The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-10-11
DetrOit
TIGERS CAME THROUGH ON A WING & PRAYER
By LEO H. PETERSEN United Preas Sports Editor)

AAAAN@NA
 Chicago, oct. II - (UP) - The Detroit Tigers were ct the end of the ls46 Major League baseball sea- son today. They had the world series gold and glory won on Q wing and a prayer.
 It meant more to the Tigers than the money and honor that goes to Q champion. To the victors in par- ticular, and the baseball world in general, it proved that their boss, Rurley Steve O'Neill had come back and made good in the big time.
 The boys who were instrumental in that success are O'Neill's wing and prayer. The wing Is that of Lefthanded Hal Newhouser who climaxed 6 brilliant season yeSter- day by defeating the Cubs 9 to 3 in the seventh and deciding game of this richest series of all time.
 The prayer was Catcher Paul Richards, far past his prime but called upon to i'll the breach when service calls out baseball raanpower.
 Richards was In the minors when O'Neill decided to take 0 chance on the veteran while praying fervently that, until the boys come marching back, the Se year old Richards would hold up.
 Steve's prayers were not in vain, Richards handling of pitchers play ed big part in the Detroit success and his bat yesterday boomed out the base hit that brought the Tigers their second world series victory in seven tries. Their previous victims were the Cubs, too. That was 10 years ago.
 Bet Power
 It was rough losing for Chicago, but 1t was generally agreed they lost to c better ball club. Once more 1t was c story of American League power going for c big Inning over the tight defensive play of the Na- tional League.
 All during this money series, the policy of going after Q big inning paid dividends. The richest reward of all came in that first inning yes- terday when the Tigers jumped or their old jinx, Hank Borowy, and drove him from the box In the course of Q five-run rally.
 Fordharn Hank went out in ay1 ct. tempt to match the record of eigh' other hurlers who have won three world series games but that one day of rest between the sixth and sev- enth games was not enough. Instead of winding up with his i4th victory over the Tigers, hc came out of I with his fifth defeat. lll
 Two of Hanks victories and tive of his defeats came in this series The fact that he lost under the cir' cuInstances took no luster of thu performances he turned in for thu Cubs after they gambled ei00,000 or him as pennAnt inSur&nce, purchas' Ing him from the Yankees In mid. season. The ii victories against twt defeats he turned In during the Chi cago drive to the league pennan wes dividend enough.
 It was the old story with New houseT coming through. All season long he had been O'Neill's man fl the clutch. And the 2S victories hI turned in meant the pennant fol the Tigers just aS his two work series victories meant the cham pionShip.
 Newhouser had failed o'Neili ir the first game when he lost to Dor owy but he came back to beat Ford ham Hank, 6 to {, in the fifth game And yesterday, when thousand.dol lar bills were riding on every pitch he again showed the pitching TnAgi' which has made him the outstald ing pitcher in the game.
 ''AGoney" Player
 For Richards, it was . new ex perience. Living on borrowed tim % far as the games big tent | concerned, he showed that while hi eye has dimMed somewhat and hi speed has gone he still has what 1 takes when the chips gre down. II handled the Tigers pitching flaw lessiy and then came Up with tn cash. h.value hit in the final game.
 The bases were full, with two ouI when Richards strode to the plat and caught hold of one Of PAu Derringer,s fast balls for c ringinI double down the left field foul liIlt That meant three runs and gay Newhouser ail of the working mar gin he needed.
 Richards clipped In with anothe double to drive iE run later an wound up in the dugout when tn final out was made. He suffered broken finger on his right han when struck by c foul tip. Althougl it was painful he wasn't too worrie, about the injury. That base hi meant money to him and his team mates and took the sting out of tn bonebreak.
 It wasn't of course, aji Newhouse and Richards. Guys ike Hani | dreenberg, Doc Crarner, Skeete Webb, Eddie Mayo. Virgil Truck and Dizzy Trout did their part, toc But without Newhouser and Rich ards it probably would have beei Q different story.
 Seldom has c series seen SO man. records set as this one. Batting pitching and other marks fell by tn score. And the big records were Il total attendance and TeceiptS-th iifebiood Of the game.
 | When 4l,6D0 persons paid thei way into Wrlgiey Field for the Sev enth game 1t scared the series ct tendance mark to 333, ,467, topping b S,400 the former record set in th 1928 classic --in the So-calied goldei era oi sports between the New YoE1 Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals.
 The o204,i77 take for the fna game brought the total receipts [ 1i.Se2, ASA, topping by 1270, ,i26.7o tn old mark Of ei,322, ,32D.2i set in th Tigers and the Cincinnati Red seven -sanie series in 1o40.
 But, instead of coming out on tn losing end as they did then, tn Tigers were on top this time. l meant c difference Of e2,loe to eac member of the club. For SplIttin