Evening star., 1950-07-08
Gray, Simmons HurI
Their Clubs 10 Peak
After Mediocre Starts
By jack Hond
Associated Press Sports Writer

JAot &AAN AASAtV<AAAGAA y AeSAAA4S'
Now they're the surprise pitchers
of baseball.
Scouts always said Simmons
and Gray would make it big "some
day." They didn't say when. Few
thought it would be 1850.
But where would the Phillies
be without Simmons 10 wins? Or
Detroit without Gray's 10? They
wouldn't be fighting for a PEN
nant.
Simmons got his big chance
when Manager Eddie Sawyer
searched for another starter. He
gave the young left-hander a turn
and never skipped him. The
bonus baby. only 81, still was wild.
but he made up for that with a
whizzing strikeout pitch.
With Ken Heintzelman still
cropping for his second victory and
Russ Meyer just beginning to hit
his stride, the Phils would be
humping around in the second di-
vision II Simmons hadn't made
good. Now. after Simmons win
over Brooklyn. they're tied for
the lead with st. Louis.
Gray Gives Only Four Hits.
Same story with Gray. For
years the Tigers waited for the
southpaw to tame his wildness.
He came up with Houtteman, but
Art zoomed ahead while Ted
struggled for control.
Gray's role became all-impor-
tant to Manager Red Rolfe when
Virgil Trucks, his strikeout ace,
came up with sore arm in mid
May. A heavy burden fell on
Gray and he responded like a
champion. Four of his 10 wins
were scored against the powerful
Red Sox.
Cleveland became his 10th vic
tim last night when he let down
the Indians with four hits, So
It was an important victory in
the opener Of big series with
the onrushing Tribe.
A crowd of 55,145 saw Gray
whip Bobby Feller to keep the
Tigers three and one-half games
ahead Of the Yankees, who
Idowned Boston, So. Nine mer
went to bat against Feller In q
ffour-run first inning featured b,
Jerry Priddy's homer with a mar
on. It was his fifth.
| Joe .Gordon's two-run home,
cracked Gray's shutout bid in the
second, but Hoot Evers' 16tf
homer in the fifth got one back
[ Gray made Manager Lou Boud.
reau. pinch hitting for Feller, hi
into a double play with the bases
loaded in the seventh. He struck
out AL Rosen and forced Ike
Boone to hit into game-endine
double play In the ninth.
Don Holloway with three sin
giles and George Kell with two
singles led the Tigers.
Yanks' Homers Beat Red Sox.
The Yankees used d pair O.
two-run homers by Gene Wood.
ling and Cliff Mapes to spoi
Rookie Dick Littlefield's big leagu,
debut with Boston. Only Ree
Sox scoring off Allie Reynolds wa.
Ted Williams 25th homer int,
the upper right-field stands will
a man on In the eighth. VII
liams thus took over the RBI leas
from Teammate Walt Dropo, 8;
to 80.
| Littlefield, just arrived from
Birmingham, showed to good ad
vantage in defeat. He gave u,
only four hits. but walked six
Each homer followed a walk.
Chicago and st. Louis split
twilight-night double header. Dav
Philley's two-run homer in tn,
seventh gave Bobby Cain and tn,
White Sox a SO decision in tn,
first game. Owen Friends 10th,
inning single won the 4-3 seccne
game for st. Louis. The spill
moved the Browns into a seventh.
place tie with the AS.
With Simmons notching his 10tf
success. the Phils knotted the Ma
tional League race. They whipped
Brooklyn, To, and Pittsburgh
snapped st. Louis seven-game
win streak, 9-1. AS result, the
Phils and Cardinals are tied for
the lead.
Four runs in the sixth inning,
routing Ralph Branca, did the
trick for Simmons, who yielded
seven hits. including Roy Campa-
|nella's 10th homer.
Robinson Banished Again.
Jackie Robinson, riding the
bench with bad knee, was chased
by Umpire Lou Jorda. 1t was the
second time within week that
Jackie was put out Of game.
Pittsburgh flattened Jerry
Staley with six-run blast in the
first inning while 20-year-old Ver-
non Law went the route for his
first big league victory. Ralph
Kiner touched up Reliefer Fred
Martin for his 23d homer with a
man on in the second.
Johnny Sain, overlooked in the
All-Star picking, became the first
big Lacquer to hit the 12-win
mark, subduing New York, 80.
Larry Jansen, his opponent. was
knocked out in the fifth, to end
q Seven-game win streak.
Connie Ryan stole home on
Johnny Wander Nicer in the 1Ith
inning for Cincinnati's Sd edge