory
in nine games against the Reds. ard
and also Lohrmans third triumph
over them. The victim OF the Ncw
York pounding was Paul DerTiHger.
The weak fielding Reds made three
errors and four double plays.
The Chicago Cubs captured a
hitting affair from the Phlla-
delphia Phils, 8-4, although outhH.
1912. The big blow in the Bruins
assault was a.three-run homer By
Lou Novikoff. -