Evening star., 1947-08-28
Lifts Mark 40 Points,;
Mats Face Yanks in
Weekend Series
By Burton Hawkins
Stnr Sfnff Correspondenf

NEW YORK, Aug. 28.-It's coming
too late to benefit the Mats or him
self to any appreciable degree, but
Mickey Vernon has fattened his
batting average to more respectable
proportions in the last six weeks
hoisting his mark 40 points to move
within striking distance of the ex-
elusive 300 circle. -
Mickey still is batting a modest
.289, but it's a nice sort of comeback
he has delivered in recent weeks
The Mats first baseman, who has
played every inning of every game
this season, is proving himself as
a feared stretch runner.
It was on the Mats final Western
trip last season that Mickey pulled
away from Ted Williams and Johnny
Pesky to capture the American
League batting championship. He
wound up the Mats last 1947 swing
through the West with six hits
including three doubles, In two
games against Chicago, which
dropped a 6-5 decision to the Mats
yesterday.
Off to Poor Start.
The first three months of the sea-
son wrecked Mickey's hopes of re-
peating as the leagues glory boy
In mid-July he was struggling along
with a .249 average and was being
condemned generally as a one-yea1
sensation. Now even his critics are
inclined to feel Vernon will velor
as a steady 300 hitter.
Mickey currently is displaying
.fashbacks to his 1916 form, spray
ing hits to all sectors. For the last
six weeks he has been batting better
than 300, but his average has been
climbing at tortuously slow pace
due to his early collapse.
Vernon fashioned a double and
two singles to spark the Mats 12-
hit attack on Thornton Lee, Earl
Harrist and Earl Caldwell yester-
day, when Washington unloaded five
hits on the veteran Lee to grasp a
40 lead in the first inning.
Lewis Launches Rally.
With one out, Buddy Lewis beat
out a bounder to Rudy York and
Tom Mcbride sent him to third
with a single to right. Vernon's
single to center scored Lewis and
shifted Mcbride to third before
Stan Spence popped out. Jerry
Priddy, who also has been sizzling
recently, doubled to center, scoring
Mcbride and Vernon. Eddie Yost
than doubled to center, scoring
Priddy and shelling Lee from the
mound.
Chicago picked up two runs of
a wild Sid Hudson in its half of the
first and the White Sox locked the
score in the third. Hudson, who
issued five walks in his brief ap-
pearance, left the mound after
Ralph Hodgin singled and Taft
Wright walked to start the SoS
third,
Milo Candini replaced Sid and
the score quickly was tied. York
greeted Candini with a single tt
center, scoring Hodgin, and Wright
scored from third after Dave Philley
flied deep to Lewis.
Mats Move Into Lead.
The Mats moved into a 50 leao
in the fourth. Yost doubled to center
and when Frank Mancuso grounded
to Shortstop Luke Appling he at.
tempted to catch Yost at third. Ap.
pling threw wild into Chicago's dug.
out, enabling Yost to score.
With two out in the sixth Levi.
singled across Yost, who had walked
and streaked to third on Mancuso'
Fsingle to left. That lead was SLICED
ITO 6-5 in the seventh when Hodgir
doubled and scored on Wright
single off Johnny Sullivan's glove
Don Holloway and Hodgin singled
successfully with one out in Chi
cago's ninth, but Mickey Haefnel
arrived on the scene and got rid O.
Wright, who slapped double-pla!
grounder at Sullivan.
Idle today, the Mats will tangl'
with the Yankees here tomorrow II
the opener of four-game series
with single games slated for tomor
row and Saturday, and double
header on Sunday.