The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-05-25
KNUCKLE BALL
 PITCHER HAS
 TEAM UP THERE
By GLEN PERKINS

United Press Stan COrrespondemf)
 New York, May 25-CUP)-Emli (Dutch) Leonard of the Washington Senators, with his freak knuckIes ball delivery, may be the man Go end the pennant dynasty of the New York Yankees this season-pro- vided any one fellow Is big enough to do 1t.
 Portly, bald Leonard, who con~ fesseS to being fiat and 2z" kept the Senators close on the heels of the Yankees and Browns yesterday in the hot three-cornered American league battle by defeating the Yn- dians at Cleveland, to {, for his fourth straight victory without de- feat.
 Leonard, potentially one of the top pitchers in baseball, thus is of to his best start and now that he has gained the knack of controlling his knuckler, may well be the factor to put Washington in ahead of the Yankees. Last year, essaying comeback after the 1042 season in which he won only two games, Leon- ard won II and lost l3 games, but at his present pace should top that figure.
 Moreover when it comes to a showdown between the Tanks and the Senators, Leonard may be the "blue chips" pitcher for Manager Ossie Bluege, since he apparently has regained the mastery he once held over the Bronx Bombers. Last year he beat them on three out Of four tries and has one victory over them to date this year. Oddly, in 1889, he beat the Yankees four times then faltered and lost 12 games Co them from 1940 through 1D42, beat ing them just once.
 In his victory over the Indians. he survived a bad first inning in which he yielded five hits and four runs, then pitched three hit baseball the rest of the way.
 The Detroit Tigers, coming home with six game winning streak, had it ended in rude fashion by the Philadelphia Athletics who won 6 to 4, scoring all their runs in the first two innings. Catcher Frankie Hayes hit home run with the bases loaded to spark a Six-run second inning. It was his sixth homer of the season. Don Black pitched shut out ball for the As until the ninth when Detroit scored all it's runs.
 The ex-seabee, Jack Kramer of the St. Louis Browns, pitched his sixth victory against two defeats, beating the Boston Red Sox T to 5. to spark the teams homecoming.
 The Browns and Senators each picked up half game on the league leading Yankees, whose night game at Chicago was rained out.
 The Chicago Cubs, continuing their belated reversal of form, won tht fifth straight game. defeating the Philies to o in a night game Philadelphia behind the five hit pitching of Paul Erickson. Erickson, making his first start, struck out seven and walked six, but frightened up with men on base, leaving il Phils stranded.
 Picking up half game on the idle St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates won their sixth straight game to 1 at Boston, taking ad- vantage of five Brave erorrs and the wildness of Jim Tobin to score most of their runs. They got five un- earned runs in the first inning on three walks, three errors, q single and double by pitcher Truett (Rip) Sewell, who aided his own cause by getting three hits. two of them two basers. It was Sewell's fifth vic- tory against two defeats.
 The St. Louis at Brooklyn and Cincinnati at New York games were rained out in the National.
 YESTERDAYS STAR-Paul Brick son. Chicago Cub relief pitcher. making his first start. who blanked fha pl,iio dalVsinfo Dlafl1far m 4rra 1sa4n