Evening star., 1943-07-31
Chicago in Late Surge
Bags II Of 80 Games;
Yankees Nip Tribe
BY TED MEIER,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

Virtually unnoticed, the Chicago
Cubs have moved into the thick of
contention for first division honors
in the National League and today
have an excellent chance of beating
out Pittsburgh, Brooklyn and Gin
cinnati for second place.
The Bruins, who couldn't seem to
do anything right for the first couple
of months of the season, have won
81 of their last 80 games and jumped
from last to fifth place, only 2la
games out of the first division and
612 behind the second-place Pirates.
This is speeding along at TOO
pace and recalls the late season
surge of the Cubs in 1885 and 1898,
when they beat out the Cardinals
and Pirates, respectively, for the
pennant in the closing days of the
season. Generally, however, the re-
cent feats of the Bruins have been
overlooked in the upheaval over the
dismissal of Bucky Harris as man
ager of the Phillies and the ousting
of Brooklyn from second place for
the first time since 1889.
Get Good Pitching, Hitting.
The Cubs have been getting good
pitching and hitting at the same
time. They beat Brooklyn for the
third straight time yesterday, IL to
3, as Hi Bithorn chalked up his
thirteenth victory of the season and
Outflelder Bill Nicholson took over
the major leagues leadership in
runs batted in and homers. Nichol-
son sWatted his fifteenth round
tripper in the third for what proved
to be the winning run. Altogether
he drove in five runs with his circuit
clout, a double and single to boost
his runs batted in to II.
The first-place Cardinals, who
open three-game series with the
slipping Dodgers today, dropped an
thinning game to the Phillies, 3 to
2, when Pinch-hitter Jimmy Wasdell
singled home Buster Adams. Big
Mort Cooper tried for his fifteenth
triumph of the season, but instead
suffered his sixth defeat.
Bonham, Etten Yank Stars.
In the American League, the New
York Yankees made it three out of
four and 81 victories in their last 81
games by again beating Cleveland,
5 to 4. Although belted for two
homers, by jeff Heath, Ernie Bon
ham yielded only six hits in winning
his tenth of the campaign. First
Baseman Nick Etten drove in three
runs to spark the Yanks' attack.
Early Wynn stopped a three-game
Washington losing streak by hurting
a f1ve-hitter against the Chicago
White Sox to win, 4 to /, while Dick
Siebert singled home Johnny Welai
in the 1lth inning to give the Phila-
delphia Athletics a 3-to-2 victory
over the st. Louis Browns. Bobo
Newsom started for the Browns, but
was lifted for a pinch hitter in the
eighth.
Elmer Riddle hung up his l4th
win in pitching Cincinnati to
three-hit, 2-to-0 shutout over the
Boston Braves in the first game of
a twin bill, but Red Barrett dupli-
Gated his performance in the night
cap for 80 Boston triumph and a
Split i'1tr f1'gt @as
. .d,.a Giants Blast Pirates. ---.as
The New York Giants blasted over
seven runs in the second inning
against the Pirates and added five
more in the third, but still had to
call on Relief Pitcher Ace Adams
in beating Pittsburgh, 13 to 7. Ad-
ans came in in the sixth after Bill
Baker hit homer with the bases
full of Pirates.
Detroit lost the first game of a
double-header to the Boston Red
Sox, to 2, and was on the verge
of losing the second when, with two
out and none on in the ninth,
Pitcher Hank Dana started four
run uprising that led to a 5-to-2
Tiger victory.