The Key West citizen., 1952-06-03
|9-Player S,cap
Announced Today
By Tigers, SOr

Il
DETROIT Up - The Detroit
Tigers announced today a 9-player
deal that sent Third Baseman
George Kell. Outfielder Hoot Eyers
Pitcher Dizzy Trout and Shortstop
Johnny Lipon to the Boston Red
Sox. The Tigers, in return, OBJ.
tanned First Baseman Walter Dro.
po. Infielders Johnny Pesky and
Fred Hatfield. Outfielder Don Len
hardt and Pitcher Bill Weight.
The trade was one of the biggest
in the majors in years. The princi.
pals were Kell and Evers for De-
troit and DYopo, Pesky and Len
hardt for Boston.
Kell, %. has been with the De-
troit club since 1946 and led the
American League in batting In
1949. He is regarded as the best
third baseman in the league.
Evers, 81. laid up with an injury
all season until Monday night,
sparked the Tigers pennant bid in
, 1850 with .323 average.
Manager Red Rolfe said he In
tended to play Pesky at short and
Hatfield at third, replacing Lipor
and Kell. Lipon has been the
Tigers regular shortstop.
The deal gave the Tigers the
hard-hitting first baseman they had
sought all winter. AS a rookie,
Dropo smashed "a home runs in
1850 for Boston, and batted .s22
Dropo is 20.
The Red Sox, In turn, get In
Evers q fast fielder and a right.
handed batter who can shoot for
their leftfield wall. He has been
sidelined with a broken thumb suf.
fered in spring training.
The 37-year-old Trout had been
Tiger pitcher since 1899. The
big highlander reached his peak
In 1914 when ne won II games.
Although on the decline for the
past few years, he pitched well in
spots, and remained top favorite
of Tiger gans. Trout's record this
year is U.s..
Lipon, a 2S-year-old righthand
batter, joined the Tigers in 1916
after three years military service.
His top batting mark was .293 in
1850. This year he Is batting .22i.
Pesky, 80. came to the majors
with Boston in 1912. Playing third
base and short. he compiled a .3I5
lifetime batting mark up 10 the
start Of this year.
Lenhardt, who only Monday night
won 4 bah game with a 4-run
homer in the 10th inning. Is q.
He came up with the st. Louis
Browns In 1850. was traded 10
Chicago In 81 and joined the Sox
this year. His lifetime mark Is
.27o. He is long bali hitter.
THAT grand slammer almost
stopped the DEAL said General
Manager Charley Gehringer Of the
Tigers. ''But we completed all the
arrangements last night"
Hatfield, with Boston In so and
81, has 4 lifetime mark of .274.
He is % and q righthand batter.
Most Of his service has been at
second base.
Wight, q 3o-year-old iefthanded
pitcher, has been with three Amer
lean League clubs. He came up
with the Yankees In 1897, spent
three years In Chicago and went
TO Boston In q trade in 81. He
has q lifetime earned run average
Of 4.os. His top year was 1919,
when he won Is and lost Il for
Chicago with an ERA Of s.3i.
The trade followed the growing
demand Of Tiger fans for some
action that might get their team
out OF last place in the American
League standings. The Tigers,
never n tsil-end finisher, have been
In the basement all season. Their
current mark is II wins. n losses
and q percentage Of .s2S. They're
iosa games out Of first place.
On the other hand. the Red Sea
reached the top Of the heap Mon.
day night, with n zs-iT record