Evening star., 1945-07-05
BY JOHN b. KELLER
Star Staff Correspondent.

CHICAGO, Ill, July 5.-That
power hitter, the man able to drive
a long ball the Mats were craving
In the early weeks of the American
Leagues championship campaign,
has arrived and Os Bluege's odd as
sortment of diamond athletes are
getting notions of finishing near
the top if not there in this years
torrid tussle for the pennant.
Harlond Cliffs home run out
burst has the Mats wild, and add
ing to their confidence of figuring
greatly in the race for the flag is
the keen eye and strong swing
George Case has displayed at the
plate during this swing through the
West to become the batting leader
of the league.
As a result of the heavy batting
by Cliff and Case on this trip, the
Mats came up to the final game OF
the series with the White Sox today
IN third place. They were just g
game back of the second-place New
York Yankees and but AZ games
off Detroit's leading Tigers. They
have won 10 of IA games on this
trip and are in their hottest bat
ting streak of the year. The Mats
feel that Cliff, after an Indifferent
start, has rediscovered the batting
groove that made him such feared
man in pinches before the Wash
ington club got him from st. Louis
Browns in 1943. They firmly believe
that his string of home runs ex-
tended to eight for the season by
seven clouted in the last IL days !;
merely the start of a remarkable
streak for their third-sacker.
Believe Case will Hold Up.
And they also are confident that
Case, after last years let-down al
bat reasonably attributed to the
'trick" left shoulder that hampereo
him often, is headed for another
sparkling offensive year such as thai
of 1943 when he led his club in vir-
tually every department of attack
Now pacing his league with an aver
age of BAL, Case won't be stopped
the Mats say.
It was an amazing exhibition thai
Cliff and Case gave yesterday as the
Mats edged out ChicagoS White So1
5-4, in a thinning tussle, then wen
on to sweep the Independence Day
double header with an 11-2 win.
Gift, who had hit his fifth home
run of the season only the night be-
fore as the Mats opened their serie'
here with a victory, had the crowC
in Comiskey Park moaning when HI
opened the ninth inning of the frs
game with his wallop into the lowe
left field stand that started tn,
Washington Club to tie score, bu
Harlond electrified the 81 y996 in tn,
stands when in the fifth inning O.
the nightcap, he stepped up to thu
plate with the bases packed to ran
q grand slam homer against tn,
front of the upper left field stand
Two innings later he rifled his eighth
homer Of the year into the lowe
left field stand. In all Cliff was re
sponsible for nine of the runs tn,
Mats. got in the two games. In ad
dition to his homers he drove thre,
flies to the depth of center field will
runner scoring from third after eacl
Of the catches. But Gift did not dt
all the home run hitting. Catching
the fever from his roommate on tn,
road, AL Evans in the same inning o
the second engagement in which
Cliff smacked his grand slam polet
homer into the left field seats will
one Nat aboard.
The two homers mixed witt
singles by Case, George Myatt ant
Gil Torres and walk by Fret
Vaughn made the second-game fiftl
= 6-run affair, the biggest innini
.;or the Mats this year. Case col
Sected three singles and a double il
Ne flrst game blazing the way +