Evening star., 1942-06-27
Grab 80ut Of 10
As A. |. Leaders
Drop 7 Of II
Come Won on Squeeze
In Tenth Increases
Margin to oh
BY AUSTIN BEALMEAR.
Associated Press Sports Writer.

1t may not be tipoff on the
pennant races, or even the coming
All-Star game, but the Brooklyn
Dodgers have replaced the New York
Yankees as the runaway team of the
major leagues.
Overlooked by many fans in the
excitement of All-Star picking time,
the transition of recent days has left
the Dodgers with National League
lead three games longer than the
Yankees enjoy in the American loop.
The Dodgers opened their home
stand June Is, with lead of 5la
games. The Yanks took the road at
the same time, boasting a 9l2 game
edge.
But things have changed. The
Dodgers stretched their margin to
91z games, their longest of the year,
yesterday by clipping the Cincinnati
Reds, 54, in 10 innings, for their
eighth victory in 10 starts since their
return to Ebbets Field.
Edgar Smith Beats YankS.
And in a night game at Chicago,
the Yankees bowed to the White SoX
for the first time since last August 25
as hard-luck Edgar Smith, who was
the last Chicago pitcher to stop the
Bombers, hurled his way to a 4-2
decision, his second of the season
against IL defeats.
That reversal, coupled with the
Boston Red Sox triumph over Cleve-
land, chopped another full game off
the Yankee lead, leaving the world
champs only six and a half games
ahead of Boston. 1t was the seventh
loss for the Yanks in II games on
this trip.
Smith, one of three pitchers who
celebrated their selection for the
July 6 all-star game with victories
yesterday, yielded only six hits. one
of which was Charles Kellers eighth
homer behind a double by Joe Di
Maggie. The White Sox collected
only six hits of Lefty Gomez, but
took advantage of eight bases on
balls to score three runs on three
singles.
Like Smith, Al Benton of the
Detroit Tigers and Cliff Melton OF
the New York Giants turned in
sparkling performances to justify
their all-star nominations.
Benton tossed a ix-hitter at the
Philadelphia Athletics as Pinky
Higgins Clipped in with two doubles
to lead the Tigers to 81 victory
the fifth for Benton against like
number of defeats.
Fleming Has Field Day.
Dick Newsome also gave up only
half dozen blows in hurting the
Red Sox to their 30 triumph over
the Indians in night game, and
four of them went to Les Fleming
The st. Louis Browns halted a
four game losing streak by rapping
Buck Newsom and the Washington
Senators. 8-5. in a night game as
Chet Laabs and Harlond Cliff drove
in three runs apiece.
A 10th-inning squeeze play scored
the run that gave Brooklyn its
triumph over the Reds and handed
undefeated Larry French his seventh
mound triumph, although he worked
only the last two innings. Dolph
Camilli hammered his 11th homer
to tie the score for the third time in
the eighth, and Peewee Reese
bunted home the winning marker
with the bases loaded. Joe MedWick
went hitless, ending his batting
streak at q games. six short Of
Rogers Hornsby's National League
record.
Melton notched his ninth win
compared with five losses by hold
ing the Pittsburgh Pirates to half
dozen safeties and contributed fur
ther to the Al Giant victory by
bagging two of his teams six hits.
Five Cub errors helped the New
Workers..
Jimmy FoxX clouted his first home
run since switching to the National
League, a two-run blast with two out
in the ninth inning to give the
Chicago Cubs GA decision over the
Boston Braves. Home runs by Max
West and Paul Waner kept the
Braves in the game.
The St. Louis Cardinals night
contest with the tail-end Phila-
delphia Phils was poisoned.