Evening star., 1945-04-20
G and Yan Fresh From 7riumphs> Keen for D. C. Opene
Case S Homer in 12th
Beats As; New York
Sweeps Red Sox
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

BY JOHN b. KELLER.
i Washington's delayed baseball In
augural was to be staged this after
noon at Grifnth Stadium with the
Mats, still gloating over George
Cases 12th-inning home run that
beat the Athletics, 4 to 3, and bag
ged the series in Philadelphia, two
games to one, taking on New York's
blasting Yankees, fresh from a
three-game sweep over Boston's s
Red Sox, at 3 o'clock.
The opening ritual, marked by
solemnity instead of the customary
gayety of the season start, was To
be carried out as planned last Mon
day when rain stopped everything.
At 2:45, 1t calls for Undersecretary
Of War Robert p. Patterson and
Walter johnson, long Washington
stellar pitcher and an all-time base
ball great, to parade to. the center
field Flagstaff with the Navy Band
for the raising of the colors. Then
with the flag lowered to half-staff
a bugler will sound taps with the
10000 expected in the stadium
standing in tribute to the memory
of the late President Roosevelt.
Shortly after, Speaker Sam Ray
burn of the House of Representa-
tives will make the formal open
ing pitch and the fourth baseball
campaign here since the Japs did
their dirty work at Pearl Harbor
will be under way.
Haefner Hurls for Griffs.
To Mickey Haefner, left-handed
knuckle- -baller the honor of pitching
the Washington opener was assigned
two days ago, according to Skipper
Os Bluege. Haefner appears sharp
ened for the job. Although his 1914
record of IL wins against is de-
feats doesn't read impressively, he
was better than that as his earned
run average of 3.04 reveals.
opposed to Haefner was to be Floyd
Bevens, a 6-3 Highlander who was
brought up to the Yanks from their
Newark farm last summer. He once
was an infielder, but was shunted to
the mound because he couldn't hit.
With the New York club last season
he won four games and lost one. He
toiled to an earned-run average
Of 2.6l.
Except at shortstop, the Yanks
this time are presenting the same
lineup that last year kept them in
the pennant fight until its last series,
when they dropped four straight to
the f1ag-winning st. Louis Browns
and finished in third place.
Nick Etten is at first base again,
George Stirnweiss, who took the
American League base-stealing title
from George Case, at second. and
Don Savage at third, post he
shared with Oscar Grimes in 1914.
Johnny Lindell, the long hitter;
Herschel Martin, Bud Metheny and
Russ Derry are being used in the
outfield, while Mike Garbark again
is doing the bulk of the catching.
Buzas New Yank Shortstop.
Joe Buzas, New Jersey lad of
Hungarian descent, is the new short
stop, although that veteran smoothie,
frankie Crosetti, still is around. Joe
starred at Bucknell before going
into the minors and last season
sparkled at Newark, the Yankee
farm.
Marino Pieretti. making his major
league pitching debut. looked quite
good yesterday, despite the IA hits
made of him in the IL innings.
Seven of the safeties were clustered
from the eighth, when the AS pulled
up to a tie, through the 11th. But
for an error by Harlond Gift in the
fourth, the draftee from Portland
would have scored his victory in
nine rounds.
The Mats got all but two of their
II hits of Jess Flores, who went
seven innings. OF Joe Berry, who
finished, they did nothing until the
18th when Case socked the first
pitch into the lower left field stand.
George Binks got single after two
were out, but Cliff was easy for
Berry.
At the outset of the AS 18th Case
made diving catch of Dick Sic
bert's liner that, had it gone by,
would have been good for two bases
at least and might have caused the
Mats trouble. But George was pro-
tecting that one-run lead he had
gained, regardless of his doctored
left arm. 1t was not injured.
Binks Hits in Clutch.
The tally the AS got from Hayes
double and Halls single in the Sec
ond was matched by the Mats in
the third when Kuhel walked and
raced home on Binks' long two
bagger. but the AS went ahead
again in the fourth through an un-
earned run. Siebert doubled and
after two were out moved to third
when Cliff booted Busch's grounder
Kell singled to bring in the run.
The Mats took command in the
sixth when Gift was pinked by one
of Flores pitches as a starter.
Torres shot a triple to center to
tie the count and crossed on
Chipple's one-baser dropped into
left. Chip got all the way to third
as the second sacker let Garrison's s
throw-in get away, but Evans and
Pieretti left him stranded.
But the AS bobbed up with a
tying tally in the eighth. Estalella
began the inning with a one-baser,
only to be doubled when he at
tempted to take second after Evans
SHARED Hayes foul against the
stand. Siebert, though, walked and
rode to the plate on Halls second
hit, a double.
From then on, it was a matter of
endurance-until Case found the
range.