Evening star., 1944-08-22
Spence Fielding Ace;
Haeffner, Janucki
In Long Hill Duel
BY JOHN b. KELLER.

It's well Tor the browns as they
strive for st. Louis first American
League flag that they don't often
have to battle such as the Mats are
on their home lot when clashing
with the league leaders. Neither
the Browns nor any other pace
maker could bear up Under the
strain very long.
For sheer excellence as a baseball
game, that staged last night in
Griffith Stadium couldn't be beaten
and that the Mats succumbed, 5
to 3, in IL innings was nothing to
their discredit. The last-place
Washington club in losing to the
top team of the circuit certainly got
great hand from the appreciative
crowd of l0,031.
1t was unquestionably the best
exhibition given by the Mats here
this season and it was unfortunate
it had to be marred by an error
that prevented the home side scor-
ing its third win in a row over the
front-running Browns over regula-
ton distance.
Everything to Thrill Fans.
The game had all the thrills of
one between clubs struggling for a
pennant in a season finale. There
was keen pitching, with both start
ers going the route; there was a
Washington home run in the fourth
inning to break a % tie and there
was a st. Louis home run in the
18th with a runner on to break down
the Mats stout stand.
Also there were two superb catches
by Stan Spence, Nat center fielder,
that carried the Browns into over
time. One came in the eighth in
ming just after the Browns had
pulled up to a 3-3 tie. With Vern
Stephens on third base, Chet Laabs
rifled what looked all over a hit to
the far reaches of center. But
Spence, digging back at top speed,
hauled down the ball for the third
out.
The other spectacular catch came
in the ninth and resulted in the
most amazing double play of the
season. With George McQuinn on
first and one out, Frank Mancuso,
who already had hit double and
single, sent the ball soaring to-
ward the flag pole in deep center.
A triple appeared certain. But
Spence, under way at the crack of
the bat, raced to the shadow of
the open stand, reached up with his
gloved hand and came down with
the ball
Double Play Stymies Browns.
McQuinn, not believing a catch
possible, had headed for second and
was at the bag before he saw
Spence make the grab. But the
play was SO far out it still seemed
he could get back to first safely.
Spence, though off balance, whirled
and fired the ball to the shortstop
and Johnny Sullivan followed with
sparkling relay that reached Joe
kuhel just a step ahead of Nc
Quinn. 1t was almost unbelievable.
Mickey Haefner and Sig Jakucki
dueled in fine fashion all the way
with the left-handed Nat knuckle
baller, yielding ii hits and striking
out nine and the Browns right
handler giving up eight hits and
striking out five. Haefner gave two
passes and Jackuki one, with none
figuring in the scoring. Through
live innings after the fourth, Jack
uki didn't grant a hit.
The Mats clustered Spence's two
Dagger, Gil Torres single and theft
and Sullivan's hit for two runs in
the second. The Browns scored in
third and fourth, each time back
ing a double with two singles.
With one out in the Mats half
OF the fourth, though, Rookie Fred
Vaughn lofted mighty homer into
the open stand back of left to send
his club to the front. The ball
landed well up in the stand, approx
imately 425 feet from the plate.
Torres Error Costs Game.
That should have won the ball
game, but in the eighth, with two
out and Don Gutteridge on first for
the Browns, a single was shot to
center oy Stephens. Gutteridge
rounded second and sped toward
third on the hit, but Spence's throw
had him headed off. However, Tor
res let the ball get by to the Browns
dugout and Gutteridge carried on to
the tying tally.
1t was Gutteridge who bagged the
game for the Browns with an in
side-the-park homer in the 18th.
Mancuso had opened the inning
with a one baser Jakucki struck
out, but Gutteridge rammed to the
right center angle and got across
we'll ahead of the return.
So for the second time in three
weeks Gutteridge had ruined an
extra-inning game for Haefner. On
July 80 in Sportsman's Park in St.
Louis the Browns had two on with
two out in the 10th when Gut
tpri6pe dol1h1ed to cand II, fu,o r,,,e