St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1958-06-13
MAJOR LEAGUE
BASEBALL NOTES

Chicago tANPl - Emerging
from a Today slump, Ernie Banks.
smuggling shortstop Of the Chicago
Cubs moved into the spotlight as
the National Leagues most dan
gerous hitter last week.
Banks, whose average had drop
ped to PCS, grabbed the league
leadership in the important home
run and runs batted in depart
ments. In a spectacular outbreak
at the plate against the Philadel-
phia Phnhes, Banks collected six
straight hits at one point. Inelud-
ed were his 18th and 18th home
runs Of the season. His RBI out.
put was raised TO Al.
Collecting eight hits in two days,
Banks upped his batting mark 10
points 10 .S25 to move into eighth
position among the top 10 MI
hitters.
But Banks was not along in his
hitting exploits. Spearheading the
world champion Milwaukee Braves
drive toward the top OF the Ma
tional league were Yves Coving-
ton, Hank Aaron and Felix Man
tlla.
Covingtin, defensive star In
the 1857 World Series, missed
the first Ia games Of the season
because Of a spring training knee
injury. But since his return. his
warclub has been the loudest
among the Braves.
In 80 times at bat, he had coll
lected nine home runs, including
five in three days. He was batting
a gaudy .377 with % RIBS. Three
of the RIBS came in a game with
the San Francisco Giants. Cow
ington came up in the ninth inn
ing with two mates aboard and
walloped a 4O0-foot home run TO
tie the game a 7-all. The Braves
eventually won in the 18th inning,
1919.
One Of the big worries of the
Braves all season has been the
failure Of Hank Aaron, MI most
valuable player in 1857, to hit.
That worry is now over.
On Memorial Day, Hank was
batting an embarrassing .22s and
had collected only five home runs.
In the four games after that,
Aaron connected for 10 hits in 81
trips to the plate, raising his aver
age to .257. His home run produc-
ton was increased to eight in his
batting revival.
Mantilla, filling In for the in
jured Red SchOendist, was prov
ing a timely hitter (.2S6) and,
Of course, fielding brilliantly.
In the meantime, the wonderful
Willie Mays has not taken a back
seat to any Of his MI hitting
rivals. San Francisco's amazing
center fielder has not slackened
in his drive for the league batting
championship and was the leader
or in contention in other offensive
departments.
Mays AS batting mark was
second to st, Louis Stan Musials
.437, Willie was the leader in runs
(44) triples ~ and stolen bases
(9), He was second in doubles
(14, third in RIBS 1897 and tied
for fourth in home runs 49,.
Other batting leaders in the MI
include George Grove, Cincinnati
Redlegs' first baseman, 1897, and
Orlando Cepeda, San Francisco
1926. Cepeda had 81 RIBS and 10
home runs.
Tony Taylor, rookie second
baseman for the Chicago Cubs,
was trailing Mays in stolen bas-
es with 8.
Minnie Minoso, Cleveland out
fielder, and Vic Power, Kansas
city first baseman, were among
the American league RBI leaders
with p apiece. They also were
among the pacesetters in doubles
with nine each. Power also had
three triples.
Minnie and his teammate, Billy
Harrell, were tied for second in
stolen bases with five each.
In pitching, Sam Jones, st.
Louis, was MI strikeout leader
with SO. Tied for third was Ruben
Gomez, Of the San Francisco
| Giants.