Evening star., 1944-05-01
WPB May Take Ban
From Material for
New Light Systems
BY TED MEIER,
A ss0cie tod prass Cnorts yyr;tn-

ASSOCldIeu fTeSS Sp0rCS writer,
Any lingering doubts that the
public didn't want baseball in this
third wartime season were dissi-
pated yesterday by an outpouring
of more than 2Os,e43 fans for eight
major league double-headers at
New York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati,
st. Louis, Detroit, Washington, Bos-
ton and Chicago. These figures do
not include thousands of service
men who were admitted free.
The national pastime was given
an added Endorsement by George w.
McMurphey, chief of the War Pro-
duction Boards Recreation Division,
who announced in Washington that
the WPB may release materials for
erection of lights in big league parks
not now equipped for night games.
He mentioned the Boston Red Sox,
Boston Braves, Detroit Tigers and
Chicago Cubs as being interested in
installing lights.
McMurphey described the Official
feeling" at WPB as believing that
more night games will help relieve
daytime traffic congestion and help
curb absenteeism by war plant
workers. More than 200 night games
already are scheduled in the Ma
tional and American Leagues.
Turn Away Thousands.
The largest Sunday turnout was
at the Polo Grounds in New York,
where 58,068-including 52,037. paid
saw the Giants and Brooklyn
Dodgers split a bizarre twin bill.
Thousands were turned away.
The Giants ran away with the
opener, 1858, as Phil Weintraub
batted in Ii runs and Ernie Lom-
bardi, 7. The Dodgers rallied to
win the nightcap, 5-4. Joe Medwick
of the Giants was hit in the groin
by a thrown pop bottle between
games, but was not seriously hurt,
although he was kept out of the
second game. Leo Durocher, Brook
lyn manager, was banished in the
sixth inning of the opener. Both
the 26 runs and the II runs batted
in fell short of existing records.
The st. Louis Cardinals kept on
top of the National loop by sweep
ing a doubleheader from the tall
end Cubs, to 0 and to S. South
paw Max Lanier won his third
straight game in the opener. Stan
Musial's 3-run homer won the night
cap. The double setback ran the
Cubs losing streak to nine.
Ernie Bonham and Hank Borowy
hurled the New York Yankees to a
double victory over Washington, 81
and 80, before 31,057 behind the
timely hitting of Don Savage and
Bud Metheny. The st. Louis Browns
stayed in first place by splitting with
the Chicago White Sox. The Sox
took the opener, 6 to S, while Don
Gutteridge'S double won for the
Browns in the afterpiece, S to 4.
Big Crowd at Detroit.
Cleveland and Detroit split their
bargain bill before 38,940 - second
largest crowd of the day-at Detroit
The Indians took the opener. to l.,
and the Tigers the nightcap, to 2,
on Chick Hostetler's 2-run single.
The Phillies went IA innings to
beat the Boston Braves, to i, in
the first game of a twin bill before
1892 at Philadelphia, but had to
be content with a nine-inning %
tie in the second game when Butch
Nieman socked ninth Inning
homer. Jim Tobin hurled one hit
less inning to stretch his streak to
13 consecutive hitless frames.
Pittsburgh and Cincinnati also
split a twin bill as did the Phila-
delphia Athletics and Boston Red
Sox. Pittsburgh won the first game,
I'll, while the Reds took the night
cap, to l, behind Bucky Walters
three-hitter. Bob Johnson's homer
gave the Red Sox a to triumph
over the AS in the first game. The
Mackmen snapped back to take the
afterpiece, 3 to |.