The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-09-21
Giants Whipped Tribe
In Grapefruit League
Lopez Seeks
AUtin,e YIN
Record NOsU
BY BEN Pill

TSSVSiotSu TTSSS SPOTtS WTtTeT
The Cleveland Indians and New
York Giants open the World Series
in the Polo Grounds week from
tomorrow and the flags in Florida
probably are flying at half mast.
For the first time since baseball
magnates became convinced their
athletes would be better condi-
toned for the 154-game grind with
the help of warm sun and palm
trees in the early spring, Florida
doesn't have a World Series entry.
The Indians and Giants Stunned
the orange juice circuit for the
sands and sun of Arizona. With
only the Chicago Cubs and Balti-
more Orioles around for major
league companions, the two clubs
played each other often enough to
know the players by heart.
On their transforming tour back
to the majors the Giants whipped
the Indians IS times in Il games,
often by such scores as 20-14 or
1879.
AL Lopez fatty predicted a pen
nant for his Indians and made
good as of last Saturday. Now he's
after a new all-time high in VIC
tories.
Leo Durocher said he never
made predictions, then quickly
added his Giants, with the return
of Willie Mays, twill be a lot
stronger"
Brooklyn is the team to beat"
Leo said in April.
He followed his own advice. He
beat them opening day with Willie
Mays hitting a 425 foot home run
and last night in Ebbets Field,
home of the Dodgers, Durocher's
men clinched the pennant with a
IL victory.
Appropriately Willie Mays picked
the occasion to take over the Ma
tional League batting lead with
three hits. The "Say Hay" kid,
released from the Army just in
time to reach training camp, is
battering the ball at .344 clip.
Sal "The Barber" Maglie was
razor sharp as he scattered five
hits. The only Brooklyn run came
in the third when Maglie's control
deserted him momentarily and he
walked Pee Wee Reese and Duke
Snider with two out. Gil Hodges
followed with what started out to
be routine fly, then it sank rapid
ly in the murky night and fell Just
in front of Mays, who made a belly
slide on the slick turf.
The Giants jumped off to a two
run lead in the first inning on a
walk to Whitley Lockman, AL
Dark's single followed by a sacri- i.
flee and singles by Mays and Hank
Thompson.
Don Mueller'S single and doubles
by Thompson and Monte Irwin pro-
duced two more in the sixth and
wrapped up the flag for sure.
Durocher called his team a bet
ter outfit than the 1851 pennant
winners who caught Brooklyn and
won in a playoff after being far
behind in mid-August. Walt Aston,
freshman manager of the losing
Dodgers, congratulated Leo and
said: There is a lot of difference
between those two teams, mine
and his. l only hope he can 60 out
now and beat Cleveland"
While the Giants were clinching
their flag, the Indians won their
18th straight and ran their victory
total to 100, only one short of the
American League record set by
the 1927 Yankees.
Bobby Feller pitched the Indians
to IA triumph over the Chicago |
White Sox with the help of home +
runs by Larry Dolby and Vic Wertz.
Cleveland has five more games to |
play.
The battles for fourth place, and |
It's share of the rich World Series |
loot, frightened in both Leagues. |
Cincinnati split with Milwaukee,
winning 81 after losing 81, and |
holds two game lead over st. |
Louis. The Cardinals defeated Chi
cago To with five runs in the 10th |
inning. The idle Philadelphia Phil
lies are less than half a percentage |
point behind the Cardinals.
Boston held fourth in the Ameri-
can League with a So triumph |
over the Athletics. Detroit, half a
game back of the Red Sox, de.
feated Baltimore 4-3 and Washing
ton, another half game behind, |
shaded the Yanks 3-2.
Moeo T