Evening star., 1950-06-25
.HarriisBeaten
In ReIiefDue
With Gromek
Indiuns Win 10th Oui
Of II on Mexicun's
First Circuit CIout
By Burton Hawkins
Star Stoff correspandent

~'S' S'Sf' correspondent
CLEVELAND, June 24.-The
Indians again turned on the
power against Washington today,
employing three home runs to de-
feat the Mats, 6-5. Little Bobby
Avila delivered the first homer of
his major league career, opening
the Cleveland eighth to break a
SIS tie. 1t was the 10th victory
for the Indians in II games.
Avila's smash, the lone blow per-
mitted by Relief Pitcher Mickey
Harris after replacing Sid Hudson
with two out in the fifth, put the
Mats only half a game ahead of
the sixth-place Chicago White
Sox. The defeat preserved Wash
ington's dubious distinction of
having failed to win here this
year.
While the Mats were collecting
IL hits, all singles. against the
first three Cleveland pitchers
Gene Bearden, Jess Flores and
Sam Zoldak-the Indians came
up with successive homers by AL
Rosen and Ray Boone in the Sec
ond inning to erase Washington's
20 lead.
Gromek Shines in Relief.
The Mats hitting came to an
abrupt halt when Manager Lou
Boudreau summoned his fourth
pitcher to the mound with the
bases loaded and one out in the
fifth inning. Steve Gromek
struck out Eddie Yost and Merrill
Combs fouled out. Then Steve
held the Mats hitless for the re-
naming four innings.
Despite Gromek's sparkling per-
formance, the Mats remained a
threat until the final pitch, for
Steve walked Same Mele to open
the ninth. Ed Stewart. batting
for Johnny Ostrowski. popped out,
but Mele took second when Sam
IDente grounded out to Luke
Easter.
In that situation. AL Evans took
Gromek to a 80 count. then went
down swinging and Washington
absorbed its fourth defeat of the
year in Cleveland's vast Municipal
Stadium.
Harris entered the game in the
fifth with the bases jammed and
got rid of Gromek on a grounder
to Dente. Mickey retired the next
six batter$ in order until Cleve-
lands Mexican second baseman
supplied his payoff punch, line
drive which barely eluded Ostrow-
skis lunge against the wire fence.
This was Mickey's third defeat.
Hudson, bidding for an elusive
eighth victory, was staked to a
20 lead in the first inning when
the Mats touched up Bearden.
Yost walked and was forced
by Combs, but when Boone
threw wild attempting a double
play, Combs continued to second.
Singles by Irv Noren, Mickey Ver-
non and OstrowsKi led to two runs.
Two Homers Tie Score.
With one out in the Indians
second, Rosen pumped his 18th
homer into the leftfeld seats.
Boone followed with a blast over
the fence in left to tie the score.
Evans and Hudson. who ac-
counted for three of the Mats
hits, singled successfully with one
out in the fourth. Yost also
singled. scoring Evans, and out
came Bearden. With two out.
Noren drilled a single to right off
Flores, scoring Hudson.
That lead was whitfield to 4-3
in the fourth after Boone and
Avila singled consecutively. They
advanced on Jim Hegan's long fly
to Noren, and Boone scored when
Pinch-Hitter Thurman Tucker
grounded to Dente.
The Mats made it So against
Zoldak in the fifth. Mele and
Ostrowski singled and Dente sac
rif1ced. Evans vas passed inten-
tionally and Hudson hit a bounder
back at zoldak, who lost it in the
sun and SHE'D away from the ball.
1t plopped to the turf for a single
as Mele scored, but along came
Gromek and that was all.
The Indians got rid of Hudson
in their fifth, but more through
good fortune than good hitting.
(See MATS D,o, % o,