Evening star., 1946-05-22
Relief HurIer Scores
Third Straight Win,
Shines al Plate
BY JOCK hond
Assoeioied Press Sports Writer

1e'iA ooAiiiooil, DdbIle VI tIle
Bulge vet who naturally finds no
terror in enemy baseball bats, rates
AS Joe Cronins relief ace, with
three straight fireman" decisions
for the soaring Boston Red Sox.
Every pennant club needs one de-
pendable reliefer with ice water in
his veins who can step into the
midst of batting rally and quiet
the opposition, Cronin appears to
have that man in johnson. a ma
tive of Redmond, Wash, who was
awarded the Bronze Star for
bravery in action before he was
commissioned first lieutenant on
| the field of battle.
While Mickey Harris, Dave Fer
rlss. Tex Hughson and Joe Dobson
have been drawing the headlines
ana the starting assignments, john
son has been stepping into the
toughest spots and coming through.
After Joe Di Maggie had belted
Dobson for a grand slam homer
IN the opener of the big" series
at Yankee Stadium two weeks ago.
Cronin waved in johnson and the
lanky lefthander blanked the Yanks
with one hit in the remaining five
frames.
Stars at Plate. Too.
Detroit found out about johnson
Yesterday when once again he came
IN to save a game that Dobson al
most lost, hurting five hitless in
nlngs and driving home the WIN
ming runs of GA triumph. Two
doubles by the 27-year-old bullpen
star set the pace for Boston's 26th
victory in 33 games. His second two
bagger in the eighth scored the two
runs that broke a A tie, sending
AL Benton down to his fourth set
back
Before the war, johnson toiled
on the Red SoX farm at Rocky
Mount, N. c.. and had won four and
lost five for the parent club in le41
before he marched off to war.
Although Cronin hopes to make
him starter, sloWness in rounding
into condition forced the skipper to
put him in the bullpen. He got the
decision over Washington, April II.
failed to last in his lone starting
job against the Senators, April %,
and then beat the Yanks and Tigers.
In his last II innings on relief, he
has allowed only two hits.
The Sox's first-place margin was
increased to six full games when
the New York Yankees fell before
Cleveland's Bobby Feller. To. Rapid
Robert, facing the Yanks for the
first time since his no-hitter. yielded
only five blows and ran his strike
out total to SO in 80 innings by
tanning eight men. Feller retired
the first IA men in succession then
Bill Dickey singled with two out in
the fifth.
Yanks' Weatherly Injured.
/ Once again Floyd (BlD Bevens.
who seems to draw the Fellers and
Newhousers as opponents, was nicked
for a defeat, his third to two wins.
liz ollhNSS dlSO IUSU tIlt SCIVlCtS
of Outfielder Roy Weatherly who
injured his leg when he stumbled
at second base in the eighth inning
! In the only other scheduled tilt
in the American, Jack Kramer
hurled the st. Louis Browns into
sole possession of fifth place on
4-3 edge over Philadelphia. Joe
Grace connected with four hits but
Walt Judnich's tWo-run single in
the sixth was the big blow of the
night tilt. 1t was Kramer's third
straight victory and a second loss
for Winless Bob Savage.
The pesky Phillies knocked over
the st. Louis Cardinals, 4-3, dump
ing the Red Birds into an exact first
place tie with the Brooklyn Dodgers
who were rained out of their game
with Cincinnati after playing one
inning.
Revenge was the motive for
starter AL Jurisich, who was sold
down the river to the Phils by St.
Louis. Although he needed help
from Andy Karl and Ken Raffens-
berger, Jurisich was credited with
his third success to one setback.
Rookie Fred Martin who replaced
/ Ted WilkS in the sixth, was charged
With his first big league defeat
Wet grounds forced postponement
of the Pittsburgh-New York game
and the Chicago Cubs and Boston
were not scheduled.