The Key West citizen., 1954-10-01
Gomez, Garcia
To Take Hill
In Today's Tilt
By GAYLE TALBOT

CLEVELAND R-The Cleveland
Indians were a poor security risk
today, and they knew it. The spe-
cial train which rolled through the
night to bring manager AL Lopez S
detected troops back to the home
folks and the third game of the
World Series was a very unhappy
equipage.
Not only were the once-proud
American League champions down
20 in games to the surprising Gil
ants, but they were down as well
to the third and least vaunted
member of their ''Big Three
pitching punch, Mike Garcia. They
knew they were in bad trouble,
and could only hope they were
about to come out of the hitting
slump which had left 26 of their
number stranded on the Polo
Grounds bases the last two futile
days.
As for Leo Durocher's Giants,
they came out of yesterdays con-
vincing 81 victory over Early
Wynn dead certain they had at
least an even chance of closing it
out by tomorrow night.
Their second pitcher, young
Johnny Antonelli, had throttled
the Tribe in the pinches after see-
ing his first pitch knocked clear
out of sight by AL Smith, Cleve-
lands left-fielder. Today they
were going with Ruben Gomez,
the sad-eyed Puerto Rican screw
baler who won II games in his
sophomore season. His teammates
firmly believe he would tie the
Indians in knots.
Seldom, surely, has a World Sc
rieS seen such an abrupt and early
change in fortunes. 1t is difficult
to realize that the Cleveland club,
winner of Ill games, opened the
series only two days ago as nearly
2-1 favorites. The failure of Lo-
pez's sluggers to hit with men on
base has been incredible.
Almost equally incredible had
been the success of Durocher's
men in that respect. They solved
Wynn, the 23-game winner, for
only four hits in the second game
half as many as the Tribe socked
off Antonelli. Yet only one of them
was wasted, and only three Giants
died on the sacks.
Antonelli pitched a gritty game.
The young lefthander could have
glanced at the Giants bullpen al
most any time during the after
noon and see at least one of his
hill mates getting ready. But at
the end the bonus kid from Ro-
chester, NY. still was master of
every situation.
Dusty Rhodes, the pinch-hitter
extraordinary who broke UP the
opener with his dramatic 10th inn.
ing homerun, again stuck the knife
deep into the visitors.
It was Rhodes who knocked his
fellow Aabaman, Willie Mays.
across with the tying run in the
fifth, and put the frosting on the
victory with towering smash
against the right field facade IN
the seventh. He's now within one
of the series record for pinch hits
AS it happened, Antonelli had the
privilege of knocking in the win
ming run as well as binding the
Indians with his fast ball and
sweeping curves every time they
threatened. Johnny's batting effort
was only a force-out grounder to
second-base in the big fifth, but
1t was sufficient to bring Hank
Thompson dashing home from
third with the big run the Tribe
never got back.
There is little doubt the Indians
are being seriously handicapped BY
the manifold injuries of their star
third-baseman, AL Rosen. So far
Al has contributed nothing much
to his teams attack, and he is 50
stove up in one leg that his pres
ence ON the bases is more of a
hlndrance than help.
But he has not been the only
one to fail Lopez. Bobby Avila.
the American Leagues leading hit
ter, had punched only two singles
and left two men stranded with
third-outs yesterday. Larry Dobv