Evening star., 1948-04-18
Wvnn to Hur| for Mats in Opener Against Yanks
Truman Among
$1,000 TO View
Inaugural Here
Reynolds on Firing Line
For World Champs in
Clash Tomorrow
bv Burton Hawkins
By Burton Hawkins

By Burton Howkins
Bronzed, husky Early Wynn, IT.
game winner for a seventh-place
Washington club last season, was
named last night by Manager Joe
Kuhel to pitch the Mats 1s48 open
er tomorrow at Griffith Stadium
against the World Champion New
York Yankees.
Opposing the drastically revised
Mats will be right-handed Allie
Reynolds, who won 10 games for the
Yanks last year. The game will
start at 3 o'clock with pregame cere-
monies opening at 2:45.
1t was Reynolds. part Creek In
dian, who launched the Yankees on
a victorious note in the delayed
opener here last year when he
whipped the Mats, TO, on eight
scattered hits. Wynn, one-eighth
Cherokee and also right-hander,
will be making his debut as an OPEN
ing game pitcher.
With President Truman and a
host of dignitaries among $1,000
fans, the Mats will field a team
with only First Baseman Mickey
Vernon as holdover from the 1948
opener. Outfielder Buddy Lewis has
retired, Outfielder Stan Spence has
been traded to the Boston Red So,:,
Outfielder Joe Grace will play . :
Sacramento, Second Baseman Jerry
Priddy was sold to the St. Louis
Browns, Third Baseman Cecil Travis
has retired and Pitcher Bobo New
som now is with the New York
Giants.
Mats Will Gamble on Speed.
Shortstop Mark Christman and
Catcher Al Evans still are with the
Mats, but Johnny Sullivan has re-
placed Christman and with Reynolds
pitching the left-handed hitting
Jake Early will be Washington's
catcher.
Making his debut as the Mats
manager will be sharp-faced Joe
Kuhel. former Washington and Chi
cago White Sox first baseman, who
has indicated he will attempt to off,
set the Mats lack of power with q
gambling game aceenting daring
base running. Kuhel's only previous
experience as manager was with
the Hot Springs, Ark, club of the
Glass c Cotton States League last
year He succeeds Ossie Bluege, who
now is Washington's farm club
director.
Kuhel will present the following
batting order against the Yankees:
Johnny Sullivan, IS
AL KoZar, 2b
Gil Coan, If
Mickey Vernon, 1b
Leon Culberson, CT
Sherry Robertson, IF
/ Eddie Yost, 3b
Jake Early, c
Early Wynn, p
Manager Bucky Harris of the
Yankees will throw this batting
order against the Mats:
George Stirnweiss, 2b
Tommy Heinrich. RI
Charley Keller, If
Joe DiMaggio, CT
George McQuinn, ID
Bill Johnson, 3b
Phil Rizzuto SIS
Gus Niarhos or
Sherman Lollar, C
Allie Reynolds, p
Washington Outlook Drab.
Harris, who managed 13 Washing
ton teams, will be starting his sec
ond season at the helm of the
Yankees, a club he piloted to a
World Series victory over the Brook
lyn Dodgers last fall. His club has
been rated a co-favorite with the
Boston Red Sox for the flag in the
, American League.
Washington's outlook isn't bright.
The generally young, inexperienced
Mats have been consigned from sixth
, to eighth place in preseason pre-
dictions by sports writer's and odds
makers.
: Culberson and Kozar will be new
: comers to the Mats lineup. They
r were obtained from the Boston Red
Sox in a deal for Spence. Culber-
, son, a right-handed hitter, batted
238 in part time employment last
year, while the trim, dark Kozar
hit 339 with New Orleans of the
1See OPENING GAME, Page B-3)