Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-04-15
Takes Over Spot
Stewart,
Top AZ Batter
Newcomers Home Run
Is Vested as Record
30,704 See Buns Win
By Burton Howkins

By Burton Howkins
Powerful Clyde Vollmer has
wrested the Mats centerfield job
from Eddie Stewart. Manager
Joe Kuhel declared prior to last
nights 80 defeat by the Brook
llyn Dodgers that the tall Vollmei
would remain in Washington s
lineup against all types Of pitch
ing. What Vollmer displayed In
his Griffith Stadium debut helped
settle his status.
Before a record exhibition game
throng of 30.704, Vollmer pumped
home run into the left-fleld
stands which lifted the Mats to a
30 tie with the Dodgers in the
sixth inning. But in the seventh
Brooklyn's Billy Cox blasted Sid
HudSon's first pitch into the same
sector and that. it developed. was
the ball game.
The crowd which overlooked the
stands onto the grass in left field
saw a Washington club which left
lit confused over its potentialities.
Hudson yielded only two hits in
his three innings, but one was
Cox's crusher and the other a
mighty triple by Duke Snider.
Gil Coan. about whom the Mats
fans had been reading glowing
descriptions, looked worse than
at any time this spring. He
popped a luck Amounted single into
center, but he famed three times
and against left-handed pitching
he was helpless.
Mats Fail to Bunch Hits.
The Mats outhit the Dodgers,
9-6. but they weren't clustering
their safeties. Washington gave
the pennant-contending Dodgers
serious struggle until the last
out. but there was a note of dis
appointment in the failures OF
Coan and Eddie Robinson to dam
age the Dodgers Joe Hatten. Jack
Banta and Preacher Roe.
Kuhel's revelation that Vollmer
has snatched a regular berth
means that Stewart becomes a
dugout decoration barring a sud-
den sag by Vollmer. Coan or
Buddy Lewis. Stewart. incidental
Ily, was the Mats top hitting regu-
lar last season with .278 average.
II like the threat that Vollmer
presents" said Kuhel. He can
20 get a ball and he can throw.
but principally he's in there for
his power. He can lift 'em out
Iof the park and we need that sort
'of punch" q CO N % I
Kuhel thus removed doubt that
vollmer would be yanked on open
ing day against the right-handed
Dick Fowler. who is slated to pitch
for Philadelphia. Joe said Clyde
would remain in the No. 4 spot In
the batting order regardless Of
who hurls for the Athletics.
Jackie Robinson Sparkles.
The customers who came to
view Brooklyn's Jackie Robinson
and the huge turnout was at
tributable chiefly to his presence
weren't disappointed. Jackie left
the game after four innings due
to an injured side. but 1t was
Robinson who touched off a 2-run
outburst against Ray Scarborough
in the second inning.
Jackie opened with a sharp
single to center and Carl Furillo
thumped him around with triple
to center. Furillo remained on
third as Cox grounded out, but
when Second-baseman AL Kozar
fumbled Chuck Corners ground
Ier, Furillo scampered across.
A walk to Sam Dente. plus
singles by Lewis and Eddie Yost,
fetched the Mats a run of Banta
h in the fourth and Vollmer
smashed the Mats into q tie with
his tremendous poke in the sixth.
Then came Hudson. whose first
pitch reminded him of old times.
The Mats stirred up a threat
in the eighth when Vollmer and
Yost singled with two out, but
Eddie Robinson grounded out.
Again in the ninth, Washington
made scoring gestures. kozar
lifted single to right and after
AL Evans popped out. Pinch-hit-
| ter John Simmons singled to CEN
| ter Kozar hating at third. In
that crisis Roe famed Coan and
| Dente flied to Snider in center.