Evening star., 1946-07-07
Bags His Second
Victory in Week
Over Leaders
Groce's Triple Leads
To Pair Of Markers;
Harris Jinx Halted
By Burton Howkins

For the second time in week
the Mats Yesterday slipped the Red
SoX a Mickey-a Mickey Haefner.
who held the league leaders to seven
hits while Washington pried four
runs from Mickey Harris in the first
four innings to wallop Boston, 40,
to the keen enjoyment of 1884 GUS
toners.
The mighty midget. who last Sum
day pitched for the first time this
season against Boston and beat EN-.
80. improved on that performance
in Tightening up the pennant race.
The 5-foot 6-inch Haefner notched
his sizth victory in presenting the
Mats with their fifth triumph in
their last six starts.
Harris, who had found the Mats
soft touch previously this season,
winning four of his IL victories at
their expense, was given an impress
sion OF what was to follow when
Joe Grace greeted him with tripls
high off right-feld fence leading
off in the first inning. Before Har-
ris could escape in the fourth in
ming the Mats had tagged him for
8 of their 10 hits. including three
triples and a double.
First Win Over Sox Here.
Washington, in defeating Boston
here for the first time this year,
registered its third win over the
Red Sox in Il games. 1t was only
! the second time this year a WASH
ington pitcher has gone the route
against Boston and on both occa-
sions the hurler has been Haefner.
/ New York, with an 8-5 win over
the Athletics, drove within 612 games
of the Red Sox, who also lost
game of their lead to Detroit and
Washington. The skidding leaders
now have dropped five of their last
seven games.
/ Grace launched the Mats on a
tWo-run outburst in the first in
ming with his tremendous triple.
Buddy Lewis followed with a long
! fly to Dom Di Maggie in center.
which fetched Grace across. Stan
Spence walked and Mickey Vernon
propelled him to third with single
to right, Spence scoring when Pinky
Higgins threw out Gerry Priddy.
With one out in the fourth, Al
Evans Dashed triple to left which
scooted under Ted Williams glove.
Catcher Roy Partee, attempting to
pick Evans off third a moment
later, presented the Mats run
when he threw wild into left field.
Spence Gets Timely Double.
4 Haefner coaXed a walk out OF
Harris and shifted to second on
Graces single. Lewis forced Grace.
but Spence inserted double to
right, scoring Haefner from third
Vernon was passed purposelv, at
which point Manager Joe Cronin
waved Jim Bagby to the mound and
he disposed of Priddy on a grounder
to Higgins
Baeby checked the Mats with two
hits for the final four innings, but
meanwhile the Red Sox were get
ting nowhere with Haefner. Mickey
wasn't in deep trouble until the
fifth, when Higgins double with one
out, walk to Partee and Bagby's
pop fly single to left loaded the
bases, but in that predicament Gil
Torres converted Leon Culberson's
grounder into a double-play.
Rip Russell opened the seventh
with a single, but again the Mats
/ Torres s-Priddy-Vernon combination
reeled off a double play to prevent
/ possible damage.
/ With one out in the eighth the
Red SoX moved runner to third
when Johnny Pesky doubled and
scooted to third on Di Maggios tap
to Haefner, but Ted Williams flied
to Spence,
Haefner's shutout again was
jeopardized in the ninth when Rus
sell lashed single off Billy Hitch
cocks chest with one out. Higgins
walked. but Partee flied to Lewis
and Priddy then made a fine back
handed stab of Pinch-hitter Tom
McBride's grounder and tipped the
ball to Torres at second for the
/ game-ending out.