Evening star., 1944-06-16
Series Victory Over
Yanks, 81, May Put
Club on lis Feet
BY JOHN b. KELLER.


to struggle along with the material
it has at hand, despite an offer of
$4,000 made by Clark Griffith for
Pat Secrecy, righthand hitting out
fielder with the Cleveland Indians
Maybe they can get along, how
ever, with Bob Ortiz, the hefty
Cuban picked up from the Mont
real ball club of the International
League last fall. Despite the fact
that the Mats have been leading the
| loop as hitting outfit and getting
nowhere, it has been evident that
the lone power in their lineup has
been the big boy from the Antilles.
1t was a prodigious triple trifled
to center by Bob last night that
started the Mats to 80 win over
New York's Yankees and 3-to-1
win of the series that probably
could get the Washington club on
its feet again.
Tribe Spurns $4,000.
For some time Skipper Os Bluege
had been appealing to Clark
Griffith, president of the Mats, to
get him some relief in the way of
a hitter with sound sock. And
Griff has been appealing to all other
clubs with available material to sell
him one. But without success.
His last appeal was to the Cleve-
land Indians. Griff wanted Pat
Seerey, hard-hitting gardener who
has done some valiant work for the
Tribe. He dangled before the
Indians a $4,000 bait, but they
wouldn't bite. They wanted Ortiz
and cash, or else. Griff, with his
club only having % players which
made it two below the limit after
the June Is deadline, felt he
couldn't trade. Perhaps he was
wise.
Ortiz isn't good fielder, it is ad-
mitted. He wasn't any too finished
in going after the ball that Bud
Metheny hit off the right-field fence
that led to the Yankees second run
in the eighth inning last night. But
even Griffith admits that ball.
player can be taught to field and in
these days when owners can't be
particular choosers a man with
potential power at bat might be
something better to have than an
erratic man on defense.
Ortiz's Triple Tells.
Anyway, Manager Bluege felt that
way last night when he sent Ortiz
instead of Jake Powell into the out
field. 1t was nothing to Jake's dis
credit that he was kept off the
team, for Jake has done plenty of
good work for the club. But it is
doubtful that Jake could have put
the power behind that hit that
Ortiz did.
That Bluege sent Joe Vosmik, re-
Gently acquired veteran, into right
field in the ninth inning takes
nothing from the value of Ortiz.
That was purely defensive move,
although it turned out that Vosmik
had nothing to bother about in
that ninth frame when the Yanks
got their seventh hit off Mickey
Haefner, who left-handed a pretty
good game against the Yanks.
The Mats won the tussle in the
sixth inning when they clustered
four of their six hits off the left
handed Joe Page. Trailing, l to 0,
they opened the round with a single
by George Myatt Gil Torres flied
out, but Stan Spence singled. Then
Ortiz scored both with his triple. A
wild pitch by Page while Rick Fer
rell was at bat let the big run get
over.
Yanks Make 1t Close.
With two out in the eighth Me-
theney hit that double off the
fence that Ortiz had some trouble
with and Rollie 'Hemsley followed
with another .two-bagger that got
the Yanks run to make 1t close.
But Haefner was equal to the task
and took good care OF Johnny Lin
dell, who had hit safely his first
three times up.
After Page had done his stint, Jim
Turner came on to right-hand the
eighth for the Yanks and he set
the Mats down in order, but it meant
nothing with double-play getting
Haefner off spot in the ninth
after Nick Etten had opened eor the
foe with a single.
The Red Sox of Boston come in
tonight for series of four games
with double-header Sunday end
ing it.
The Quantico and Navy Yard
Marines will clash at $50 tomorrow
in a prelim to the Griff-Red Sox
game, with one admission price.