Evening star., 1947-09-16
Harris Repeats Feat
OF Taking Title in
His First Season
By Joe ReichIer
Associated Press Sports Writer

The New York Yankees were re-
ceiving congratulations today for
having won their 18th pennant in
the last 27 years, a feat accomplished
by no other team. Indications are
that the new American League
champions shortly will have a Ma
tional League partner in the pen
nant celebration in the Brooklyn
Dodgers.
The Yankees clinched their cham
pionship yesterday without lifting
bat. The assurance of mathe-
matical certainty came exactly at
3:51 pm. when word was flashed
that the Chicago White Sox had de-
feated the Boston Red Sox, 6-3, in
the first game of a double header.
The Dodgers clinching date should
come before the end of the week.
Leading the fast-fading st. Louis
Cardinals by 71a games, the Brooks
need only any combination OF six
victories or Redbirds defeats to earn
the right to face the Yankees in the
World Series The Dodgers have II
games left to play and the Cards IA.
If everything goes their way, the
Dodgers can wrap up the flag Thurs
day.
Yank Game Rained Out.
The Yankees actually won the
pennant while they were sitting in
the clubhouse when they heard the
news that they had backed in
through the Red Sox's losses. It was
not the way they liked to win it.
They wanted to win it on the field,
but early afternoon rains made it
impossible to play their scheduled
game against the st. Louis Browns.
President Larry MacPhail and Co.
Owner Del Webb were the first to
congratulate the players and Man
ager Bucky Harris, who in his first
year at the helm, directed the club
to a pennant. 1t was the second
time Harris had won a pennant in
his first year of managing club.
He directed the Washington Mats
as the boy Wonder" of 1924.
MacPhail, in extolling Harris for
having done great job of bringing
an underdog New York team to the
top, revealed that after he had
drafted Harris from the front Office
to become a field manager, Bucky
had received an offer to become
general manager of the Detroit
Tigers, a job he always wanted.
Harris Praises Players.
II told him I would release him
rom any promise" MacPhail ex-'
planned, "but he replied that he
would feel ungrateful if he took the
job and that there were other things
in life besides money. From that
day on I pulled for Bucky and this
day."
Harris gave most of the credit to
his players II told you then" he
reminded the writer's, that I would
not have taken the job unless I
believed we had a chance to win.
And after % years of waiting, I'd
say this pennant is the most thrilling
of the three I've had"
The actual clinching margin was
l3 games. The Yanks have II games
to 60 while the Red 'Sox have 13.
The Tigers, in second place, were
eliminated Sunday. They have II
games left.
Although it turned out to be one
of the easiest championships ever
won by the Yanks, it did not look
that way early in the season. OFF
to slow start, largely due to the
fact that their big star, Joe Di
Maggie, was slow convalescing from
a heel operation, the Yankees wal
lowed in or around the second dlvi-
sion until the beginning of June.
But the Yanks, led by the re-
surging Di Maggie and supported
by the fine all-around playing of