W L PCT GB
Tacoma ..... 75 48 .610 —
Yakima ..... 75 50 .603 1
Wenatchee .. 69 55 .556 6½
Tri-City ... 66 57 .537 9
Victoria ... 56 71 .441 21
Vancouver .. 53 69 .434 21½
Salem ...... 52 72 .419 25
Spokane .... 49 73 .402 25½
VICTORIA, [Colonist, August 19]—Aldon Wilkie, who started his professional baseball career in the W.I.L. and went up to the big leagues with Pittsburgh Pirates after several seasons in the Coast league, came up with the second no-run, no-hit game of his lengthy service at Royal Athletic Park last night. The veteran southpaw thrilled a “television night” crowd of an estimated 2,500 as he set Vancouver Capilanos down without a hit to best George Nicholas in a tense mound duel, 1-0.Wilkie’s first no-hitter was pitched 13 years ago when he was with Tacoma Tigers. Wenatchee was the victim of that one.
FOUR REACH BASE
Showing almost perfect control of a devastating curve, Wilkie permitted only four runners to get on the bags and only one of those advanced as far as second base. His teammates were charged with two errors and he walked Charlie Mead twice.
Nor was his performance at all marred by two close-scoring plays which might have been called either way and which went for errors to preserve his no-hitter. The first came when lead-off batter Jim Robinson opened the game by topping a ball into the dirty in front of the plate. It bounced high down the first-base line. Wilkie fielded it on the second hop and threw low to first base. The ball appeared to beat the fleet Vancouver third-baseman by a fraction and it was ruled an error. Then, with one out in the ninth, Ray Tran slapped a hot one-bouncer down to Shortstop Bill Dunn, who failed to come up with it. Dunn was charged with an error.
SETS DOWN 17
In between the two walks to Mead, which came in the second and eighth innings, Wilkie set down 17 batters in a row. Only Ray Tran’s liner in the sixth was hit hard and Bob McGuire pulled that one in after a good run. The win was Wilkie’s eighth. He has lost ten.
DUNN SHARES HONORS
Dunn shared whatever honors escaped Wilkie by batting in the game’s only run. Gene Thompson drew the second of two bases on balls given up by the sturdy Vancouver righthander to open the seventh. He moved to second as Jim Moore executed a successful sacrifice bunt and went to third as Ray Tran tossed out John Hack. Dunn followed with a solid line single through the middle.
It was the third—and last—hit off Nicholas, who pitched one of his best games of the season only to get charged with his 14th setback and second of the week against the A’s. McGuire, who drew a walk, singled twice and lined out on a fourth trip, was the only Victorian—except Dunn, of course—who bothered the sturdy Vancouver righthander.
FOURTH IN ROW
The victory was the fourth in a row over the Caps and it moved the A’s back into fifth place. The Caps have lost all five games they have played at Royal Athletic Park and are behind, 9-4, on the season.
The clubs wind up the current series today with afternoon and evening games. Jim Hedgecock, who has an 11-10 rating and is currently at the top of his form, will try to make it four in a row over his former teammates in the afternoon. He will likely be opposed by Kevin King. John Marshall, who has lost five of seven decisions since July 19 and now has a season mark of 13-9 after an 8-1 start, will pitch the arclight fixture with Bob Snyder as his opposition.
Teen-aged Jim Taylor, Athlone Drive, won the expensive televison set given away.
- - - -
VICTORIA [Vancouver Daily Province, Aug. 19]—It’s a long way from the pitcher’s mound at old Cairns Field in Saskatoon to Forbes Field in Pittsburgh and back—especially by way of the Western International League (old and new) and Pacific Coast League, and a guy on the way back can’t expect to add too much to his dreams.
But Aldon “Lefty” Wilkie, the rangy port-sider who made the circuit back to Victoria Athletics picked up the big one for his memory book in Victoria Friday when he hurled a no-hit, no-run performance at Vancouver Capilanos.
TOUGH LOSS
Ironically enough, Capilanos’ George Nicholas, is the only other WIL pitcher to duplicate the performance this season. George worked out a three-hitter, only to lose 1-0.
Wilkie displayed almost perfect control of a heart-braking curve. He faced 31 batters, walked two and two getting on through errors, one of which was credited to Lefty himself. One Capilano reached second. None reached third.
The win moved Victoria back into fifth place in the standings.
TWO ERRORS
In the first inning, Jim Robinson, fleet Vancouver third baseman, pounded a grounder down the first base line. Wilkie fielded the ball and made a low throw to first base which the official scorer ruled had Robinson beaten.
Then in the ninth with one out, Ray Tran hit a sizzling one-bounce grounder which shortstop Bill Dunn failed to come up with. It went as an error but Wilkie got Reg Clarkson and Dick Sinovic on easy ground balls to end the game.
Nicholas almost matched Wilkie pitch for pitch.
He gave up three singles but one of them followed one of his two bases on balls and a sacrifice for the game’s only run.
Gene Thompson drew the important walk to open the Victoria seventh. Jim Moore moved him along with a bunt and he went to third as Ray Tran threw out John Hack. Dunn then came through with a line single over second base and that was the ball game.
Vancouver ..... 000 000 000—0 0 2
Victoria ......... 000 000 10x—1 3 2
Nicholas and Brenner; Wilkie and Ronning.
TACOMA, Aug. 18 — Southpaw Bob Kerrigan hurled his 21st Western International baseball league victory of the season here Friday night as the front-running Tacoma Tigers took the measure of the Salem Senators, 10-5.
3,939 fans took in the game to see shortstop Jose Bache presented with a watch as he was named Most Valuable Player of the Tigers for 1950.
Salem .......... 100 000 004— 5 6 3
Tacoma ....... 301 013 02x—10 13 3
Tierney, Costello (3), Lineberger (8) and Martin; Kerrigan and Sheets, Fischer (5).
Yakima ....... 100 110 001—4 12 3
Spokane ..... 320 040 00x—8 13 1
Domenichelli, Powell (5), Orengo (8) and Tornay, Tiesiera (1); Curran, Aubertin (5) and Weatherwax.
KENNEWICK, Aug. 18 — Wenatchee grabbed the lead with a home run in the first inning of its game with Tri-City Friday night and held it throughout the game for a 5 to 3 victory.
Walt Pocekay made the round-tripper that also scored Norm Barbeau.
Four of Tri-City's hits were made into double plays for the Chiefs.
Wenatchee .... 210 010 001—5 10 1
Tri-City ......... 101 001 000—3 10 3
Ragni and Neal; Roenspie and McKeegan.
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