Evening star., 1946-07-05
Plant 10 Seat 10000
Baseball, $4,000 Grid
Crowds, Mats Plan
By Burton Hawkins

/
Griffith Stadium's seating capacit,
will be increased by 5000 as soon a.
construction material Is available
it was learned today, with plans
calling for expansion which will &C.
commodate crowds of nearly 10000
for baseball and $4,000 for football
A second deck will be CONSTRUCTED
atop the left and center field bleach.
ers, with what now are bleachel
seats being converted into grand.
stand seats, as in Philadelphia.
Shibe Park and Chicago's Comiskey
Park. The top deck will be giver
over entirely to grandstand seats
eliminating bleacher type seats al
Griffith Stadium except for the
right field pavilion.
The upper grandstand section
from first base to third base, EN-.
bracing the so-called "old" grand
stand, will be extended backward
Is rows, necessitating re-arrange-
ment of the two light towers now
supported by that section Of the
grandstand.
The extension of the grandstand
will result in approximately 2,OOC
additional seats, while the double
decked left and center field stands
will enable 5000 more fans to be
seated there. That includes the loss
Of seating capacity entailed in
Transforming the bleacher benches
into grandstand seats.
Mats Average 1878 Crowds.
Currently equipped to seat 81, 900
providing bleacher customers are
wedged tightly, Griffith Stadium
has failed to keep pace with Wash
ington's growth and now is made
quate both from the standpoint OF
the Washington baseball club and
the Washington Redskin football
team, who repeatedly have turned
away fans at important contests In
recent years.
The Redskins consistently perform
before crowds of $500 here simply
because there hasn't been space tc
cram in more customers. The Mats
likewise have been forced to turn
away disguntled potential custom
ers on numerous occasions.
Headed for an all-time baseball
attendance record this season at
Griffith Stadium despite a fourth
place team, the Mats thus far have
played to 486, ,989 fans on 20 playing
dateS-an average of 6,793 paying
fans at each attraction. At their
present pace, the Mats will play be-
fore more than 100000 customers
at home this year.
Eleven times this season the Mats
have attracted more than 21,OOO
fans at home and on six of those
occasions the attendance exceeded
$1,000, with only the less desirable
bleacher seats failing to sell out
entirely
Split Shutouts With Yanks.
Whether the enlarged stadium will
be ready for the 1947 baseball sea-
son will depend upon the availability
OF steel and other material neces-
sary for construction. but club off,
cials say work will be launched as
soon as conditions permit.
Several hundred fans were turned
away yesterday as 1854 customers
jammed Griffith Stadium to see the
Mats and Yankees split a double
header, with Washington taking the
first game. 20. and dropping the
second, SO. All reserved seats for
that double e-header-and for Sum
days double-header with the Red
Sox, incidentally-were sold out
weeks ago.
Dutch Leonard snatched his
seventh victory with a shit per-
formance in the opener. In beating
the Yankees for the third time in as
many starts against them this sea-
son.. Dutch walked only one and
permitted only two to reach second
base.
Joe Grace's double and Mickey
Vernon's single fashioned a run
for the Mats off Jake Wade in
the first inning and the Mats next
score came at the expense of Johnny
Murphy in the eighth, when Grace
singled, moved to second on Buddy
Lewis sacrifice and scored when
Joe Gordon, covering first, allowed
Murphy'S toss to escape him.
Mats Barely Miss Record.
Joe Page found the Mats no trou-
BILE in the nightcap. He held 'em
to four hits, including two doubles
by Vernon, and only one of those
safeties was delivered in the last
six innings.
The Yankees nicked Roger Wolff
for a run in the second when Char
ley Keller doubled and Joe Di Mag
gio singled him across. New York
added two more in the fourth when
the Mats infield produced two er-
rorS and came up with another two
runs of Ray Scarborough in the
sixth. Wolff was forced to retire
after four innings with an ailing
side, the result Of stumbling over
first base.
Washington missed tipping a ma
jor league record for assists by one
in the first game. The Mats in
serted 20 assists into the proceed
ings, with Gerry Priddy account
ing for nine of them. Priddy also
was credited with five outs and ir
handling IA chances missed tying
Jimmy Dykes 25-year-old record by
three.
Bobo Newsom and Mel Queer
will he The mound foes whom Van
kess and Mats tangle tonight al
Griffith Stadium at $50 o'clock
Boston's league leaders will invade
for single game tomorrow at
n'clnck and a double .haad der On Sun.