Evening star., 1949-09-06
Tradition Gives Yankees Cardinals Slim Support
Pressure on Leaders
Despite Standings
After Labor Day
By the Assoeioied Press

Down the stretch come the New
York Yankees and st. Louis Car
dinals, clinging desperately to ~
game leads that tradition says
they should hold.
Only five of the last 20 Labor
Day leaders have failed to make
the World Series in the last 10
years-but maybe the runnerup
Boston Red Sox and Brooklyn
Dodgers don't read the record
books.
A year ago the Red Sox were
on top by the same 1Ha-game
margin, with the Yanks second
and the Cleveland Indians. even
tual winners after a playoff, third
by 41a games.
Brooklyn, too, has no happy
memories of Labor Day, 1913.
That was the day they practically
were eliminated from the National
League race by dropping a double
header to Boston. The Braves,
their lead bolstered to four games,
never were ousted.
st. Louis lost a game of its lead
to the Dodgers yesterday when
they split with Pittsburgh while
Brooklyn was humping Boston
twice, To and 1872.
Munger Wins, Loses.
Red Munger breezed to his 18th
win in the Cards opener as Enos
Slaughter drove in five runs in
the route of Murray Dickson. 81.
The same Munger, trying for the
daily double in the second game,
lost the decision on relief in the
10th inning when doubles by
Danny Murtaugh and Stan Rojek
gave Pittsburgh a 5-4 edge.
Brooklyn turned the power
loose on the weary Braves, who
now are only one game above the
500 mark. After Joe Hatten was
knocked out in the first inning of
the morning game, Carl Erskine
and Paul Minner contributed 825
innings Of no-hit relief pitching
for the edge over Warren SPAIN.
Preacher Roe tied the National
League strikeout high for the year.
whiting II in the 1872 second
game.
The soaring Phillies extended
their win streak to six games by
dumping the New York Gaints,
81 and 40. del Ennis homer
and three singles helped Dutch
Meyer best Dave Koslo in the
second game after a four run
rally in the ninth gave Heintzel-
man the nod over reliefer Adrian
Zabala In the opener.
Cincinnati trimmed Chicago,
7-3, in the first game with a four
run knockout blast against Dutch
Leonard in the ninth. Johnny
Schmitz stopped the Reds in the
second, To.
Sweep by A. L. Top Bracket.
All four first division clubs
swept doubles in the American,
leaving the Yanks' lead at 11z
games. New York blasted Phila-
delphia, 1874 and So. while the
Red Sox ran over Washington
So and 1872. -.
Joe Di Maggio's grand slam
homer broke open the first game
for the Yanks when Vic Raschi
came up with his 18th victory.
Di Maggie was forced to leave
the second game because of
cramps in both legs after the
first inning, but recovering quickly
in the dressing room. The Yanks
put on a four-run splurge in the
fourth to win. The game was
called by darkness after seven
innings.
Cleveland beat Chicago. So, and
Ga. Larry Dolby hit a homer in
each game and George Metko-
vich hit two for the White Sox
in the second game. Bob Lemon
tossed a four-hitter to cop No.
18 in the finale.
Detroit continued to sizzle, max
ing it IA out of it's last 16 by
subduing st. Louis twice, 40 and
81. Neat pitching jobs by Fred
die Hutchinson, who spun a four
hit shutout against AL Papai, and
by Art Houtteman, who tossed a
six-hitter, did the trick.