Evening star., 1951-09-16
By Burton Hawkins

begging to be taken, got no taker
in Cleveland yesterday.
Apparently ready for the big
step toward the pennant-what
with a Az first-game win already
registered over the Mats and the
scoreboard showing the rival Yam
KEGS and Red Sox blowing games
to second division clubs-the In
dians came apart.
They permitted the Mats to es-
cape with a 7-6 victory for a split
in the double-h header before a
Ladies' Day crowd of 23,342, many
of whom long since had departed
after the Indians moved into 6-3
lead with a five-run uprising
against Julio Moreno in the fifth
inning.
AS it was, Cleveland picked up
half game over the Yankees,
moved a full game ahead of Sec
Iond-place New York and 31a
games ahead of Boston, but it's
an accomplishment the Indians
won't remeber with fond feeling.
They had a two-game gap over
the Yankees and 412-game mar
gin over Boston in their grasp and
literally threw the second game
away
ROSen's Wild Throw Costly.
The climactic throw was a ri
diculous wild peg by Al RoSen, the
third baseman, after he had made
a fine stop of Gil Coan's grounder
to trap Mike Guerra between third
base and the plate in the eighth
inning.
Guerra was a dead duck, but
IRosen-after moving in close to
Mike and forcing him to edge to-
ward the plate-made hard, in
accurate throw past Catcher Bir-
die Tebbetts. Birdie made a despe-
rate lunge for the ball, but it
banged against the wall in front
of the box seats and Guerra, re-
Iprieved, scored the winning run.
That was the most disastrous of
four Cleveland errors in the sec
ond game, but First Baseman
Luke Easter helped set it up with
an ill-advised, belated throw to
second base a moment before.
Guerra opened the eighth with
la single off Shortstop Ray
Boone's glove. Tom Ferrick, who
had followed Moreno and Mickey
Harris on the mound, tapped a
bunt down the first base line.
With no chance to get Guerra at
second base, Easter threw there
anyway and both runners were
safe.
Mike Garcia Loser.
| Eddie Yost also bunted and
while Guerra moved to third
Rosen fired the ball to second
forcing Ferrick. Coan then lashed
a grounder to RoSen's left which
the third baseman stabbed neatly,
only to throw the game away. Vic
tim Of the toss was Mike Garcia,
who went down to his 18th defeat.
He has won 10.
1t was a hectic seventh inning
too, which enabled the Mats to
score three runs and tie the game
at 6-6. Ferrick started it with a
line drive single off Boone's glove
and Yost doubled him to third.
Coan popped a bunt over Lou
Brlssie'S head, but Rosen came. in
quickly, shared the ball on the
hop and threw to the plate to re-
tire Ferrick. Yost took third on
the play and scored when Irv
Noren blasted a single off Brissie's S
glove.
Mickey Vernon beat out a single
to shortstop. filling the bases, and
Pete Runnels scored Coan with
another shot off the beleaguered
Brissie's glove. Along came Garcia
to comfort Sam Mele, batting for
Frank CampoS, and the Mats got
the tying run in when Mele
grounded to Easter.
The Mats scored in the first
inning after Yost doubled. Coan
beat out a .bunt to Easter and
when the big first baseman threw
wild past Steve Gromek, covering
first, Yost scored.
Moreno Bats in Two.
The Indians tied it up in the
fourth, but the Mats moved into
a 81 lead in the same inning
after Boone fumbled Cass Mi
chaelS' grounder. Guerra fol-
lowed with single and Moreno