Evening star., 1948-07-19
Double Win Over Mats
Enhances Indians
Hot Road Record
By Burton Howkins

1H6 SICfcldAu lHuidllo, VIII Ill
previous years have become hyster-
ical at the sight Of a train, this
season are knights of the road.
They're threatening to capture the
American League pennant with no
better than a 500 record at home
but a mark on foreign fields which
now reads .744.
Cleveland has been no sensation
in its own surroundings, splitting
40 games at vast Municipal Sta
dunn, but on the road the Indians
have grabbed % of 80 games. IT
comes as somewhat of a shock to
baseball world which has been
accustomed to seeing the Indians
compile an impressive record at
home, then be crushed on the road.
The Indians frightened their grip
on first place yesterday by admin
istering' 81 and Ga defeats to the
Mats before a crowd of 1851. The
second game went IL innings, with
Allie Clark extending the proceed
ings with a sparkling, leaping stab
near the right-field fence of Mickey
Vernon's smash with two out, the
score tied at A and Garden Gillen-
water on third base in the ninth
inning.
Bob Feller, booed when he walked
on the field, when he warmed up,
when his name was announced as
the second games starting pitcher
and thereafter every time he rippled
a muscle. was disposed OF by the
Mats In five innings. At Feller's ex-
pense the Mats manufactured 80
lead for Mickey Haefner.
Score Twice Of Feller.
Feller, whose unpopularity stems
from his failure to appear in the
All-Star game, was clipped for two
runs in the second inning. Mark
Christman walked, Mickey. Vernon
doubled, AL Kozar singled Christman
across, AL Evans walked and Haef-
ner flied deep to left to fetch Vernon
home from third.
The second of Vernon's three
doubles in the nightcap, plus Evans
pop fly single to right, netted the
Mats an apparently safe lead, what
with Haefner holding the Indians to
two hits in the first six innings.
Cleveland nailed him for two runs
in the seventh, though, and clustered
two more in the eighth to grasp a
4-3 lead.
Eddie. Yost opened the Mats ninth
with lusty double off Bob Lemon,
fourth of six Cleveland pitchers. Gil
Coan, disdaining sacrifice. ground
ed out to First Baseman Johnny
Berardino before Gillenwater walked
The Mats prospects dimmed when
Ed Stewart flied out, but Christman
drilled a single to center, scoring
Yost with the tying run and sending
Gillenwater to third. Vernon then
blasted a deep drive to right which
Clark caught by dint of well-timed
jump against the fence.
Wynn Pitches Good Ball.
Earl Harrist was the victim of
Cleveland's two-run outburst in the
twelfth. Dale Mitchell pumped
triple to center and scored after
Thurman Tucker flied to Gillen-
water. The Indians picked up an
other run when Clark singled to
left and went all the way to third
when Coan fumbled the ball. He
scored after Joe Gordon flied to
Coan.
Early Wynn pitched one of his
more respectable games for the Mats
in the first game. He was nicked
for a run in the first inning on
Mitchell's single. a walk to Hank
Edwards and Lou Boudreau's single,
and the Indians made it 20 in the
fourth when Jim Hogan tripled
across Gordon, who had singled.
Wynn blanked the Indians in the
final five innings. but meanwhile
the Mats didn't get around to- dis
turbing Gene Bearden until two
were out in the ninth. Christman's
double and Evans single brought
the Mats their only run at that
point, with Russ Christopher ar
irving on the scene to retire Pinch
Hitter Ed Stewart Both Wynn and
Bearden allowed nine hits.
Forrest Thompson, trusted with
his first starting job with the Mats.
will attempt to check Washington's
four-game losing streak tonight,
with Lemon slated to work for the
Indians.