Evening star., 1946-05-14
New East-West Series
To Send Early Season
Gate Over 100000
By Jack Hand
Associated Press Sports Writer


Big league attendance will zoom
over the 100000 mark on the way
to an all-time high today as the
sizzling Boston Red Sox open their
first Western tour and the puzzling
st. Louis Cardinals come East to
wrestle with the first-place Brook
lyn Dodgers.
When 10,951 ,502 paid to see the
l945 games, many believed the mark
would stand as record for years
to come. Now, month after the
start of the 24-week season, the
New York Yankees, Red Sox, Phila-
delphia Athletics and Cincinnati
Reds have drawn about half as
much as they did all last year.
The Yanks, with 578,940 as a
starter, are regarded a cinch to
smash the major league standard
the Chicago Cubs hung up in 1929
when they played before 1,485, ,766
at Wrigley Field.
Detroit is beginning to catch fire
as the Tigers flash the form that
LED them to a pennant and World
Series triumph last fall Although
the Bengals have been away from
home most of the season, their
Briggs Stadium turnstile counts are
marching along with 1945 figures.
Trip Big Test for Red Sox.
Steve O'Neill's champs, who rolled
to their eighth straight yesterday,
greet Washington, Philadelphia
Boston and New York, in order, on
their first protracted home stand.
Although all Eastern teams of
the American League will be west
of the Alleghenies and all Western
teams of the National will be on
the Atlantic seaboard, the spotlight
will be centered on the Red Sox
and Cardinals.
AS Boston rocketed through the
East to win % of its 26 starts the
experts delayed final judgment on
the team pending it's first Western
tour. The Sox open in Chicago to-
day and won't be back in FenWay
Park until May 25, when they en-
gage the Yanks. So far they haven't
lost a game to a Western team.
Detroit, only game back of the
second-place Yankees, expects to
close in on the Red Sox during its
long home stay. The team is be-
ginning to click and the pitching
staff is rounding into shape.
Although Hal Newhouser was
knocked from the box for the first
time this season, the Tigers picked
up six easy runs in wild second
inning to gain 6-5 edge over Chi
cago. Six walks, an error, an out
field fly and bunt single pro-
duced the big bundle.
Browns, Tribe Split Bill.
While the Yanks were flying to
st. Louis on the first of a series of
plane hops, the Browns were split
ting a double-header at Cleveland.
Red Embree turned back st. Louis
with five blows in the opener, knock
ing in three runs of the Tribes 90
margin. AL Milnar, making his first
start, shut out Cleveland, SO, with
six hits in the second tilt, although
the losers pulled triple-play in the
second inning.
All the Eastern teams in the
American and the four Western
clubs in the National were idle,
jumping across country for the Sec
ond intersectional series.
Brooklyn warmed up for the Car
dinals by hanging another one on
the Phillies' chin, 6-3, coming from
behind to do it. Pete Reiser stole
home for the third time this season
as the Phil defense crumbled behind
Oscar Judd and Dick Mauney to
help Ed Head pick up win No. 2. 1t
was the ninth straight Dodger
triumph in the friendly surround
lngs Of Ebbets Field, stretching their
lead to two full games over the run
nerup Redbirds, who come to town
today.
Boston spurted with four in the
ninth to shade the New York Giants.
rs, giving Reliefer Earl Reid his
first big league victory at Mike Bud
nick's expense. Budnick, who re-
placed Hal Schumacher in the ninth,
actually lost his own game when he
dropped throw from Second Base
man Buddy Blattner that allowed
the tVinp and WinpinU r,,,c IN eoor,