Evening star., 1946-10-01
Durocher's 5 lunches
To Play Big Role in
Dodgers Strategy
By Jack Hand
Assoeiatsd Press Sports Writer

UY JUN tb0U0
Assoeiutsd Press Sports Writer
ST. LOUIS, Oct. Throw out
154 games and 14-8 season edge
for st. Louis over Brooklyn and
start the real 1916 National League
race, today as Managers Eddie Dyer
and Leo Durocher match wits and
strategy In the opener of three
game tie playoff the first ever held
in major league baseball.
F HOWE Pollet, the Cardinals all
ing No. ! hurIer, probably holds
the key to the situation in the
aching muscles of his left side.
The slender southpaw has been
poison to the Brooks and Dyer's
ace in the hole when the going
gets tough.
Dyer won't know If Pollett, who
has been knocked out Of the box
by Chicago In his last two starts,
can take his turn until he lets him
warm up in the Sportsmans Park
before the game.
Cards 1910 Favorites.
If he's right" Pollett will pitch,
and Card supporters who have
made their favorites a surprising
13-to-10 choice will breathe more
easily. If not Dyer will fall back
on Murry Dickson, a wiry right
handler, who has beaten the
Dodgers three times and lost once
on relief before he was graduated
from the bull pen to starting duty.
There is no secret in the fact
that Dyer has pointed his Cardinals
for Leo Durocher's club all season
long. He confided before the sea-
son that Brooklyn is the team
to beat" Furthermore, the Card
manager said the race would rth
right through the season.
Every time the Cards have met
Brooklyn, Pollet has been maneu-
vered into a strategic position where
a st. Louis win was imperative
Dyer won't say so for fear of COIN
ing an alibi in advance. but his
plan for victory has a lot to do with
the mending Of muscles in the
aching left side of the pitcher he
signed out of New Orleans Legion
team for $500 back in 1888.
Durocher Picks Branca.
On the contrary, there is no key
figure holding the fate of the
Dodgers master plan. 1t Is based
on Durocher's lunches and uncanny
ability to call on the right men at
the ripe time. Brimming with con-
fidence, as usual, the Dodger man
ager has picked Ralph Branca, a
2O-year-old colleagian from Mount
Vernon, N. Y, to hurl the vital game.
This was no wild scheme concocted
in the dead of night, for Branca has
been extremely effective against the
Birds.
Durocher's prize gamble of the
year involved Branca in his last
start against st. Louis, on September
IA, the last time the two teams met.
After confiding to newsmen before
the game that he planned to start
Branca and use him only to face one
hitter before switching to Left
handed Vic Lombardi in an attempt
to confuse the Cards, Lippy Leo
watched in amazement as Branca
spun a three-hit, SO shutout. 1t
was the kids first complete game
of the year.
Branca had been an earlier sleep
er" choice to oppose Pollet, an
assignment usually construed to
mean that Durocher was conceding
the game. With relief help from
Hank Behrman, the ultimate win
ner, Branca outpointed the Cards
ace to justify his selection. 4
There is no end to the bag oi
tricks at Durocher's disposal, and
the st. Louis players may expect tc
see them all before their fate Ii
sealed.
Tickets Gobbled Up.
The first game is big one" fol
the Redbirds, just as every game
has been for the last three weeks
This really is one they have to win
for the luck of a flip of the coin
sends them back to Brooklyn fol-
the second game Thursday and
third game Friday, If necessary.
Whatever resentment the Cards
Sunday flop might have aroused
among the customers disappeared
yesterday when more than 25,00C
reserved seats and general admis-
sion tickets were gobbled up within
a few hours.
Just as in the World Series, those
who wanted to have their choice
of the 1000 rush seats, formed a
line in front of the bleachers' win
dow last night.
Downtown hotels and taverns
were jammed with baseball folk
many of whom were subbing the
playoff games for the World Series
games they had planned to attend
The players will entrain for New
York Immediately after the game
Unlike the World series, the
players do not share in the receipts
of the playof games, but President
Sam Breadon of the Cards an
nounced his players would be paid
off for the week on a pro rata
basis of their seasons salary.