Evening star., 1949-07-05
Leading Yanks, Buns
Help July 4 Tradition
With Double Wins
BY Jack Hond
Associated Press Sperts Mri+.

by JOCK hond
Associated Press Sports Writsr
The Fourth of July has come and
gone with the New York Yankees
and Brooklyn Dodgers still show
Ing the way in the major league
pennant races.
Tradition says the night Of the
Fourth Is the telltale date. If you
lead then, you can start building
new stands for the World Series.
Actually it's right only about so
per cent Of the time.
The return Of Joe Di Maggie to
the Yankee lineup after he missed
the first IS games because of q
heel injury continues to spark the
league leaders. Since Jolting Joe
came back they have won seven Of
eight, including five straight ovef
the respected Boston Red Sox.
Despite the roaring surge of the
Philadelphia AS and the menacing
moves by the Cleveland Indians,
the Yanks can feel fairly safe with
q Az game cushion over the AS.
Red Sox Drop Tough One.
Boston. a popular favorite to
win the nag in preseason picking
contests, faces stin uphill battle
II 1t is going to make 1t. Twelve
games behind the leaders and q
game under the 500 marx, Joe
McCarthy's Red Sox are q dreary
NTH with an eight-game losing
streak.
The way the Sox lost the first
game to the Yankees yesterday
was enoungh to discourage any
team, let alone q club all messed
up in q losing streak.
Trailing 80. Boston had the
bases loaded with one out in the
ninth. AL Zarilla pumped an ap-
parent single to right, but Johnny
Pesky. the runner on third base.
thought the ball would be caught
and held up. When he finally
decided to run, he was forced out
ut the plate on q fine throw by
Cliff Mapes. Instead of a decisive
single. Zarilla merely had hit into
= force play.
Kasehi Scores 18th Win.
vic Raschi went all the way to
win that opener. 81. for his 18TH
victory of the season at the ex-
pense Of Walt Masterson. In the
second, Joe Di Maggio's homer
pulled the yanks up into a tie
IN the NTH and Billy Johnson's
single with the bases loaded in the
seventh provided the winning 81
margin for Reliefer Clarence Mar
shall over Mel Parnell.
The Athletics kept pace by trim
ming Washington, 81 and 80,
while Cleveland, moving strong,
solidified its third-place position,
seven games behind New York. by
beating Detroit twice, 80 and 7-3.
Bobby Feller squeaked through In
the first game with relief help
from Satchel Paige after he was
lifted for . pinch hitter.
Homers by Dick Kokos and
Gerry Priddy gave the st. Louis
Browns a 40 victory and an even
break with the Chicago White
Sox. who took the 1875 first game.
Branch Hickey collected twice
at Brooklyn as the Dodgers won
I'll morning and 81 afternoon
games from Philadelphia, boost
ing their lead over st. Louis to
two full games.
Lanier Sent to Shower.
Max Lanier's return from lex
lie" in Mexico and Canada was
not q success, but the Cardinals
rallied after Max was knocked out
in the third inning to take Chi
eago, -. Bob Chapman stopped
the Redbirds in the second game
with an efficient shutout, SO.
For a change, Billy Meyer got
some pitching from his Pittsburgh
stan and the Pirates copped two
from Cincinnati. IL and 10 to
move ahead of the Reds into sixth
place.
The Boston Braves moved into
4 third-place tie with the Phillies,
Sh games behind the Dodgers,
by splitting two with the New
York Giants. Tommy Holmes
second homer of the day launched
q four-run rally in the last of the
ninth that pulled out the second
game for the Braves. 81. The
Giants banged out II hits to take