Evening star., 1947-06-02
Joe Now Hitting So
And Big Jawn $40
For pace-Sefters
By Joe Reiehler
Associated Press Sports Writer

ing the possibility of their first
Giant Yankee subway World Series |
since 1887, proudly pointed today to
the slugging Joe Di Maggie OF the
Yankees and Johnny Mize of the |
Giants as the betting bellwethers
who may lead their respective f1ocks
into the October classic.
Di Maggie, after slow start, is
hitting on all cylinders again, look
ing more like the Di Mag of old.
In the last two weeks the older of
the Di Maggie brothers has upped
his batting average more than 100
points and now is breathing hotly
on the neck of teammate George
McQuinn for the individual batting
leadership of the American League.
He currently Is hitting .352, two
points under McQuinns leading
figure.
Yanks Win 8 Of IL Games.
Inspired by Joe's hitting spree, |
the Yankees have knocked off their
opponents 9 times in their last IL
starts to advance from the second
division to second place, three games
behind the league-leading Detroit
Tigers.
just as Di Maggie has sparked
the Yankees, so has Mize spear
Fheaded the Giants in their rise to
the top of the National League.
| Big Jawn, known as late starter,
has not waited for the hot weather
to begin his customary fence-bust-
ing, Instead, he came out swing
ing at the opening bell and today
leads all major league batsmen with
mark of $40. He is first in horners
with IA and, trails Boston's Earl
Torgeson by one with IS runs
batted in.
Mize's superior slugging is the
No. l reason Mel Otis charges are
leading the Chicago Cubs by one
half game, after having been almost
unanimously picked to finish in
seventh or eighth place. They have
won IS of their last 81 games and
Mize has missed hitting safely in
only two of them.
Careers Strikingly Parallel.
Oddly enough, the major league
careers of Mize and Di Maggie are
strikingly parallel Each came up
in 1886 and each has had eight
active seasons in the big time, in
Guiding three years in the service
Di Maggie was in the Army and
Mize in the Navy. Mize is "a and
Di Mag will be 80 next November
Di Maggio's lifetime batting average
is 1884, one point higher than Miles,
Joe has hammered $50 home runs to
220 for Mize.
| Di Mag banged two round-trippers
yesterday, one with the bases loaded,
to lead the Yankees to an l1-9 vic
tory over the Indians before 47,132
fans at Municipal Stadium in Clev-
Gland. With the first game of the
double-header delayed by rain, the
second was halted by darkness.
Joe also hit double and single,
drove in five runs and scored three
to enjoy his best batting day of the
season. Charley Keller and Nc
Quinn also homered for the Yanks.
Keller's was his 18th, high in the
league. Hal Peck, Bob Lemon and
Eddie Robinson hit four -baggers
for Cleveland to keep the Tribe in
the running.
Giants Split Twin Bill.
Mize contributed five hits in eight
times at bat as the Giants came
from behind to earn a split with the
Cincinnati Reds before 45,7e5 fans
at the Polo Grounds. The Reds,
aided by Eddie Miller's 10th home
run in the ninth inning with one on,
won the opener, 5-3, but the Giants
slugged out a 1879 victory in the
nightcap. For six innings it ap-
peared the Giants were in for a
double licking as Cincinnati led, ga,
after knocking out First time Start
er Andy Hansen with a five-run
f1rst-inning outburst.
In the last of the seventh, the
Giants exploded with seven safeties
for six runs, added three more in
the eighth to win going away. Mize
had the distinction of knocking out
three Red hurlers with two doubles
and a single. Ernie lombard, for
mer Redieg, and Billy Rigney, hon.
cred for the Giants.
Harry Bumbert, who relieved
Ewell Blackwell when the latter re-
tired after seven innings with a sore
elbow, gained credit for the open
ing win, but suffered defeat in the
second.
Cubs Nose Out Phils.
! Clyde McCullough's triple after
Bob Sturgeon had reached first on
Jim Tabor's error in the eighth in
ming broke 3-3 tie and gave the
Chicago Cubs a 43 victory over the
Philadelphia Phillies before 14,84l
fans in Philadelphia.
The Boston Braves advanced into
third place, one game behind the
Giants, by sweeping both ends of
double-header, 20 and 81, with the
Pittsburgh Pirates in Boston.
Rookie Right-hander Harry Taylor
came through with another fine
pitching performance, holding the
st. Louis Cardinals to five hits in
hurting the Brooklyn Dodgers to a
6-1 win at Ebbets Field.
Home runs by jeff Heath and Vern
Stephens, combined with the six-hit
pitching of Jack Kramer. gave the
st. Louis Browns 7-2 win over the
Philadelphia Athletics. Rain washed
out the second game of the scheduled
double-heaGer in st. Louis.
| Rain also caused the postponement
of the twin bill between Chicago and
Boston.
INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE.
Buffalo, 90: Jersey City, SIS.
Newark, 5--2: Toronto. 80.
Montreal, 6-3; Syracuse, IS