Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-09-07
8 and Is Magic Numbers
For Maris and Yankees
Senators Focus
Their Sights on
Avoiding Cellar
BY BILL FUCHS
Star Staff Writer

BY BILL FUCHS
Star Staff Writer
BALTIMORE, Sept. THE
Senators move off baseball's
center stage, leaving the Roger
Maris- Mickey Mantle act to
others, and now can center
their entire attention on the
bleak business of avoiding a
last-place finish.
They are keeping company
with the Athletics in the bot
tom spot today. as a result OF
their 30 loss to Whitley Ford
and the Yankees yesterday In
Yankee Stadium, 1t was Ford's
23d win against three losses
and extended the Yankees lead
over idle Detroit to eight
games.
While the AS did nothing
except leave the door open
they were idle-the Senators
dropped in via Ford's five-hit-
ter and rash of Yankee home
runs-one by Maris, his 54th,
two by John Blanchard, giving
him 10; one by Bill Skowron
his oath. and the first of the
season for Bob Hale, a seventh
inning replacement for Show
ron.
Contagious For Hale
Rubbing the ball Maris hit
for his homer brought good
luck to Hale. He caught Roy
er's swat in the bullpen in
rightfield, a nice, one-handed
gloved catch in the fourth in
ming when the Yankees scored
five runs on three homers after
two were out.
The Senators, losers Of 81 OF
their last 22-they have one
victory between a l4-game los
ing streak and the current skid
of seven games-open a five
game series with the Orioles
here tonight.
That doesn't promise to be
any fun, either. The Orioles
have a 1913 advantage over the
Senators and will call on Milt
Pappas tonight. The 22-year-
old Highlander shut out the
Senators on six hits in his only
appearance against them. de
is Ill for the season but has
been troubled with sore arm
Rookie Carl Bouldin will make
his first start for the Senators
The two clubs play a tWi'
night ouble-header tomorrow
and single games Saturday anc
Sunday, after which the Sena'
tors make their last home stanc
of the season.
Yankees Near Record
If anyone still doubts the ef'
fectiveness of the home run al
a baseball weapon, ask th'
Washington pitchers, who serv'
ed I'D % bombs to the Yankees
who now have a total OF 2lO
an American League record
They are eying the major league
mark of 22l, held jointly by thu
Giants and Reds.
The Yankees took TIE Sena'
tors, II games to 7, and out
scored them, So runs to 81. o.
those 96 runs, Al were driven II
by homers.
Maris' swat put him sever
games up on Babe Ruth's rec
ord so pace of 1927. Ruth didn'
get No. 54 until his 147th game
Mantle, who has 81 homers ant
is one game behind Ruth, walk
ed twice yesterday and SCORED
both times on Blanchard
homers. Mantle also struck on
and flied out. Maris poppe'
UP, hit into double play ant
walked.
Maris hit nine home run
off the Senators and Mantl
hit IL. That's high for Mantle
the next-softest touch to dat
being the Minnesota pitching
which has yielded him eight
Maris' high is 10 off the Whit
Sox. with the Senators ranklnI
No. 2.
Cheney Tough for Awhile
For 32s innings yesterda
Tom Cheney was pitching pei
feet ball. He retired the tlr'
II men to face him, Strlkln
out Mantle, Blanchard, Elsto
Howard and Skowron in a ro'
at one point.
But the 18th batter. Mari
put a stop to that with his soc
to the bullpen-his first hit
IT at-bats. Cheney wake
Mantle, not Intentionally, an
Blanchard followed with h
first blast to deep inside TT
lower deck in rightfield, How
ard singled through the be
and Skowron popped one int
the lower deck in righttlel'
That made it SO,
John Klippstein was the ne1
victim. He walked Mantle, M
on purpose, of course, to lea
off the sixth. Once agal
Blanchard got ideas and foun
the same lower deck for homt
No. 2.
Victim No. 3 was Rookie Re
Heiser, who pitched only tt
eighth inning. He got rid
Blanchard on a pop fly ar
Howard on an infield out b
Hale raped his homer in
the lower deck in rightfield.
That was all the damage Il
Yankees inflicted-five home
accounting for all eight runs.
but it was enough. Fo,
breezed. He walked two al
struck out seven, giving hi
1874 for the season, the leag1