The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-08-09
Tribe Stretches
Lead To 4 Games
In american, Loop
BY JOE REIcHLER
APP Sports Writer

Iate-SeaS0n drive nave Drought up
the possibility of a renewal of the
1948 Indians-Braves World Series
rivalry.
The betting gentry probably will
give long odds it won't happen but
baseball has had miracles before.
Remember the New York Giants
incredible 1851 finish?
A little over two weeks ago, if
anybody had even suggested
Observation-Disclosures World Series,
he would have been hauled to the
nearest nuthouse. Just 10 days ago,
on July %, the Braves were mired
in National Leagues fourth place,
1874 games behind the Giants.
What change those two and
half weeks have brought The
Braves in third place today trail
the pace-setting Giants by only
712 games. Fourteen Milwaukee
victories in 16 games have slashed
: eight lengths from New York's
lead. Cleveland has won Is of 10
during the same period and wild
ened its margin over the Yankees
to four games. That is the Indians
biggest lead since July a.
Milwaukee whipped the Giants
again yesterday So to sweep the
three-game series at the Polo
Grounds. A fine six-hit perform
ance by southpaw Warren SPAIN
and a perfect day at bat by slug
ging third baseman Eddie Math-
ews were the features. Mathews
smashed his Both homer, off loser
Sal Maglie, singled in another run
and scored twice.
Effective pitching by Bob Lemon
and Art Houtteman and home run
hitting by Lemon and Larry Dolby
highlighted the Indians 7-2 and So
doubleheader sweep over the inept
Philadelphia Athletics. Lemons
homer with one on overcame an
early 2-1 Philadelphia lead in the
first game. Doby's 3-run homer off
Alex Kellner' in the first inning,
his 18th of the season, got the In
dams off to a flying start in the
nightcap.
Pinch hitter Jimmy DelSing's
two-run homer in the 10th inning
broke up a free-hitting affair as
Detroit made it two in row over
the Yankees with a 1913 triumph.
The Yankees had overcome 40 and
S-5 Tiger leads to force the game
into overtime. Delsing's dramatic
homer inflicted the fourth defeat
upon ace reliever Johnny Sain and
gave Steve Gromek his 18th VIC
tory.
Brooklyn's runner-up Dodgers
closed to within three games of
the Giants with 20-7 romp over
the Cincinnati Redlegs. Aided by
third baSeman Chuck Harmon's
two-out error, the Dodgers raped
across Is runs in the eighth, IL of
them unearned, to set a scoring
record for that inning. Gil Hodges
helped Carl Erskine achieve his
14th victory, banging out four hits
including a double and triple in the
big eighth.
Chicago's third-place White Sox
dropped seven games behind .Cleve-
land, dividing a doubleheader with
Washington. Rookie southpaw Jack
Harshman shut out the Senators
80 after Washington had won the
opener rs. Roy Sievers welded the
big bat in the first game, smashing
his goth and 21St home runs. Roy'S
first homer came with two mates
aboard in the first inning. His Sec
Ond snapped a Sc tie in the ninth.
Jackie Jensen divided four hits,
two runs and two runs batted in
equally in each game as the Bos-
ton Red Sox took both ends of
doubleheader from Baltimore AZ
and Al. The opener was won in
the 18th on singles by Jensen and
Billy Console and an error by Billy
Hunter. The second game defeat
was the 18th by Baltimore's Don
Larsen, to make him the losingest
pitcher in the majors.
Robin Roberts became the first
pitcher to win II games and out.
fielder Del Ennis drove in six runs
as the Philadelphia Phillies took
two games from Chicago's Cubs
ga and S-3. Roberts was clipped
for four runs in the first two in
ningS of the opener but stopped
the Cubs cold the rest of the way
despite yielding II hits. Ennis hit
his 10Th home run for the Phils
in the first game.
Granny Hammer, Danny Schen
and winning pitcher Herm Web
meier all tripled in a four-run
Phillie OutburSt in the eighth in
ming of the nightcap.
Pittsburgh'S cellar-dwelling Pr
rates surprised the st. Louis Car
dinals with a pair of victories 12-4
and So for their second double
header sweep over the Redbirds in
three days. the Pirates blasted five
Card hurlers for Is hits in the
opener and won the second on Ed
Pellagrini's two-run single in the
eighth.