Evening star., 1948-04-21
Sid Surprises Himself
|As Control Marks
Change Of Style
By Burton Hawkins

The advice OF two physicians ana
his own tremendous ability to adjust
his pitching style to overcome a
physical handicap today had
stamped lean, blond Sid Hudson as
vastly improved hurler. Wash
Iington's towering righthander. con-
verted from an overland pitcher to
a sidearmer, gave the Mats huge
lift when he stopped the New York
Yankees yesterday, 81, on five hits.
It was a detected Hudson who
packed last fall and headed for his
Chattanooga home. He had been
hampered with a shoulder injury,
won only six games all year after
capturing his first three starts and
admits he believed his career was
finished.
II saw a DR.. Bennett at Johns
Hopkins" says Sid, land he told me
very frankly that I'd have to change
my style to stay in baseball. I have
a bone spur on my shoulder which
is aggravated by continual overland
throwing. He told me I'd have to
find some style which wouldn't trri-
tate my shoulder and our club
physician, Dr. Larkin, agreed"
When Hudson left washington
last fall 1t was with the additional
equipment of a catcher's mitt. I
picked up kids in the neighborhood
as soon as 1 got home" says Sid,
land I wore 'em out throwing to
them. I came up with this sidearm
and three-quarter stuff and 1t didn't
pain me any. so I stuck to 1t.
Surprised by Own Control.
I'm amazed" admits Hudson,
that my control is as good as 1t Is.
You'd think, switching from one
style to another, that I'd be wild.
think it's made a better pitcher
of me because have 'sinker' now
and it's a rough pitch for a right
handed hitter.
"One game doesn't make a sea-
son, of course, but I can't help but
feel mighty encouraged about beat
ing the Yankees. That was q real
test for me. I'm q happy fellow"
Impressed was Manager Bucky
Harris of the Yankees. II think
it's remarkable that Hudson could
change his style and become a bet
ter pitcher in the course Of one
winter" says Bucky. Hes going
to be tough to beat. More power
to him. 1t couldn't have been an
easy adjustment and it took plenty
Of heart. He has it."
Hudson admits there may be days
when he'll be cuffed around. 80
far I've been fortunate in keeping
my pitches low" says Sid, "and I've
got something on the ball when
they stay low. If have days when
II can't keep 'em low maybe
they'll murder me, but time will
tell about that"
The Yankees weren't close to
homicide yesterday. They fashioned
run in the first inning when
Tommy HeRich walked, Charley
Keller singled and Joe Di Maggie
drilled into forced play, but there--
after Hudson was invincible in spite
of errors which twice placed him
IN a baSeS-loaded Jam.
Mcbride Shares Laurels.
Sharing glory with Hudson was
chunky Tom Mcbride, who was the
hero of a five-run outburst against
Ed Lopat. Eddie Yost opened with
single and AL Kozar followed with
another, Yost reaching third through
courtesy of Third Baseman Bill
Johnson, who dropped Henrich's
throw
Gil Coan popped out. but Mickey
Vernon lashed single to center,
scoring Yost and sending Kozar to
third. johnson made a brilliant stab
of Lee Culberson's smash but was in
no position to throw and the bases
were clogged. Up stepped Mcbride
in his initial appearance of the sea-
son. He rammed line drive to the
centerfeld corner and legged it
around the bases for home rum
scoring Kozar. Vernon and Culber-
son ahead of him.
The Mats made it 6-1 in the sec
ond inning off Randy Gumpert when
Kozar blasted a triple to left-center
and scored when Coan popped a
single into center. They boosted the
score to 81 in the third when Yost
doubled across Mark Christman and
Hudson, then added a run of Tom
my Byrne in the sixth when Yost
reached first on q fielder's choice,
moved to second when George Stirn-
weiss threw wild past first, shifted
to third on a wild pitch and scored
on Coan's neat drag bunt.