W L Pct GB
Tacoma ...... 31 15 .674 —
Yakima ...... 24 22 .522 7
Salem ....... 23 22 .511 7½
Wenatchee ... 23 23 .500 8
Tri City .... 24 25 .490 8½
Spokane ..... 23 25 .479 9
Vancouver ... 18 25 .432 11
Victoria .... 18 28 .391 13
SPOKANE, June 5—Tacoma's Bob Kerrigan gave Spokane three runs in the first inning Monday night but both Kerrigan and the Tigers finished strong to take a 10-4 Western International League decision.
Despite giving up 15 base hits, the strong-armed mound ace was touched for only one in the last eight innings. It was his 10th victory without a defeat.
Tacoma snatched the victory in the final inning, breaking out with seven hits—half their night's total—to score six runs, and were assisted by two Indians errors. The decision built the Tigers' league lead to seven full games over second place Yakima.
Despite Monday night's win, league-leading Tacoma ended up with the short end of the five-game series. Spokane won three.
The game, a make-up of an early season rain-out, was the only one on the night's program.
Tacoma ....111 100 006—10-14-1
Spokane ....300 000 100— 4-15-4
Kerrigan and Sheets; Holder, Conant (9) and Rossi.
Yakima Signs Lou Novikoff
YAKIMA, Wash., June 5 — Lou Novikoff, the rollicking Russian who once cavorted for the Seattle Rainiers comes back to the Northwest Tuesday night in the uniform of the Yakima Bears.
Lou, who started his baseballing as a sottball pitcher, has been playing the short-base game again this summer after a long career in the minors and majors.
Novikoff hit the headlines in 1940 when he batted .363 with Los Angeles to lead the Pacific Coast league. He then spent five years with the Chicago Cubs, with indifferent success. He went to Seattle in midseason 1946.
Last year Lou played with Newark, N.J.. and the start of this season found him playing in Chicago. He quit there, however, to return to softball. Yakima outbid several teams for the services of Novikoff who will play left field.
TACOMA, June 6—Yakima's Nini Tornay had vaulted into the leadership of the Western Interational league hit parade with a mark of .376, figures released by the league office here today disclosed.The Yakima' catcher dropped 18 points off his pace of last week, but the league hurlers finally caught up with Tacoma's Glenn (Jeep) Stetter, last week's leader who skidded from .411 to .358.
Dick Greco, big Tacoma outfielder, slugged his way into the runner-up slot, boosting his total to .373 during the week while Gene Thompson, Victoria outfielder, coasted along in third place with .367.
Wimpy Quinn, Tacoma first baseman, slugged 14 runs across the plate to bring his runs-batted-in total to 52, which easily stood up for the top mark in the R.B.I. chase.
Big Joe Rossi continued to pace the circuit's long distance hitters, clouting three home runs during the week to bring his total to nine for the season.
The averages through games of Sunday, June 5 (includes player in 15 or more games except pitchers hitting below .200):
AB H RBI Ave
Tornay, Yakima ...... 117 44 23 .376
Greco, Tacoma ....... 169 63 38 .373
G. Thompson, Vict. .. 166 61 32 .367
Stetter, Tacoma ..... 159 57 38 .358
Lee, Tacoma .......... 67 24 9 .358
Hjelmaa, Tacoma ..... 137 47 28 .343
Len Neal, Wenatchee . 100 33 8 .330
Zuvela, Yakima ....... 76 25 12 .329
Chorlton, Victoria .. 192 63 40 .328
Rossi, Spokane ...... 167 54 37 .323
Ragni, Wenatchee .... 101 32 18 .317
Wasley, Salem ....... 158 50 25 .316
Conant, Spokane ...... 35 11 5 .314
Larry Neal, Wen ..... 159 49 17 .308
Robinson, Vancouver . 199 60 20 .302
Clarkson, Vancouver . 173 32 18 .301
Bryant, Tri-City .... 193 58 38 .301
Wert, Victoria ...... 143 43 30 .301
Vanni, Victoria ..... 153 46 21 .301
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER, Herald Sports Editor
[from column of June 6/50]
NO CORNERS
One of the reasons this is a hitter's league, says Mike Budnick of the Braves, is the corners. Mike explained that he was shooting for the corners hard with his 'slider' last wesk in Salem but wasn't getting credit for them from the umpire. As a matter of fact Mike tells us that the ump even went so far as to ask him what kind of a pitch he was using. The arbiter said he hadn't seen that kind of a ball in this league before.
A slider in case you're interasted is thrown in much the same manner as is the 'out' curve by a right handed pitcher. Only instead of snapping the wrist, it is held stiff and there is no downward motion of the hand. Or to put it another way, it's very similiar in action to passing a football.
Mlke contends that It's the loss of those extra inches by the pitcher, forcing him to come in more toward the middle of the plate that is robbing the pitchers of their just dues. And as an ex-big leaguer he should know whereof he speaks. He's pitched a lot of ball and seen a lot of umpires work.
One of the reasons this is a hitter's league, says Mike Budnick of the Braves, is the corners. Mike explained that he was shooting for the corners hard with his 'slider' last wesk in Salem but wasn't getting credit for them from the umpire. As a matter of fact Mike tells us that the ump even went so far as to ask him what kind of a pitch he was using. The arbiter said he hadn't seen that kind of a ball in this league before.
A slider in case you're interasted is thrown in much the same manner as is the 'out' curve by a right handed pitcher. Only instead of snapping the wrist, it is held stiff and there is no downward motion of the hand. Or to put it another way, it's very similiar in action to passing a football.
Mlke contends that It's the loss of those extra inches by the pitcher, forcing him to come in more toward the middle of the plate that is robbing the pitchers of their just dues. And as an ex-big leaguer he should know whereof he speaks. He's pitched a lot of ball and seen a lot of umpires work.
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