Evening star., 1944-07-24
Equals Two 4-Baser
Marks, Ties OH al II
In. Twin Bill Feats
BY JOE REICHLER,
Associated Press Sports Writer

Bill Nicholson. the Chicago Cubs
greatest slugging outf1elder since
Hack Wilson, may become the first
player In National League history
to lead the circuit in home runs
and runs batted In for two success
sive years.
The husky former Washington
College (Maryland) football star hit
four home runs and drove in seven
runs to take over or share In the
leadership in both departments, as
the Cubs and the New York Giants
divided a double-header yesterday,
the Cubs winning the opener IA
and the Giants the nightcap, 1910.
NicholSon's four homers in a twin
bill tied a major league record and
placed him in tie with Mel OFT OF
the Giants for the league lead with
81 each. 1t also gave Nick six
homers in four games, tying an
other National League mark, held
by four players.
Big Bills seven runs batted in
give him total of GA, tops in the
majors. He led the senior circuit
last year with 20 home runs and 1873
runs batted in. Only Rogers Horn
by Of the st. Louis Cardinals in
1922 and 1925 and Chuck Klein of
the Philadelphia Phillies in 1881
and 1888 ever led the loop In homers
and runs batted in for two years,
though neither led for successive
years.
Climbs Above 800 Mark.
In addition, Nicholson made six
hits and scored six runs to climb
above the 800 mark for the first
time this season.
Each club tied loop record when
both Giants and the Cubs used seven
pitchers in the wild and woolly sec
ond. The total OF IA hurlers is a new
major league record, displacing the
old one of IL set by the Cubs and
Cincinnati in an 18-inning game
during 1912.
The league-leading st. Louis
Browns bounded back, after a l2-1
lacing, to defeat the Boston Red Sox.
SO, in the second game. aided by
Vernon Stephens grand slam home
run in the fourth inning. In the
opener. Tex Hughson Joined De-
troit's Hal Newhouser as the only l5-
game winner in the American
League by holding the Browns to
six hits
The st. Louis Cardinals increased
their first-place lead to 13 games by
sweeping a double-header from the
Boston Braves. 30 and So. All three
Cardinal runs in the opener were
unearned. Big Mort Cooper won his
18th victory in the nightcap.
TWO streaks were snapped when
the Philadelphia Athletics took both
games from the Detroit Tigers. 1873
and 80. 1t marked the end of the
Mackmen's eight-game losing streak.
and snapped the Tigers winning
skein at six. The double loss
dropped the Tigers into fifth place.
Dodgers Sink Deeper.
Brooklyn sank deeper into the
National League cellar by dropping
both games of q twin bill to the
Pittsburgh Pirates, Us and 9-4 in
IL innings. 1t marked the Dodgers
fifth straight loss, and their 2lst in
the last % games. The Pirates won
the opener when Babe Dahlgren
spearheaded three-run ninth
inning attack with a two-run triple.
A f1ve-run outburst. high lighted by
Vince Di Maggio's three-run homer
In the 1lth inning, won the nightcap.
The New York Yankees and the
Chicago White Sox divided their two
games, the Yankees winning the
opener, TO, and the Sox taking the
second game, 1916. Johnny Lindell
of the Yanks homered in the first
game and Ralph Hodgin of the pale
hose starred with four hits in the
second one.
The Phillies continued their link
over Bucky Walters of the Reds
when they knocked him out of the
box and overcame a six-run deficit
to win the opener, rs. Walters has
beaten the Phillies only nine times
in his seven years with the Reds.
Cincinnati won the second game.
FL. when Catcher Ray Mueller
homered in the seventh with one on.
Cleveland went over the 500 mark
Tor the first time since May IL by
taking both games from the Wash
ington Senators, 4-3 and 9-5, to
more into fo,,rtb o1,n.