The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-08-04
Berra's Blazing Bat Bothers
Tribe AS Yanks Triumph. 81
White SOr
Cain Ground
In american
Ry JOE RElcHLER
AP Sports Writer

~ SOss~
Cleveland's best chance OF slow
ing up the New York Yankees
pennant drive is to cool off Yogi
Berra's blazing bat.
In his last seven games. the
Yankee catcher has hit safely Il
times in n times at bat for a tcrrid
$40 average. The Yankees have
won six of those seven games.
Two weeks ago, Berra was hit
ting .2s7. Today he is at 800
and climbing.
It was Berra who proved the diff
ference in New York's 81 victory
over Cleveland. The triumph sliced
the American League leaders
margin over the Yankees to ia
games.
With Mickey Mantle on second
and Irv Noren OH third in the third
inning, Berra cracked a single off
Art Houtteman and scored both
runners. That was the ball game.
The Indians, who had drawn first
blood on Larry Doby's first-inning
home run, couldn't bulge Whitley
Ford after that. The young left
handler permitted only one hit in
the last five innings.
The National League race re-
manned unchanged. The league
leading, New York Giants main
tanned their five-game advantage
over Brooklyn with an easy IL
triumph over Chicago's crippled
Cubs. The Dodgers had to go all
out, edging the st. Louis Cardinals
FL as Carl Erskine bested Vic
Raschi in a pitching duel. The
third-place Milwaukee Braves, 10
lengths off the pace, outscored
Philadelphia Phillies 81.
The Chicago White Sox served
notice they were still in the Amer
lean League race by drubbing the
Boston Red Sox 6-2. The victory
advanced them to within six games
Of the Indians. H@ "a
In other games played under the
lights, Cincinnati overpowered
Pittsburgh 7-2 and Philadelphia's
Athletics downed the Baltimore
Orioles 6-2. Detroit shut out Wash
ington 20 in the only game played
in daylight.
Ford turned back the Indians on
four hits for his 18th victory. He
famed six and did not permit q
runner to pass second after the
fourth. The Indians best scoring
chance after the first inning came
in the fourth when they loaded
the bases with two out Ford, how
ever, struck out Jim Hogan.
Don Mossi started for Cleveland
but was forced to leave after the
first inning because of an upset
stomach. Houtteman, who took
over in the second, was charged
with his sixth defeat against 10
victories.
Except for the third inning when
Raschi singled and scored on a
triple by Wally Moon, Erskine was
complete master Of the Cardinals.
Erskine himself drove in the win
ming run. After hits by Jackie Rob-
inson and RUDE Walker, sand
wiched around a walk to Walt
Moryn, had produced the tying run
in the fifth, Erskine came through
with a single to score Moryn.
The Giants swatted Bob Rush
for IL hits, including Hank Thomp-
sons 18th home run with two on
base, to extend their latest win
ming streak to five straight. Ruben
Gomez spaced five hits and struck
out seven for his 10th victory.
Back-to-back doubles by Eddie
Mathews and Hank Aaron, fol-
lowed by Zoe Adcock's single pro-
duced two fifth-inning runs that
enabled the Braves to break a IL
tie with Philadelphia. Andy Pafko's
18th homer also helped Warren
Warren SPAIN register his nth vic.
tory with six-hitter. Murray
Dickson took the defeat.
Veteran first baseman Phil Cav
arretta drove in two runs with a
double and single, and scored an
other to give rookie southpaw Jack
Harshman all the runs he needed
to beat the Red Sox.
Three hits apiece by Chuck Har-