Evening star., 1943-09-04
Griffs, Pennant Hope
Blasted, Focus on
Scrap
BY staff Correspondent of The star.

BY Staff Correspondent of The star.
NEW YORK, Sept. 4.-Their fond
idea of presenting the Yankees
something remotely resembling a
stiff scrap for the pennant having
been blasted, the Mats today turned
to the more realistic problem of at
tending to second place.
Yapping at the Mats heels and
indicating they will be around to
the finish to contest runnerup
honors in the American League are
Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago, who
have hoisted themselves close
enough to the Mats to make 1t un-
comfortable.
The Indians, Tigers and White
Sox all are within 31a games of the
Mats, who dropped IL games behind
New York by losing, 40, to the
Yankees here yesterday. Even If
the Mats now should win all their
remaining 26 games the Yankees
could capture the pennant merely
by snatching 18 of their remaining 80,
That fifth-grade arithmetic re-
stricts the Mats thinking to the
niceties of occupying second place.
Until Third Baseman Harlond Cliff
RECEIVERS from seige of mumps and
Outf1elder Bob Johnson regains his
strength and is able to play, the Mats
will be handicapped.
Roberts Smooth in Debut.
When Cliff, unlikely to play until
the Mats return home September Ia,
is available, Gerald Priddy will re-
turn to second base and Rookie
Charley Roberts will remain at
shortstop. Priddy now is handling
third base, with George Myatt play
ing second.
Roberts handled himself nicely In
his major league debut yesterday,
collecting one of the Mats five hits
OF Hank Borowy and fielding flaw
lessly. Recruited from the Mats
Montgomery (Ala.) farm team,
Roberts unleashed a pleasant per-
formance for Prexy Clark Griffith.
who journeyed here in the hope of
viewing the Mats sweep four games.
That delightful dream was given
a rude jolt by Borowy, who per-
mitted no Nat to advance to third
base and allowed only four to reach
second. He walked only one and
struck out six.
En- route to Yankee Stadium on
the subway the Mats read that the
Yankees had started taking orders
for tickets to the World Series. and
the Mats did nothing to slow the
sale. In making their dying bid
to slice the Yankees commanding
lead the Mats merely succeeded in
appearing dead.
Griffs Helpless for Four Innings.
Not until the fourth inning did
the Mats succeed in nudging a ball
out of the infield. BY that time
the Yankees had accumulated a 20
lead off Early Wynn as Bud Meth
eny tripled and Bill johnson singled
In the first inning and Metheny de-
nvered a home run with one out
and none on in the third.
Wynn invited more trouble In the
fifth inning when he walked Bor-
owy. Roy Weatherly singled tc
right, and both runners advanced
on Methenys sacrifice. The pesky
johnson then singled sharply to
left, scoring Borowy and weatherly
Mickey Vernon, Stan Spence ano
Jake Powell all doubled with one
out in different innings, but none
advanced to third as the Mats alb.
sorbed their first shutout defeat
since July "a. The loss was No. Ii
for Wynn, who has won IS.
Johnny Niggeling, who blanked
the Athletics on three hits In his
last appearance, was to face the
Yankees today. Opposing him on
the mound was to be Spud Chand-
Ter. seeking his 18th victory. Milo
Candini and Dutch Leonard will be
Manager Ossie Blueges choices to
hurl against the Yankees in tomor-
rows double-header, after which the
Mats will move on to Boston for a
double-header with the Red Soy
on Monday,