Evening star., 1953-06-06
Wet Grounds Delay
Mats Try for Better
Hold on Third Place
By Burton Hawkins
Sfor Staff Correspondent

CHICAGO, June 6.-The Mats,
showing their muscles, have
showed their way into third
place and enthusiastically, per-
haps optimistically, are eyeing
their most successful road trip
since they returned to a prema-
ture parade in their honor after
winning nine straight games in
1949.
Wet grounds that call off to-
days game against the White
Sox kept the Mats from immedi-
ately going after their fourth
straight victory, but tomorrow
they will attempt to tighten their
hold on third place in a double
header with Chicago.
Washington has won five of
six games on their present
happy excursion. They've planted
their feet firmly in the first divi-
sion. but they can't gain ground
on the front-running Yankees,
who continue to knock off every
thing in sight.
Confidence is High.
But the Mats confidence is
zooming, what with Mickey
Vernon hitting .348, Clyde Voll-
mer, Jackie Jensen, Jim Busby
and Vernon batting across runs
handsomely and the club getting
respectable pitching and field
ing despite last nights three
errors in the course of admin
istering an 8-4 beating to the
White Sox. Chicago has lost
five straight games.
Particularly proud today is
Wayne Terwillger, who doomed
a bases-loaded home run into
the lower leftf1eld stands last
night off Saul Rogovin in five
run second inning to permit
Chico Marrero to get his fifth
victory.
And pleased about Terwilli-
gers performance, too, is Man.
ager Bucky Harris. It was only
a few days ago in Boston that
Terwilliger took one third strike
too many and when he returned
to the bench the quiet Harris
said, Wayne, you can't make
the grade in the majors looking
at strikes. Start swinging"
Advice Accepted.
Terwilliger took the advice
and the results have been spec
tacular. In his last four games
he has fashioned six hits in II
attempts for a .444 average.
II don't think Wayne is going
to be a brilliant hitter" Harris
said, "but he'll boost his average,
20 points or so for us if he keeps
swinging when pitches are in
the strike zone"
1t was a timid tap by Pete
Runnels off Rogovin's glove that
launched the Mats big inning.
Busby and Mickey Grasso flied
out, but Marrero singled to CEN
ter and Ed Yost walked to fill
the bases. Terwilliger worked
the count to three and two,
then socked his grand slam. It
was the Mats second of the year.
Pitcher Bob Porterfield hit one
against Detroit.
VOllmer Doubles Twice.
Vernon followed with a pop-hy
single to left and Vollmer's sec
ond double got him across. The
Mats scored twice in the fourth
when Vernon singled, Vollmer
walked and Jensen rammed a
double to center. They picked
up their final run in the ninth
without benefit of a hit when
TerWilliger, walked. took second
on wild pitch, shifted to third
on Vernon's sacrifice and scored
after Vollmer flied deep to Sam
Mele in right.
Marrero. who held the White
Sox to seven hits, checked them
without a hit for four innings,
but Tom Wright clipped him for
a home run in the fifth. Mele
whacked a mighty home run into
the upper deck of the leftfield
stands in the seventh and the
White Sox got two unearned runs
in the eighth on singles by Bud
Sheely, Ferris Fain and Wright,
coupled with errors by Yost and
Grasso.