The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-07-14
Indian Star
Played Despite
Injured Finger
sv JOE REIcHLER

mending finger, a thing called
pride and a big booming bat all
played a prominent part in the
American Leagues return to the
winners circle. The finger, pride
and bat all belonged to one person,
AL Rosen of the Cleveland Indians.
The box score of yesterdays 11-9
American League All-Star victory
over the Nationals shows it was
a bases-loaded single by Nellie Fox
in the eighth inning-a real "bleed-
er"-that drove in the winning
runs to end the war of Is pitchers
in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium.
But it was Rosen who, despite a
painful and swollen index finger,
blasted two home runs, drove in
five runs and spearheaded the an
initiation of six of the National
Leagues best pitchers.
It didn't come to light until later
that Rosen had asked Manager
Casey Stengel to be taken out after
the first inning because he felt he
''might hurt the team"
Eyes, / went to Casey before the
game with the idea that be taken
out Of the lineup" admitted Rosen
I'm a clubhouse interview after the
game. 81 didn't sleep wink all
night worrying whether I'd be a
detriment to the team.
'But pride got the better Of me.
Instead of begging off altogether,
/ suggested to Stengel that l give
it one try because / felt / owed
it to the fans who voted me on
the team to bat at least once.
casey and / discussed three al
ternatives - play three innings,
don't play at all or hit once and
quit. Since Casey had no power to
make any decision, he took the
matter to Commissioner Ford
Frick. The Commissioner decided
to leave it up to me. I told Casey
I'd like to 60 to bat once and then
tell him how / felt.
well, l struck out in the first
inning and felt terrible. The finger
hurt like the dickens-it hurts
more when you strike OUTPUT /
didn't say anything to Casey. Call
it foolish pride but l didn't want
to bow out that way. If l had at
least flied out, it wouldn't have
been so bad. ! might have quit
then. But not that way. wanted
to bat once more. Well, the next
time up / hit a home run. You
can't imagine the feeling. And
would you believe it, the finger
didn't hurt. mot much, anyway"
The homer, hit off starter Robin
Roberts in the third inning, came
after the Philadelphia Highlander
had walked Chicago's Minnie Min
oso and had given up a single to
Cleveland's Bobby Avila. Ray
Boone of Detroit followed with
home run to give the Americans
q 40 lead.
The Nationals. fought back with
five runs against Chicago's Sandy
Consuegra and Cleveland's Bob
Lemon in the fourth, and added
two more runs on a homer by Gin
cinnati's Ted Kluszewski in the
fifth, forging ahead rs, after the
Americans had scored again in the
fourth.
Rosen was not through yet, fin
ger and all. After Yogi Berra had
singled in the last of the fifth, the
29-year-old converted first base
man walloped a second home run,
even longer than the first. This
400-foot drive TIED the score at TT. |
RoSen got his third hit in the sixth,
a hot single off the third base.
mans chest which didn't figure in
the run that put the Americans
ahead 81 in that inning.
APS walk, however, played a
major part in the eighth when the
Americans tailed three times 10
overcome a SO deficit. The Ma
tionals had taken a one-run lead
when pinch hitter Gus Bell of Gin
cinnati hammered a home run off
Bob Keegan of Chicago, the sixth
Of seven pitchers used by Stengel.
Trailing 9-S, the Americans tied
the score on Larry Doby'S pinch
hit homer off Gene Conley of Mil
waukee. Singles by the Yankees
Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra pre-
ceded the walk to Rosen. Carl Err
skine of Brooklyn, sixth pitcher
used by Manager Walter Aston,
replaced Conley and famed Mickey
Vernon for the second out but FOX
blooped a Texas Lacquer in back
OF second base, just out of the
reach of shortStop Alvin Dark, to
chase in the winning runs.
The victory ended the Nationals
four-game victory streak. It was
the first triumph for Stengel, who
had not won one in four previous
tries. It was by far the widest of
the 81 games of the series, which
the Americans lead 1873. New rec
ordS were set for most hits by one
team, II for the American; most
hits by both teams, 81; and most
runs scored by both teams, 20. The
six homers tied a record as did
the two by Rosen and the five
runs batted in by the smuggling in
f;o1Iar