Evening star., 1948-07-26
Braves Wonder TeaminD Top
.Ce||ar-to-F|ag Climb
In 1914 Is Recalled;
Streak Reaches Z
BY the Associotsd Press

pr WV SssOStuteo ffe2S
Joe McCarthys blazing Boston
Red Sox were riding herd on the
American League today after
achieving a baseball feat almost
equal to that of the Boston Braves
wonder team of 1914.
The unstoppable Red Sox yester-
day climaxed a sensational seven
week surge from dismal seventh
to first place-giving Boston teams
the leadership in both major
leagues.
The sox wrested the No. 1 berth
from the Philadelphia Athletics by
defeating the Cleveland Indians,
80, for their 18th straight victory.
Meanwhile, the Athletics divided a
double-header with the Detroit
Tigers.
The rise from 10 games back to
the top was reminiscent of George
Stallings' miracle Braves of "a years
ago, who jumped from the cellar
on July 4 to capture the National
League flag.
On June the Red sox were wal
lowing in seventh place, having won
only IS games while losing "a. The
Cleveland Indians were setting the
pace. Today the Sox are on top,
four percentage points in front Of
Connie Mack's surprising AS. The
Indians have skidded to third place,
game and a half behind.
Move at .765 Clip.
During that 53-day span Boston
has won 80 and lost only IL for a
.765 percentage. McCarthy's men
have captured 18 of their last 81
and IS in a 16-game home stand.
It's like the champion Red Sox of
1916, who won Al Of their first So
games to sail serenely into the
World Series.
Joe Dobson, veteran curve-balling
right-hander, gained the honor of
pitching the Sox into first place.
He scattered SIX hits to chalk up
his thirteenth triumph, four over
the Indians. 1t WAS his fourth
shutout and fourteenth complete
game, tying him with Clevelands
Bob Lemon for the most route
going. performances in the league.
Boston wasted little time in clinch-
ing the windup of the three-game
series with the Tribe, scoring twice
against Steve Gromek in the first
inning on a double by Johnny Pesky,
a walk to Ted Williams and a
triple by Bobby Doerr to deep right
center. The Red Sox scored their
final run in the seventh when Dom
Di Maggie clouted a home run off
Satchel Paige.
Fred Hutchinson eased the AS
out of the lead by pitching the I'll
gers to second-game 1872 triumph
over Philadelphia and a split in
their double-header Joe Coleman
had blanked the Tigers, 40, with
seven hits in the opener.
Coleman Hot at Bat, Too.
Coleman was the big gun on the
attack, too. He drove home two
runs with a loaded single to
high light the four-run fourth inn
ing. Eddie Mayor paced the Tigers
15-hit attack off four pitchers in
the nightcap with five singles in six
times at bat.
Ferris Fain, regular Philadelphia
first baseman, suffered a broken
finger on his left hand in snaring
George Vico's line drive in the
eighth inning of Saturdays game
and will be out for at least week.
He was replaced by Veteran Rudy
York. Elmer Valo. the AS hard
hitting outfielder, injured his right
ankle in sliding in Sundays second
game and was carried from the
field.
Joe Di Maggie cracked out two
home runs, double and three sin
giles in seven times at bat to lead
the New York Yankees to a double
triumph over the Chicago White
Sox, So and 7-3. The sweep of the
twin bill advanced the fourth-place
Yankees to within percentage
points of the Indians. Both of Joe's
homers, his 22d and 23d, came in
the second game. Ed Lopat gained
his seventh straight victory in the
opener and Vic Raschi won his 18th
against four defeats in the night
cap.
The pace-setting Boston Braves
retained their f1ve-game margin in
the National League by gaining a
split in their twin bill with the
Cardinals in st. Louis. The Cards
had come from behind with two
runs in the bottom of the ninth to
win the opener, 6-5. They also led,
Ga, after eight innings of the night
cap, but ninth-inning home runs by
Bob Elliott and JEFF Heath, the
former with two on, gave the Braves
an 8-6 victory.
The Braves had a 5-4 lead in
the opener, but hits by Don Lang
and Enos Slaughter scored the
tying and winning runs with one
out in the ninth.
Danny Murtaugh's grand slam
(See BASEBALL. Page A-I2J