Evening star., 1948-09-07
Spain and Sain Pitch
Club 10 4-Game Lead;
Yanks Lose Ground
By Joe ReiehIer
Asseeioisd Press Sports Writer


Asseeiatsd Press Sports Writer
They can't catch me when I'm
in front"
Those words. uttered by Billy
Southworth earlier this season,
were ringing in the ears of Burt
Shotton today as he brought his
groggy gang back to Brooklyn.
The silver-haired Dodger pilot,
home from an Inflated one-day trip
to Boston, knows now what South
worth meant. He received a first
hand illustration yesterday as Billy,s
league-leading Braves drubbed
Brooklyn in a Labor Day double
header, 2-1 and 40.
The Dodgers had journeyed to
Boston with the express purpose of
disproving Southworth's statement.
A sweep of the twin bill would have
boosted the Brooks into first place
past the Braves. Instead, they now
find themselves still in second place,
four games behind Boston and only
half game out of fourth place.
The Dodgers were not alone in
their misery. The st. Louis Cardi-
nails, only two and a half games of
the pace before yesterdays games,
were handed a staggering double
defeat by the Pittsburgh Pirates,
81 and Al, to fall into fourth
place, four and half games behind,
The Pirates advanced a notch to
third place, two percentage points
in front of st. Louis and three be-
hind Brooklyn.
Giants Down Phils Twice.
The fifth-place New York Giants
retained an outside chance by
sweeping a double -header from the
Phillies in Philadelphia, 4-3 and
80. They trail by 6la games, but
only four on the losing SIDE Of the
ledger
Climaxing a great day for Boston.
the American League-leading Red
Sox boosted their first-place margin
over the New York Yankees to a
game and a half in sweeping both
games from the Mats.
The Yankees lost a full game
when they were held to a split by
the Philadelphia Athletics The
Yanks won the opener, Ga. for their
ninth consecutive triumph, but the
AS ended an eight-game losing
streak by winning the nightcap. 60.
The third-place Cleveland In
dians continued to lose ground to
the Red Sox as they were held even
in their double-heade in Chicago
to skid Al games of the pace
After losing the opener. 81, the
Tribe came back to defeat the
White Sox in the second game, 10
In the other American League
twin bill, the Detroit Tigers split
with the Browns in st. Louis, win
ming the opener 81, but losing the
second game, lilo. The Chicago
Cubs and Cincinnati Reds divided
a National League double-header,
the Reds winning the opener. 81,
and the Cubs taking the second
game. 6-2.
SPAIN, Sain Are Winners.
The second largest crowd of the
home season-39 ,670-which gave
the Braves a record season atten-
dance of 1905 ,060, saw IA furious
innings before the Braves finally
subdued the Dodgers in the first
game. Lefty Warren SPAIN, pitch
ling his best game OF the season,
went all the way for the Tribesmen
and gave up only five hits as he
notched his 18th victory.
The Braves produced the winning
run after two were out. Joe Hatten,
third Dodger pitcher. walked Clint
Conatser. Earl Torgeson then
doubled OF the center field wall to
score Conatser from first. The
Braves blew an opportunity to break
up the game in the 18th. They had
the bases loaded with none out. but
SPAIN bunted into home and first
double-play and Tommy Holmes
flied out.
Johnny Sain gave the Braves their
fifth straight over the Dodgers,
pitching 4-s shutout in the abb
Ibreviated nightcap. The game was
halted after 6ia innings by dark
ness. The Braves scored three times
in the first inning off Harry Taylor
and added another run in the
fourth. It was Sain's 18th victory.
Rookie Bob Chesnes and South
paw Vic Lombardi limited the Red
birds to run apiece as the Pirates
made it IL out of 18 against st.
Louis. The Bucs engineered eight
double plays, six in the first game
to tie National League record. The
American League mark for most
double-plays in game is seven.
Ralph Kiner belted two-run
homer, his 38th, to account for all
Pittsburgh runs in the opener.
Wander Nicer Wins 18th.
Yves Westrum's single off Ed
Heusser scored Sid Gordon from
third to give the Giants a 13-inning
f1rst-game victory over the Phils.
Clint Hartung was credited with
four-hit second game shutout when
darkness halted play after seven
innings.
Hank Sauer's 30th home run for
Cincinnati with a man on base in
the eighth gave Johnny Wander
Nicer his 18th victory in the first
game. Sauer's clout tied the Gin
cinnati team record for homers set
in 1898 by Ival Goodman. The only
Cub run resulted from Emil Ver-
bans homer.
Vic Raschi registered his 18th tri-
umph OF the season and his eighth
straight in two years against Phila-
delphia with nine-hit first game
effort. Outflelder Hank Bauer of
the Yankees cracked three hits in
his major league debut, drove in a
run and scored another. Joe Cole