Evening star., 1948-09-21
Cleveland and Boston
Meet Tomorrow in
Crucial Contest
BY the Asseeiafed Press

1can League pennanC mas reacne0
the win-or-else stage and Cleveland
has picked this opportune moment
to catch fire.
While the league-leading Boston
Red Sox and the third-place New
York Yankees are showing signs OF
faltering, Manager Lou Boudreau's
Indians are setting the hottest pace
in the league.
The Indians scored their sixth
straight victory and the 18th in Their
last Is starts last night in beating
the Philadelphia Athletics, 6-3. The
victory enabled the pennant hungry
Tribe to stay a half game behind
the Red Sox and half game ahead
of the Yanks. The Red Sox downed
Detroit, To, and the Yanks stag
gered to an 81 triumph over st
Louis in day games.
Boudreau's warriors will rest today
before taking on the Red Sox ir
Cleveland tomorrow night in game
that will go a long way in deciding
the flag. The Red Sox tangle with
the Tigers again today and Detroit
triumph would enable Cleveland tl
tie the Sox for the lead.
Schedule FavOrs Indians.
The pennant outlook is bright fol
the Indians. In addition to their hot
pace, the schedule remains in favor
OF the Tribe. The Indians have only
nine games to play and only three
are away from home. The Red Soz
and Yanks have 10 games to go, five
of them against each other. Thus
while the Sox and Yanks knock of
one another, Cleveland could slil
into the World Series.
Joe Gordon, who helped thl
YankS win five pennants, sparkee
the Indians to victory before 4,44:
fans last night. The turnout boosted
Cleveland's record home attendanc.
to 2,345 1886.
Gordon drove in three runs on hi.
18th homer, a double and single, ane
figured in four of the five doubl,
plays pulled OF by the Tribe.
Lefty Gene Bearden started fol
Cleveland and enjoyed a 40 leas
going into the seventh, when he wa!
knocked from the hill as the Al
counted all of their runs on five hit
and two walks. Russ christopher
finally got the side out and safe.
guarded the decision the remainder
of the way to allow Bearden to picl
up his 10th triumph.
The defeat virtually eliminated
the Athletics from the pennan'
fight. The best the AS could do /!
tie the Red Sox for first place by
winning all of their remaining
games. if the Sox dropped all ol
their 10.
| Hutchinson Sets Record.
Lefty Mickey Harris pitched tht
Red Sox to triumph over the Tigers
Two errors in the first inning gave
the Tigers pair OF unearned runs
but Harris slammed the door ir
their face after that while the Rec
Sox took heart and blasted Freddie
Hutchinson for IL hits.
Dom Di Maggie led the Sox with
double and three singles and Verr
Stephens Clipped in with his 28tf
homer. Stephens homer was the
28th yielded by Hutchinson this
year, new American League record
The previous mark of ~ was held
by Lynn Gine-Drive) Nelson o1
Philadelphia, in 1899. The Major
League record is 81 created this sea.
son by Murry Dickson of the st
Louis Cardinals.
The Yanks also were forced X
come from behind to nip thk
Browns. Trailing 5-3 going into the
sixth, the Yanks scored twice tx
tie the score. They moved ahead il
the seventh on three singles ane
clinched the game in the eighth
when Joe Di Maggie singled homt
two runs. Earlier in the game, D
Maggie poled his 39th homer. Joe
Page, who spelled Allie Reynolds ir
the sixth. gained credit for tht
victory although he was rocked fol
10 of the Browns 16 hits.
Dodgers Take Second Place.
The Brooklyn Dodgers broke theil
tie with the Cardinals for seconc
place in the National League, clip.
ping the Chicago Cubs. AZ, while
the Cards were idle The victory
moved the Dodgers within five. anC
one half games of the pace-settine
Boston Braves. The Braves sched-
uled game with the Cincinnati Reds
was washed of the books because
of rain. The Reds don't meet
Boston again.. so there is no op-
portunity to play off the game
Four runs in the first inning
against Hank Borowy sewed it ur
for the Dodgers. Preacher Roe
coasted to his 11th victory, scatter
ing eight hits, including a ninth
inning home run by Bob Schefing
The Philadelphia Phillies, paced
by Del Ennis, took a day-night dou-
ble-header from the Pittsburgh
Pirates, So and IA.
Ennis cracked his 29th and 30th
homers, one in each game, and
drove in five runs as the Phils ex-
tended Pittsburgh's losing streak tc
six games. The BUGS have won only
twice in their last II games.
Rockies Robin Roberts and Lou
Possehl stopped the Pirates on five
and eight hits, respectively Homers
by Frank Gustine and Bob Chesnes
accounted for all of Pittsburgh's
runs in the first game Round
trippers by Wally Westlake and
Pinch-hitter Ed Stevens resulted In
half of Pittsburgh's runs in the
finale.
SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION PLAYOFF.
Birmingham, 13; Memphis. Dir
minsham n5p wins best-of-seven SERIES
| Mobile, 6; Nashville, 8 tbest-of- seven