Evening star., 1948-09-18
Braves HurIer Beats
Pirates for 21st Win
To Boost n. Lead
By Joe ReichIer
Asseeioted Press Sports Writer

SSs0ctoiSo EFeSs SooFIt VrHef
Johnny Sain, the Boston Braves
candidate for the National League:
most valuable player award for 1948
already mas won one distinction
He easily rates as the workhorse Of
the major leagues this season. Ths
majors biggest winner. Sain chiefly
has been responsible for the Braves
position at the head of the loop.
The big Highlander, who yester.
day became the first to win q
games when he hurled the Brave.
to a So triumph over the Pitts.
burgh Pirates, also leads all pitcher.
in complete games and innings
pitched.
The 29-year-old native of Pine
Bluff, Ark, has toiled 281 innings
and gone the route 26 times. Hi
closest competitor is Bob Lemon o1
Cleveland, with 265 innings pitched
and 20 complete games.
Sain, who already has joined Car
Hubbell, Dizzy Dean, Mort Cooper
and Paul Derringer as the only
National League pitchers in the
last Is years to win 20 or more
games for three consecutive seasons
Is in line to add more laurels. He
needs only four more route-goine
performances to join Dazzy Vance
and Bucky Walters as the only Ma
tional Leaguers since 1928 to reach
80 complete games IN one season
Vance did the trick in "a and
Walters in 80.
Stops Bucs on Eight Hits.
Sain went the distance yesterday
limiting the Pirates to eight hits as
the Braves increased their first
place margin over the second-place
BUGS and St. Louis Cardinals to five
and a half games 1t marked his
eighth pitching chore in the last "a
days. He has gone all the way
each time.
The Braves punched nine hits of
losing Pitcher Vic lombard and
Kirby Higbe. lombard lasted six
innings and was tagged for seven
hits and three runs. He became the
43rd lefthander to lose to Boston.
The Braves have bowed to % south
paws. Mike Mccormick, who plays
only when a portsider is the oppos-
ing pitcher, belted a double and
triple to take hitting honors for the
winners. He drove in one run and
scored another.
The key figure now is IL. Any
such combination of Boston victo-
ries and Pittsburgh defeats clinches
the flag for the Braves The COM
bination needed to eliminate the
Cards is 10, Dodgers nine and New
York Giants seven.
Lefty Howie Pollet pitched the
Cardinals to within six-tenths of q
point of second place. twirling an
eight-hit Al triumph over the
Brooklyn Dodgers. The defeat
dropped the Dodgers into fourth
place, six games behind the Braves
Pollet. who registered his 18th
victory against six defeats, was
helped by some spectacular fielding
support by Stan Musial. The star
centerfielder made three dazzling
catches, one coming with two men
on bases. First Baseman Babe Young
provided the batting punch, driving
in the winning runs with a single
and home run. Rex Barney, of no
hit fame, was the loser.
Red Sox. Yankees Win.
The Torrid American League pen
nant race remained unchanged, with
Boston, New York and Cleveland all
winning The front-running Red
Sox protected their one-game lead
over the runner-up Yankees, van
gushing the Browns in st. Louis,
9-3. The Yankees trounced the
Tigers in Detroit, 1875. The In
dians handed the luckless Senators
a Al licking at Cleveland to remain
two and-a- half games off the pace.
The Philadelphia Athletics came
from behind to defeat the Chicago
White Sox, 9-6, in the majors only
night game.
In the National, the Cincinnati
Reds handed the birthplace New
York Giants a 5-3 setback at the
Polo Grounds, while the Philadel-
phia Phils kept the Chicago Cubs
in the basement with 6-3 victory
over the Bruins.
Although outhit, 81, the Red Sox
went on to whip the Browns with
the help Of five double plays and
six bases on balls by Losing Pitcher
Bill Kennedy. Joe Dobson regis
tered his 10th victory with seven
hitter.
Sam Mele, who batted in three
runs for the Red Sox, sprained his
right foot while sliding into third
in the fourth inning and probably
will be lost to the club for week.
X-rays showed no break.
Scoring six runs before man
was retired. the Yankees had the
Tigers Gagged in the first inning.
Johnny Ljndell, Phil Rizzuto and
Tommy Heinrich belted home runs
for the winners, but they weren't
needed. Ted Gray was the victim
of the first-inning assault, being
chased with his first loss after five
victories. Tommy Byrne was the
winner.