The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-09-28
TIGER ROOKIE
 GETS CHANGE
 TOCLINCH FLAG
BY OSCAR TRALEY Inlted presn Staff CerresnOnIlt

BK VSOAN EhtAAkk
 United Press staff Correspondent
 Detroit, Sept, 2e-- tUp) -Rufe Gentry, an oftsbeaten kid pitcher from North Carolina, goes Go tho mound ln Briggs Stadium today to hurl what could Do the deciding game in one Of the closest pennaat races ln American League history,
 Maybe Rain
 There was Q possibility that to- days game might bo rained out however, as Q gray sky indicated continuation of an sall-night down. pour postponement today probably would result In u doubleheader to. morrow,
 Gentry, a haFd-museled youngstor who has won il while losing Q moro important l4 will carry the hopes of the Detroit Tigers for their first flag since i040 when the Bsngals tee of. in the first of Q season elos-, Ing four games against the Wash. ington Senators,
 There wasn't much choice as to whom would match slants with the Senators star knuekle ball hurler, Johnny Nlggellng, in this dash to the wire, It was case of necessity for manager Steve O'Neill, Q black 1rlShman whom the Cleveland In. dlans thought too soft to manage Q pennant winner, They said he was too easy-going when they let him 30 at the end of 1887, but today he h6d the Tigers one gamo in front after yesterdays 40 shutout over the Philadelphia Athletics Q few hours before the St, Louis Browns dropped out of Q tic for the lead with Q 4-i defeat Rt the hands of the Boston Rod SoX,
 Aces Played
 There wasn't much choice for Black Steve because Inc used one of his pair of aces, Hal NeWhouSer, in yesterdays win, And only the day before he had sent tho other, Dizzy Trout, out to keep the Tigers up there, His other possible choice, Stubby Overmire, meanwhile was Ibid up with SOTO arm, So there waB little to do but give Gentry tho nod,
 Newheuser, the slim southpaw with the seerehins fast fall, had lit. tle difficulty in ehRlking up his 98th triumph to take the lead among Major League pitchers, Flo tossed Q fiye-hit Job At tho As that had them swinging at no, Ing but Nir aS he famed nine men, That put him one triumph ahead of Trout for the year,
 Wakefield
 Yet there had to Do q little help ana it came from Dynamite Dick Wakefield, tho young Slugger whom Detroit picked up off the University of Michigan campus for Sb2,000 bonus and whose recent return to the lineup after his release from the Navy sparked the Tigers oqt of the second division, Two were out In tho first inning and then Plnky Hig- gins and Rudy York walked Wake. field slashed one through short at that point and that was the ball game,
 WaIefields two successive hits, in three official times Rt bat, and another Tiger run in the sixth and two In the eighth were strictly anti climatic,
 The victim was Boae Newsonh, tho same portly hurler who carried the Tigers to the pennant in 70 and Wea two world series games for them before dropping the seventh and de' eIding tilt to the Cincinnati Reds.
 old Dobo blamed the Tigers for shipping him elsewhere after poor iO4i season and he felt that this WRS his chance to even ths score, But the Tigers were roaring, behind Prince Hal and the vicar Of Wake: field and they soon shattered old Bobo's dream Of vengeance