Evening star., 1952-08-26

Trucks Poorest Year
Finds Him Assured Of
Pitching Immortality
by the Asseeicisd Press

Virgil Trucks, 33-year-old De-
troit highlander, suffering his
poorest season in the majors. sud-
denly finds himself in the pitchers
mythical hall of fame, joining
Johnny Wander Nicer and Allie
Reynolds on q special pedestal
reserved for those who achieve
two no-hitters in the same season.
Trucks held the YANKEES hitless
in New York yesterday and won,
10, in q thrill-packed performance
that cut the champions American
League lead to one game over the
Cleveland Indians. The achieve
|ment came just three months and
10 days after he handcuffed Wash
ington without q hit or q run on
May Is.
Record An Odd One.
The Birmingham fireballer also
has pitched a one-hitter, two
hitter, four hitter. five-hitter and
two six-hitters this season. Yet
he has only i've victories to show
for his efforts as against Is defeats
Only Art Houtteman, a teammate
has lost more.
A seventh-inning double by
Walt Dropo followed by Steve
Souchock's single of Rookie Bill.
Miller provided Trucks with the
winning margin. It was Trucks
third 10 triumph and his frs
victory since he hurled q one.
hitter against the Mats July %
In that game only a leadof single
:|by Eddie Yost deprived him Of {
third no-hitter.
I: Trucks also pitched nine score.
less innings against the st. Louis
Browns August 6. but the Tiger.
lost, 10, in IL innings. TIL,
hard-luck pitcher also was or
the losing end Of two other shut.
loutS.
Even yesterday. in his creates
hour of glory, the jinx was re.
luctant to leave him. It was mo-
until the Yankees were going tx
bat In the seventh inning thai
Trucks learned he had q no. hitter
going. Until then he, along with
all the players and the 1874:
fans, was under the assumption
that he had allowed q hit /. the
third inning.
Scorer Changed Ruling.
In that inning. Phil Rizzute
chopped a simple grounder tt
short. Johnny Pesky fielded the
ball cleanly and then booblec
it in his glove as he tried to pick
it out for the throw to first
After one bad stab, he grabbed it
but the toss was low and late anc
Rizzuto was safe.
John Drebinger, official scorer
and veteran baseball writer of thu
New York Times, called it an error
immeditely and the "E" wa.
flashed on the scoreboard in cen.
ter1eld. Then, after a moment.
reflection, he reversed himself
Under the impression that the bal
had stuck in the webbing O.
jPesky's glove, Drebinger changes
it to q hit.
Still not satisfied, Drebinge,
telephoned Pesky in the visitors
dugout as the Tigers came to ba
. in the seventh and the shortsto,
readily took the blame.
Drebinger then reversed himsel
again, ruled it an error and hat
the public address system an.
nounce it to the customers. TIL,
crowd greeted the announcement
with a roar of approval ane
Trucks. visibly affected, worked al
the harder in the three remainint
innings. He tipped through thre,
men in the seventh, struck ou
Billy Martin and disposed of Pincl
Hitters Johnny Mize and Irv Norer
in the eighth.
GrOth'S Catch Helps.
Mickey Mantle became Trucks
eighth strikeout victim to star
on the ninth. Centerfielder Johnn,
Groth then made a fine runninI
catch Of Joe Collins liner to deer
left center. The stadium was il
an uproar as Hank Bauer came
to bat. The outfielder smashed 8
hard grounder to the left of sec.
ond which AL Federof gathered
(See BASEBALL, Page A-18.)
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