Evening star., 1944-10-02
Win,Lose or Draw
This Yeor's Club Far From Being copitoIs Worst
By JOHN B. KELLER,
Star stan correspondent


correspondent
This Years Club Far From Being Cupitors Worst
ST LOUIS No. Oct 2-For the first time 1909 that
League applies the Washington club Mats
OF this year far from being the worst club
Their percentage only against
30 losses exceeds by far the the four other
Washington clubs that wound
ever Pat Donovan outfit games
losing lls for 25 In 1908 the first Washington last Its
rating .314. 1907 it
And while this years of Mats the first under the
Clark Griffith began up
last position It's 6 percentage isn't the lowest since the Old Fox
came to the Capital first to its club and later
Back 1919 when the Mats finished seventh they
and lost "a to end the with mark Of 400
The 4ls rating also matches the ratings of the sventpace
clubs of 1911 and 1910
So washngtons fifth lastplace club years
American League has some distinction.
Failure of the Mats make substantial headway
year of the big uses of the campaign but they
New Yorks Yankees
The Washington generally nominated
battle for this pennant with little
Yanks did manage to make run for the flag right the
weeks of the the Mats going
fell off the the latter part of May and
stride again.
InfieIds Failure to Back Up Pitchers Foctor
Many been advanced for this collapse of the
Washington outfit and in part well founded
utter inability of inhd provide adequate
of pitchers pretty good prone
that the Mats must have alright pitching
at the plate woefuy weak batte
and stonewan inheld games.
But the break in the infed Washington
Derots Tigers came on to sweep series From then
only exceptional pitching BY corps got
few which batting that
set with the drop
came back make only fair showing On the next
trip they only of 6 that Cevelands
Eleven games in dropped that second trip West
span games around that time the Mats won only
three That had them firmly entrenched last place by the middle
August.
only fire flashed by the Mats was seen in their
against They
put Boston Red Sox out of the running ST. Browns
hot fight and in their final series Ded the Tigers
keep them from a flag
Tigers,
chcagos badly
played against hemnd the Yank mediocre bunch at best
the Mats generally managed play And against the White
Chicago the Mats couldn't their
Washington club of the Griffith regime that record and not
did their with three clubs the Red
Indians Phiadelphas Athcsbut otherwise their
dismal simply didn't have the play
up to preseason reckoning
Bueoe Made the Best of Talent Available
the showing of the blame attached os Buege
their manager He perhaps got about all he or any one else could
aggregation talent
at hand from which CLEAN fair ball club and after the Mats
staggering the the front ce
with material might relieved cond1-
The Mats weren't without their stars Stan Spence their stout
spared he
with amazing catches and with his strong left
ran up string of assists exceeding any other league
years s1e He led
in driving and hits included 18 home Spence coted
four-basers in every league park except Chicagos
ptcherJohnny Nisgelins Dutch Leonard
Mickey Haefnewho through admirably with little to back
up Rick Ferren catcher nearing all
major league games
pitchers weaklng
either
yesterdays windup the scattered Some
Washington pick families and checks then to
living Middle directly
Only Roger live ST.
Louis, expected to of the World Series
Myat will today Tuesday to Washington
probably nducted Uncle Sans armed
intend defense plants the on
Before the club dsbandd there no chatter about hunting
and fishing this fall.
the ball club to leave Washington today
papers They
Gil with his keen knowledge of English plans
language instructor Cuba with his class including the
the Mats They need the
So it's long Nats-and luck year"