Evening star., 1944-09-18
Tigers Annex League
lead as Brownies
|And Yanks FaIters
BY JOE REICHLER,

I
If baseball history repeats, the De-
troit Tigers, who surged into first
place yesterday, should win the
American League pennant this year.
The present scramble Is following
the identical pattern of the closing
days of the furious races of 1908
and 1910. On each occasion three
teams came roaring down the
stretch neck and neck with only
two games separating them. On each
occasion the Tigers finished first
The 1908 Tigers took over first
place on September n and did not
clinch the pennant until the last
day, October 6, when they defeated
the Chicago White Sox, who dropped
to third, one and a half games be-
hind. The Cleveland Indians were
second, a half game away.
In 1910 Detroit moved to the top
on September 20 and clinched the
pennant on the third from the last
day of the season. Again the In
dians wound up second. game be-
hind. while the New York Yankees
finished third, two games in the
rear.
Overmire, Gentry Turn Trick.
Not to be overlooked Is the i'm
portant fact that Detroit jumped to
the top on Sunday by beating Cleve-
land twice without having to use
their pair of aces, Dizzy Trout and
Hal Newhouser, who have notched
40 Of the Tigers 78 victories. 1t was
Stubby Overmire and Rufe Gentry,
a couple of in-and-outers, who
turned in pair of brilliant pitching
performances, as the Tigers copped,
10 and 80. Overmire hurled eight
scoreless innings in the opener, CIV
ing up only three hits until the
ninth. Gentry had no-hitter for
eight innings In the nightcap. yield
ing pair of safe blows in the fina!
frame.
The Tigers two big guns, Rudy
York and Dick Wakefield, took care
of the hitting. York hammered out
four hits and drove in three runs
in the opener, and Wakefield laced
out three hits and batted in tally
in the finale.
After momentarily staving off the
onrushing Tigers by winning the
opener from the Chicago White Sox.
ST.. with the help of Vern Stephens
10Th homer, the Browns lost their
hold on first place by dropping the
second game, 80. Joe Haynes was
the stopper for the Sox, while Nell
son Potter gained his 10Th triumph
in the opener.
Connie Macks Philadelphia Ath-
letics dealt the Yankees a severe
jolt by winning double header
from the McCarthymen. 5-4 and
2-l. The double defeat dropped the
Yankees into third place, two games
behind the Tigers. A former
Yankee, Larry RoSenthal. gained
sweet revenge when he hit pinch
hit homer with one on in the ninth
to win the opener for the AS.
Cards Clincher Delayed.
The Chicago Cubs delayed the
st. Louis Cardinals pennant-clinch-
ing by~ taking both games by 81
scores. Andy Pafko's two-run
homer In the seventh won the
nightcap for Claude Passeau after
Hank Wyse won the opener from
Max Lanier.
Pittsburgh and Cincinnati d.
vided their twin bill, Rip Sewell
winning his 18th for the Pirates.
II, in the opener, and the Reds
<1h ii.
innings.
Philadelphia made it four straight
over the New York Giants, winning
} TO and Sd, as Bill Lee hurled a
two-hit shutout in the opener.
Brooklyn and Boston split, Jim
! Tobin blanking the Dodgers. SO,
for his 18th in the opener and the
Dodgers winning, 80. in the night
cap to hand AL Javery his 10th
defeat,