Evening star., 1948-05-31
Club s Fighting Spirit
|Up with GiI's HiHinq;;
Red Sox Smeared
By Burton Howkins
Stor Stoff Cerrespondent

diminishing doubt concerning the
ability of streamlined Gil Coan to
create a favorable impression in
major league society. Despite his
moderate .267 batting average the
Mats fleet left fielder is gaining re-
spect due to his comeback qualities.
AS the Mats invaded New York
for double-header today and night
game tomorrow Coan was leading
the club in home runs (0, runs
batted in 900 and stolen bases CD.
In recent games he has tackled 81
points to his batting average and
has figured prominently in the Mats
floufishing winning streak which
reached four games yesterday as
Early Wynn stopped the Boston RED
Sox, 81, in Washington for sweep
of the series.
Coan has batted 341 in Washing
toms last IL games and in his last
16 times at bat has hit 500. He
has swatted safely in the Mats last
six games, all of which would 1ndl-
cate the 24-year-old sspeedster Is
developing nicely.
Coan's improvement, along with a
general batting boost, tolerable
pitching and a newly discovered
toughnesS among the Mats, has
perked up the club. The Mats have
displayed a fiery sort OF tempera-
ment in recent engagements and
it's a transformation which tickles
Manager Joe Kuhel.
Belligerency Seems to Pay.
Gil threatened to punch Pitcher
Jack Kramer of the Red Sox on
Saturday. and on the same day
Catcher AL Evans was tossed out
of a game by Umpire Red Jones.
The usually docile Mickey Vernon
also was involved in stormy scs-
sion with Jones several nights ago.
The accumulation of excitement
seems to have stirred the Mats to
a peak of proficiency.
I'm glad to see the boys set a
little tough" said Kuhel. The
other day Kramer bawled out Coan
for nicking the shoe of Vernon
Stephens in slide at second base.
Gil didn't mean to spike Stephens,
but he did mean to break up
double play, and he did. Boston's
Bobby Doerr went 8 feet out Of his
way to break up one against us.
We can be as rough as they want
to be.
"I was happy to see Gil get ruff
fed. I don't want the boys to be a
bunch of rowdies, but don't want
em submissive, either. want 'em
to let those other clubs know we're
in the game. When the other fel-
lows get a little rough we're not
going to be meek"
Wynn's performance against Bos-
ton has heartened the Mats. The
husky right handler permitted only
five hits yesterday and walked only
one in registering his fourth vic
tory.
Stewart in Singing Streak.
Ed Stewart, who has belted a
home run, triple and double in his
last eight times at bat, lifted the
Mats into 20 lead in the first
inning, when he hoisted his first
homer of the year over the right
field wall after Coan had singled
off Denny Galehouse.
That lead was boosted to SO In
the seventh inning. when Stewart
doubled and Earl Wooten. Evans,
Johnny Sullivan and Eddie Yost
singled. Boston obtained its only
run in the eighth, when Doerr
walked and Birdie Tebbetts and
Wally Moses singled. but the Mats
scored three runs in their eighth
off Earl johnson and Chuck Stobbs.
Coan opened the Mats eighth with
a homer over the right field fence.
Vernon's single, a walk to Wooten
and lusty triple by Evans completed
the Mats scoring.
Wynn allowed only two hits, both
by Stan Spence, in the first seven
innings. Spence was the only Red
Sox to reach base over that stretch
as the Mats moved within two games
of the 500 mark.
Next Saturday Ladies' Day.
NAT NOTES: Chick Pieretti was
to be trusted with his first starting
assignment of the season here today
in one of the games with the
Yankees, With Sid Hudson slated to
pitch the other game. Walter
Masterson will fire against the
Yankees tomorrow night, with Ray
Scarborough due to work against
Cleveland when the Indians move
into Griffith Stadium for the opener
of a three-game series on Wednes-
day night.
Yost is playing despite an injured
left wrist sustained in slide at the
plate on Saturday. :. Centerflelder
Garden Gillenwater missed yester-
days tussle because of tender
tootsies he had three corns re-
moved. Catcher Jake Early is
nursing a badly pulled left hand.
Ladies Days at Washington Will
be inaugurated on Saturday and
continued every Saturday through
out the season. Johnson OF BoS-
ton twisted his left ankle when he
fell while pitching to Wooten III
the eighth inning. g. Third Base
man Johnny Pesky was idle due to
a pulled leg muscle.
If the Mats are forced to employ
third catcher the emergency man
will be Wooten-no kidding -. hes
a. left-handed thrower. but the Mats
have a left-handed catcher's mitt
lust in case anything happens to
Early or Evans in the event
Vernon was injured Wooten also
would become the Mats first base
man.
Boston ABB H. O. A. Wash. AB. H. Q. A
Hitch k.3b o 8 Yost,3b, | 9
Gdm'n,1b 1 Q l Kozar,2b l
spencerf Sm Ssif / ; Q Q stewart,rf I : ! Q
DiMae.cf 4 s q Vernon.1b | 10 q
Step'nsss 3 9 3 Wootel,cf 3 q
Doerr.2b 3 Evansc y
Tebbetts.c 3 ] ! Q SulliVan,ss !
Caleb sep Wynn,p-- <