The Wilmington morning star., 1943-10-06
Game Filled With Miscues
AS Both Teams Com
nit Boobies

Oct. o.-lf-1n one OF the OQQeSt,
most obstreperous games in h e
history of the World Series the
New York Yankees conquered
the St. Louis Cardinals to 2 today
before 68,676 fans who packed the
stadium for the opening ontest of
the 1943 diamond classic.
1t was triumph for the pithing
prowess of Sturgeon (Spud) Chan
dler, the 34-year-old Georgia right
handler, and a spectacular come
back for Second Baseman Joe
Gordon, the goat of last years
series, but mostly it was a be-
fuddled exhibition OF baseball.
Chandler, who had lost two World
Series games and never pitched
a complete one in his previous
hchehs hwhihth the Yankees, liv
chances with the Yankees, lived
up to his reputation as the out
standing hurler of the present ma
jor league season by holding the
Cardinals to seven hits and bear
ing down in the clutches.
Gordon hit ringing home run
in the fourth inning and turned in
a miraculous defensive perform
ance during which he made eight
assists to tie a World Series rec
ord for second basemen and han
died IL fielding chances, just one
short of the record for total chanc-
es.
Their double barreled heroics
gave the fans something good to
remember, but the recollections
most spectators probably carried
from the big ball park were of
the incredible miscues which went
into their record books as four
errors and the one which didn't
but which lost the ball game for
the Cardinals.
For five innings Max Lanier,
the chunky southpaw, ably match
ed Chambers curving efforts, but
in the sixth he made a wild pitch
that allowed Frank Crosetti to
score all the way from second and
put Bill johnson on third base
with what proved to be New York's
final run.
Lanier and Crosetti and a con-
fusing tumble of bad plays also
had been involved in the Yankees
first run in the fourth frame. Gro
setti. leading off, hit a grounder
which Lou Klein fielded we'll and
threw to Lanier for what should
have been putout. However. Lam
Ter stopped on first base with the
ball and Crosetti crashed into him
at full speed, causing the pitcher
to drop the ball for an error.
On the next pitch Crosetti stole
second with the help of a high,
wild throw by Walker Cooper
which sailed into center field. He
moved to third when Johnson beat
out a bunt down the first base
line and scored as Charley Keller
hit into a double play.
Gordon followed with his homer,
picking out the cripple, an easy
pitch by Lanier with the count
three balls and one strike.
The sixth inning opened W i t h
Crosetti again reaching first on
close play Third Baseman George
Kurowski of the Cards had jumped
high in the air to knock down his
line drive, but was off balance
on the throw which came to Ray
Sanders on a bounce just as Gro
setti crossed the bag. Johnson put
him on second with a single to
center and Keller flied out.
Lanier worked carefully on Cor
don this time, getting two strikes
past him, but then the lefthander
uncorked a wild pitch that Ca
romed past Cooper. The ball roll
ed toward the st. Louis dugout
and the catcher went hunting it
in the direction of the Yankees
bench.
While this hysterical act was i'll
progress, and Lanier came rae ng
in from the mound to retrieve the
ball, Crosetti scampered h o m
from second and Johnson went
from first to third.
Lanier finished tanning Gordon,
and then Bill Dickey, the old war
horse of the Yanks, boosted a sin
gle just out of Klein's reach in
right center for another run.
Lanier, after giving seven hits
and striking out seven, subsequent
ly was removed for a pinch batter
in the eighth, and Harry Brecheen,
also southpaW, completed tn
pitching chore allowing the Yam
KEGS one hit in the inning h eWork-
ed.
The Cardinals runs were tainted
with the same sort of misplays.
They took a ! to lead against
Chandler in the second inning and
seemed to have him in the same
sort Of a hole as last year when
Ernie White beat him with a 2 to
0 shutout.
On the first pitch in this frame
Walker Cooper bounced a single |
off Third Baseman Johnson's glove |
and was sacrificed to second on a
perfect bunt by Kurowski. Sanders
struck out and Danny Litwhiler
walked, the only pass given up
II w MI al