Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-06

Sain 5 Routine Play
Lets Senator's Place
Winning Runon Third
By Burton Howkins

By Burton Howkins
Johnny Sain's April behavior
in September conceivably could
cost the Yankees sixth straight
pennant.
The veteran relief pitcher pre-
ferred to play it safe yesterday
at Griffith Stadium by refusing
to make a play at third base.
BY all baseball instinct he should
have gambled in that direction
and the decision proved a costly
one for the champions.
Johnny took the routine play
against the Senators, permitted
the winning run to advance to
third, and Eddie Yost took it
from there. He swatted a we'll
kissed single to left, scoring
Eddie FITZGERALD with the win
ming run with two down in the
ninth inning. The Senators
5-4 victory before 1926 fans
showed the Yankees four and q
half games behind the league
leading Indians.
FitzGerald opened the bottom
Of the ninth by singing to CEN
ter with the SCORE tied at A.
Jerry Snyder plopped down the
conventional sacrifice and Roy
Sievers batted for Bob Porter
field.
Sain, Ignores FITZGERALD.
Thus far everything was &C
cording to the book. Sievers
tapped back to Sain and fans
were aghast when Johnny ig-
nored FITZGERALD romping to-
ward third base and threw lazily
to first, retiring Sievers.
There was a little doubt that
Sain could have nailed FitzGer-
aid, but there was no doubt that
he should have attempted to cut
him down. Failure to do so
meant that any sort of a single
luck-annointed pop fly. a trick
Ter through the infield or line
drive off somebody's shins--
would mean the Yankees were
dead.
But Sain tossed to first base
and left it up to Yost. Eddie
rammed it down Johnny's throat
with a sharp blow down the
leftfield line. It could have been
a double if Yost had elected to
run it, out, but Eddie simply
rounded first base and headed
for the clubhouse. It could have
scored FITZGERALD anyway, may
be, but chances are it wouldn't
and Sain still would have had
life.
Sain's Move Puzzling.
SANS failure to fire toward
third base will remain incom-
prehensible to all who view it.
The Yankees twice had battled
back valiantly to tie the score
but while Casey Stengel was
pulling out all the stops-pour-
ing 10 players into the contest
-Sain played it like there's
always tomorrow. With only 10
games left, the Yankees are run
ming out of tomorrows.
Gil McDouga1d led off the
ninth inning with a home run
into the .leftfield bleachers of
Porterfield which tied the score
at A after Pete Runnels had
blasted his third home run of
the year over the rightfield wall
with one out in the eighth to
give the Senators a 4-3 advant-
age.
The Senators splattered Ralph
Branca for three runs in the
first inning on a walk to Jim
Busby, Mickey Vernon's double,
singles by Tom Wright and Jim
Lemon, plus errors by Leftfielder
Bob Cerv and Centerfielder
Mickey Mantle.
McDermott Stops Yanks.
Maury McDermott gave the
Senators the best possible protec-
ton in the next 51s innings. He
held the Yankees hitless over
| that stretch. retiring the first IL
batters in order.
With one down in the sixth
Country Slaughter batted for
Willie Miranda and singled to
right. Eddie Robinson batted for
Jim Konstanty and walked.
Hank Bauer lined to Busby, but
Gerry walked to fill the bases and
Mantle walked to force across
Slaughter before Yogi Berra
grounded to Shortstop Snyder.
Manager Bucky Harris called
in Porterfield from the bullpen
for the first time this season in
the seventh inning and the
Yankees promptly touched him
for two runs. With one down.
McDougald walked, Andy Carey
sent him to third with a single
and Slaughter scored both with
a double to left center.
Eddie Lopat stopped the Sena-
tors for two innings, but Runnels
delivered his homer against Sain
in the eighth to lift Washington
into a 4-3 lead.
NOTES: Their important home
affairs attended to for the season,
The Senators will stack up against
| /Coo cENATOPC page A-151