Evening star., 1944-04-10
Stunning Blow Leaves
Only 10 on Ball Club
Out Of IA Class
Bv JOHN B. KELLER,
Star Staff CORRESPONDENT

BY JOHN B. KELLER,
Star Staff Correspondent
BAINBRIDGE, Md, April TO-
Their Cuban contingent, facec
with sign or return home" edict
issued by the Selective Service Com
mission, officials of the Washington
baseball club today gloomily con.
templated difficulty in mastering 6
strong outfit to carry on in the
American League championship
race.
Now, 10 of the islanders mus
register for the draft by June IL
according to the blunt announce
ment of the draft headquarters OF
go back to Cuba. And should any
of the Cubans decide to return home
and undoubtedly some of them
will-they won't be able to return
to the United States to play bal
without special permission from,
Uncle Sam.
Dependent as the Mats appear te
be on at least three of the Cubar
players-Luis Suarez, third base
man; Roberto Ortiz, outfelder, anc
Gilberto Torres, pitcher and utility
infielder-the blow to the clubs
prospects this season is indeed
damaging.
Only 10 Not la.
With the Cubans now subject tc
draft, the Mats have remaining only
10 players not in la classifica-
ton. These include among the
United States nationals Pitchers
Dutch Leonard, Johnny Niggeline
and Roger Wolff; Catcher Rick Fer
rell. Inflelders Hills Layne ano
Eddie Butka and Outfielders Jake
Powell and Walter Niche.
Also excluded from the draft
order, according to President CLARK
Griffith of the Washington club, are
AL Carrasquel and Santiago Ullrich
pitchers from Venezuela. This South
American nation not being a bel
ligerent the selective service pro-
vision does not aply to its country
men here, he says.
While this bombshell did not burst
until yesterday when selective serv-
ice made public the status of the
Cuban athletes, Griffith said the
Washington club had known all
|along that the players would have
to register. eve knew it was in
|evitable, but we were and still are
ready to take our chances" Grit
fifth deelared.
Others Who Must Register.
Affected by the order in addition
to the three previously mentioned
are Pitchers Jose Gomez and An
tonic Napoles, Catchers Mike Guer-
|ra, Rogelio Valdes and Fernando
Fuertes, Infielder Pedro Gomez and
Outfielder Jose Zardon.
Manager Os Bluege has banked
heavily on using Suarez and Ortiz
as regulars. Suarez, now nursing
an injured knee, has looked in
training the player to fill a big
gap at third base. His defensive
play has been of high order, al
though his batting, like that OF
most OF the other Mats, hasn't been
|so good. Ortiz, bought last season
latter q highly successful campa4gn
with Montreal of the international
League. was assigned to q regular
outf1eld post from the start because
|of his hitting. Torres, fair pitcher
and nos mean batter, Is a versatile
player expected to take care of
|tnf1eld jobs in emergencies.
. With these players lost, pennant
hopes Of the Mats, would be blasted.
Mats Waste Hits in Victory.
Bluege's charges, Cubans and all.
were looking for another victory
over ball club of major league
caliber as they faced the Commo-
dores OF the Bainbridge Naval
Training Station today. The club
at the base here is studded with
eX-big leaguers, including Sherry
Robertson, Grif1th's nephew, who
played third base for the Mats last
season.
But they probably would have to
bat more effectively than they did
at home yesterday as they got a
81 decision over the Philies. Then
they had little in pinches, requir-
Ing 10 hits off Al Gerheauser and
Bernie Mussill, left-handers, to get
their brace of runs.
Alter a double and two singles
failed to get them anywhere in the
sixth inning, the Mats hoped on
Mussill for their tallies in the sew
enth. Powell grabbed Leonard's bat
and cracked double, then George
Case beat out a bunt. George Myatt
singled Powell home and Stan
Spence's long fly tailed Case.
The Phils got their score off
Mickey Haefner, who left-handed
the first seven innings in good style
A double by Coaker Triplett, his
first hit Of the training season; Ford
Mullen's infleld erasure and Andv
Seminicks hoist accounted for the
run in the second. Haefner allowed
IN all five hits, struck out four and
didn't issue a pass.
Leonard yielded a single in the
eighth, then gave the nearly 5000 at
the game a big thrill in the ninth
The Phils filled the sacks with Ron
Northey's single and bunted hits bv
Triplett and Mullen. But Seminick
popped to Layne, Butka took care of
Ray Hamrick's foul and Leonard
tanned Bob Finley, pinch batter
with three knucklers.
Five playerS were dronnad voct.r
day from the ranks of the Mats. two
OF them Cubans and another a Ven
ezuelan. Pitchers Bob Albertson
Juan Hernandez, a protege of Car
rasquels from Caracas, and Olivrio
Ortiz and Outfielder- -Infielder Fran
cisco Quientis were optioned to
Chattanooga. In surprise shift
Pitcher Vernon Curtis, bought for
$4,000 from Atlanta last year, went
to Minneapolis of the American AS
soclation, subject to recall on "a
hn11r y,Ntioa