Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-04
WIN, LOSE OR
DNAV By FRANCIS STANN
The Long Ball Counts

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 4.-If the Pirates playing
the White Sox Orioles the guess here would be that
would be National League victory in this World Series
This would be based largely the presumption that the
National League is superior to the American. But the
Pirates are playing the Yankees and this makes it diff
ferent story The Yankees it says here going to win
in six games. Maybe less
The Pirates have speed and better team batting than
the Yankees They rated superior in the field and
stronger in pitching They only lack two things: Cd World
Series know-how and 2) muscle It's hard to find sub
stitutes for these qualities
This may be the worst of the 10 pennant winners
Casey Stengel has managed On the other hand the Pr
rates look like better team-one far evenly bal
anced-than the Los Angeles Dodgers of year ago. who
took the White Sox apart But the Sox aren't the Yankees
They didn't have the series savvy and except for the
fading Ted KluSzewski, they didn't have good muscle
With the Yankees well, it's different.
A WORLD SERIES AND a pennant race old hat
to most the Yankees starting with Stengel Too well
remembered is the way the Yankees when they had to
do it, creamed the upstar Orioles not long ago In that key
four game series, when the teams virtually were tied
After that success, so crushing to Baltimore, the
have 10 of their last 81 starts and Is in
row. longest winning streak any contender has taken into
series. They have the fever and guys you normally
wouldn't associate with championship team-ken Hunt
Dale Long and quite number of graduates of Kansas
City and the National League are roaring hot
This is an when the slap hitter apparently wins
league batting title In the National League 1t was Dick
Groa who wrist and ALL prevailed In the Ameri-
can Pete Runnels of the Red Sox, who has dou-
BILE ulcer But the htters who breaking ball games
in the image of Mickey Mantle and Roger Mars
Yes and let's throw bouquet to Yogi Berra.
The Yankee dynasty was founded on the nome run
They're not quite as expert the long ball as in the
Ruthan days, but they get by Miller Higgins when ne
was managing the Yanks had Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrg
Tony Lazzeri and Bob Meuse Joe Mccarthy had Joe
DiMaggio and Charley Keller and Tommy Heinrich casey
now has Mantle, Maris and Bill Showroom
Alta STIIL-TENDER AGE Mantle is an old pro when
1t comes to World Series Skowron more than one
players share of action in the showdown or the Dig te
only Maris untested. The fugitive from kansas CV
or carried the Yankees the first part OF the year
but tailed off, Noneheess, Mars hit ball long way
Longer than any of the Pittsburgh outhelders
Mantle alone has homerS than all OF the hrSt-
line Buc outfelders with 49, Maris has many with 49,
Figures that the Yankees have been at least orceu
with their They won or helped to win ABOUT
66 games with the long ball. and at least 50 eS
they were kept in contention by the big hit
The Yankees are not an easy team to manage, yet
Senge at the Of 10 to be even more masertu
than He jugges and 20 to % players game
anything in effort to winand he doesn't have the
series with the Pirates Namely Ruth with his record 60
homers and Gehrg, hitting 1878 and being the most vau-
able player in the American League
THERE WE'RE SOME MORE 300 AND above Yankee
hters including Lazzer Meuse and Earl Combs Stenge
has not quite that kind of power, but he's managing
Yankee team that's been around. And so has he.
What many people forget in connection with the four
game sweep by the Yankees the Pirates in the 2
series is that the end result wasn't of New York
soaring and bombing the BUGS to defeat in four in
matter of fact the Yankees, despite their Wanted
display by good pitching 1t pitchers series
The widespread fiction was that it was some other
kind of SERIES Actually, there only two home
hit and both-by Ruth-were hit in Yankee Stadium.
But we still like the Yankees-n six less.