Evening star., 1950-03-28
Coan' S Long Blows
For Mats May Cost
His Job as Leadoff
BY Burton Howkins
Stor Stoff Correspondent


again Gil Coan is a spring sensa-
ton, but this time the Mats speedy
outf1elder doesn't believe he will
follow the pattern of previous
years. when he has blossomed in
March only to wilt by June.
AS the Mats returned here today
to battle Birmingham, Coan was
a .314 hitter but hidden in that
tolerable average Is a cluster of
five home runs, two triples and a
double. Any resemblance to the
Coan who batted mere .218 last
year hasn't been noticed by Bucky
Harris, who says, Il guess the only
lcomplaint I can make about Gil
is that he hasn't had a hit every
time up"
Washington absorbed a 1873
walloping from the Philadelphia
Phillies yesterday at Clearwater
but in the process Coan slammed
a triple in the first inning, home
run in the second inning and on
his next trip to the plate in the
fourth inning he delivered another
triple.
Coan Likes Being Let Alone.
Coan is the only Nat to belt
more than one home run and any
continuation of such socking is
certain to deprive him of job
the job of being the Mats leadoff
man. He has been an unreliable
sort in other years, but If this is
the year he is to click then Harris
is certain to use his power and
drop him in the batting order.
They're letting me alone and I
love it," says Coan. Nobody has
said a word to me and I hope
that's the way it will be. In other
years every time I went into a
slump for a couple Of games I'd
get Is or 20 suggestions from
numerous sources.
I'm not blaming anybody. It
was my fault for listening, but I'm
the type that couldn't ignore those
tips. I'd think about them sub
consciously and I'd get so fouled
up I didn't know what I was do
ing"
The Mats are getting sufficient
hitting. In their last seven games
they have fashioned SO runs, but
over that same span Washington's
pitchers have permitted So runs
an average of more than seven a
game-to sabotage their power.
Welteroth Pounded.
Against the Phillies the Mats
spurted into 40 lead in the first
inning, but in a 30-mile wind that
lead evaporated when the Phils
batted. They mauled Dick We'll
Iteroth for seven runs in the first
Inning, and some kind of spring
training record was set when Har-
Iris ordered Jim Pearce to warm up
before Welteroth got anybody out.
Dick finished the inning and
Sherry Robertson's triple and
Coan's homer sliced the Mats
deficit to 7-6 in the second inning,
oLt Bill Nicholson slammed a two
run homer off Pearce in the third.
Coan's triple led to another Wash
ington run in the fourth, but sue
cessive singles by Milo Candini.
Dick Whitman and Gran Hammer
boosted the Phillies into 10-7
lead in their fourth.
Nat Rally Is Far Short.
Philadelphia lifted its margin
to 1877 against Buzz DoZier before
the Mats made threatening ges-
lures in the ninth. Irv Noren
opened the inning with a homer,
and Eddie Robinson and Ed Stew
art followed with singles. Eddie
Yost and AL KoZar famed, how
ever, and Mickey Grasso flied out.
| Dick Whitman's four hits paced
the Phillies' 17-hit attack, while
the Mats got IL hits off Bill
Kozarek. Sandini and Jim Kon-
stanty.
MATS NOTES-Sid Hudson was
to face Birmingham here today.
Washington's pitchers have
allowed SO runs and So hits in
their last four games. The
Mats have a At record against
major league clubs and are 20
against minor league opposition.
Robinson batted 400 yester-
day but "slumped" four points to
.432 for all games.
Harris can work up no en-
thusiasm for the pitching of Diz
Sutherland, Connie Marrero or
Dozier. Against their former
teammate, Candini, the Mats mus
tered only two hits in three
innings. Sisler is batting .461
in exhibition games. He got
three more hits yesterday. includ-
ing a triple and home run.