W L Pct GB
Tacoma ..... 35 20 .636 —
Wenatchee .. 33 27 .550 2½
Yakima ..... 31 27 .534 5½
Tri-City ... 31 29 .517 6½
Salem ...... 27 31 .466 9½
Victoria ... 27 33 .450 10½
Spokane .... 26 33 .441 11
Vancouver .. 24 34 .414 12½
TACOMA, June 17 — Bunching seven of their 11 hits to score six runs in the sixth inning, the Tri-City Braves made it two in a row at the expense of the front-running Tacoma Tigers by taking an 8-1 decision in their Western International baseball league game here tonight.
The Braves got air-tight pitching from Joe Orrell, who limited the Tigers to five hits, no two of them in one inning, and would have had a shut-out but for a pair of errors behind him in the eighth.
The Braves broke the scoring ice without the aid of a hit in the fourth when two walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases with none out and Jim Warner crossed the plate as Nick Pesut was hitting into a double play.
Warner touched off the big sixth inning with a double and Clint Cameron singled to score Warner. Buddy Peterson then drew a free pass, but was forced at second with Nick Pesut safe on a fielder's choice. Neil Bryant followed Pesut with a single to score Cameron and Dick Faber's double brought in Pesut and Bryant, the latter scoring on an error by Dick Wenner.
Orrell helped his fifth victory by singling and Al Spaeter rapped out one behind him but was out when he attempted to steal second. Vic Buccola drew a walk and Warner, up for second time in this hectic inning, hit safely again. Cameron then grounded out to end the six-run assault.
Buddy Peterson hit a homer with two out and the bases empty in the ninth for the final Tri-City tally.
Tri-City ....... 000 106 001—8 11 3
Tacoma ...... 000 000 010—1 5 1
Orrell and Pesut; Knezovich, Anderson (6), Bowman (8) and Sheets.
VANCOUVER, B. C., June 17 — Brilliant defensive work by Vancouver Capilanos tonight earned them a 6-4 victory over Wenatchee Chiefs who won the front piece of a Western International league doubleheader, 7-2.
The Chiefs took the five-game series 3-2.
Dave Dahle scattered 10 hits in the opener for his victory as poor combining of base knocks by the lowly Caps gained only one run.
In the night cap, Sandy Robertson pitched his fifth straight victory and although Wenatchee collected the same number of hits as in the first tilt—14—they ran into fielding gems by the Vancouver team that included two double plays. Tommy Breisinger, who walked nine men before yielding to Joe Blankenship, was charged with the loss.
Two runs in the second inning and singles in the fourth and sixth innings gave Chiefs a lead that faded before three Cap runs in the fourth and another three in the sixth.
Charlie Mead's double, a single and two errors did the damage.
First Game
Wenatchee ..... 101 001 130—7 14 1
Vancouver ...... 000 000 010—1 10 0
Dahle and Pocekay; Snyder, Costello (8), Tuschoff (9) and Brenner.
Second Game
Wenatchee ...... 010 101 000—4 14 3
Vancouver ....... 000 303 00x—6 7 0
Breisinger, Blankenship (8) and Pocekay; Robertson and Heisner.
VICTORIA, B. C., June 17—Victoria Athletics, hot as a Sahara summer, Saturday night polished off Salem Senators 6-5 to take a Western International league doubleheader by virtue of their 9-2 victory Saturday afternoon.
Mishasek earned a 9-2 in the opener by sprinkling out five hits over the nine inning route. Both runs against him wer unearned. The first was set up by Don Alfano's error and the second by a throw to second base by Gene Thompson which got away from Jim Moore and put a runner in scoring position.
Salem threatened in the fifth inning of the nightcap but couldn't hold the pace as the A's shoved across the decisive run in the same frame on Thompson's home run.
Salem's three in the fifth had knotted the count. An error by Alfano started the rally and two boots by Joe Kronberg prolonged it. Jim Hedgecock retired two men with the winning run on third and kept Aldon Wilkie, who was up and down in the Victoria bullpen, out ofthe game.
There were some anxious moments in the sixth when Dick Bartle led off with a double and again in the ninth when Gene Gaviglio singled with two out.
A's note: Bob Jensen was released, having appeared in 11 games this season, with a 1-6 record. He gave up 62 hits and 47 walks in 51 innings while striking out 37. He set the league strikeout record in 1946.
First Game
Salem ......... 000 100 010—2 5 3
Victoria ...... 110 020 14x—9 9 2
Lew, Osborn (8) and Beach; Mishasek and Weatherwax.
Second Game
Salem ......... 200 030 000—5 8 1
Victoria ...... 221 010 00x—6 10 4
Waibel, Tierney (5) and Baird; Noyes, Hedgecock (1) and Ronning.
YAKIMA, June 17 — Yakima handed Spokane its third straight trouncing, beating the Indians, 10-3, in the third of a five-game Western International league series that ends Sunday night with a doubleheader.
Yakima scored six runs in the first five innings off pitcher Carroll Yerkes and then coasted to victory off his reliefer, Vern Kohout. Bill Bradford gave up three of the seven hits collected by Spokane in the sixth inning when the Indians scored three times. Bradford forced in the first ran by walking Joe Rossi with the bases loaded. The other two came on hits by Norm Brabar and Sol Israel.
Lou Novikoff banged out four hits in five trips, while Reno Cheso tripled, doubled and singled in four official attempts.
Spokane ...... 000 003 000— 3 7 2
Yakima ........ 011 221 03x—10 15 0
Yerkes, Kohout (6) and Rossi; Bradford and Tiesiera.
Alf Cottrell
[Vancouver Province, June 19, 1950]
On one hand, there were the Capilanos, clinging grimly to last place in the WIL baseball race. And on the other hand, there Saturday night at Capilanos’ stadium to watch them, was one of the biggest crowds of the season.
Maybe the answer is that distress and turmoil are too fascinating to pass up, especially when they are happening to the other guy.
I hadn’t intended on writing about the Capilanos again so quickly. They are down and everybody has been having a kick at them. Including yours truly. This isn’t cricket, but when else can you get such a good shot at anyone?
• • •
Strangely enough, Mr. Sick’s junior baseball chattels lifted the curtain Saturday night and gave the folks a peek at them as they might be if all were well. As if, for instance, they were to get consistent pitching.
Not that Sandy Robertson, who went into the game on the bright end of a 4 and 0 record, showed a bedazzling performance. But for a fellow who is fairly amateur, in that he also works for a living. Sandy can look more like a pro than most of his fellow workmen. And it helps, having a fellow on the mound who has the crust of a guy packing a plate glass window through a revolving door.
The fans, loyal and otherwise, got a jolt of electric current in the first inning. With a runner on first the opposition’s Walt Pocekay hit a certified triple to left centre. Charley Mead, playing centre field, galloped several furlongs and then, with his left hand outstretched and his back to the populace, let the ball hit leather. Somehow it stuck there.
• • •
That good Robertson out of the dark hole. He liked it so well he kept getting into holes all night. And his mates hauled him out just as fast.
For a couple of games, every time a ground ball came his way at third base, Jimmy Robinson has been displaying the Out-To-Lunch sign. Saturday night he was coming up with every ball that was in his range until he stood out like a wart on a statue.
The Caps were on fire for fair in a manner that [was disconcerting the] Wenatchee Chiefs. And they take a lot of disconcerting. They outhustled the locals right through the series, until the last out.
• • •
The Chiefs constitute quite a ball club. Long ago yours truly gave up on one early season wager. That was one I made with a popular barber up at Penticton, to the effect that the Caps would be in front of the Chiefs when the Pentictonians came to town for their annual Peach Festival tub-thumping trip.
Rupert “Tommy” Thompson, Wenatchee manager, has his gang driving at first place. The Tigers of Tacoma have lost some of their momentum. Right now it wouldn’t take a very bold man to cut himself in on a piece of Wenatchee’s chances of taking it all.
• • •
They have pitching. Especially left-handed pitching. The Chiefs might have, too, in Walt Pocekay, the most dangerous day-in-and-day-out hitter in the loop.
They also have a shortstop in that dark-skinned young man, Larry Neal. He is almost flawless. And once Saturday night he went into centre field like a sprinter to haul down a Texas league fly ball in full stride.
But the Caps’ own shortstop, Ray Tran, matched that with a leaping, twirling spear of a high liner. That was one night, at least, they were going to be beaten doing anything.
Maybe the answer is that distress and turmoil are too fascinating to pass up, especially when they are happening to the other guy.
I hadn’t intended on writing about the Capilanos again so quickly. They are down and everybody has been having a kick at them. Including yours truly. This isn’t cricket, but when else can you get such a good shot at anyone?
• • •
Strangely enough, Mr. Sick’s junior baseball chattels lifted the curtain Saturday night and gave the folks a peek at them as they might be if all were well. As if, for instance, they were to get consistent pitching.
Not that Sandy Robertson, who went into the game on the bright end of a 4 and 0 record, showed a bedazzling performance. But for a fellow who is fairly amateur, in that he also works for a living. Sandy can look more like a pro than most of his fellow workmen. And it helps, having a fellow on the mound who has the crust of a guy packing a plate glass window through a revolving door.
The fans, loyal and otherwise, got a jolt of electric current in the first inning. With a runner on first the opposition’s Walt Pocekay hit a certified triple to left centre. Charley Mead, playing centre field, galloped several furlongs and then, with his left hand outstretched and his back to the populace, let the ball hit leather. Somehow it stuck there.
• • •
That good Robertson out of the dark hole. He liked it so well he kept getting into holes all night. And his mates hauled him out just as fast.
For a couple of games, every time a ground ball came his way at third base, Jimmy Robinson has been displaying the Out-To-Lunch sign. Saturday night he was coming up with every ball that was in his range until he stood out like a wart on a statue.
The Caps were on fire for fair in a manner that [was disconcerting the] Wenatchee Chiefs. And they take a lot of disconcerting. They outhustled the locals right through the series, until the last out.
• • •
The Chiefs constitute quite a ball club. Long ago yours truly gave up on one early season wager. That was one I made with a popular barber up at Penticton, to the effect that the Caps would be in front of the Chiefs when the Pentictonians came to town for their annual Peach Festival tub-thumping trip.
Rupert “Tommy” Thompson, Wenatchee manager, has his gang driving at first place. The Tigers of Tacoma have lost some of their momentum. Right now it wouldn’t take a very bold man to cut himself in on a piece of Wenatchee’s chances of taking it all.
• • •
They have pitching. Especially left-handed pitching. The Chiefs might have, too, in Walt Pocekay, the most dangerous day-in-and-day-out hitter in the loop.
They also have a shortstop in that dark-skinned young man, Larry Neal. He is almost flawless. And once Saturday night he went into centre field like a sprinter to haul down a Texas league fly ball in full stride.
But the Caps’ own shortstop, Ray Tran, matched that with a leaping, twirling spear of a high liner. That was one night, at least, they were going to be beaten doing anything.
IT BEATS ME
By Jim TANG [Victoria Colinist, June 18, 1950]
Yesterday was one of the few days Reg Patterson didn’t enjoy being business manager of the Victoria Athletics. Knowing for some time that he would have to release one of his pitchers and that it would probably have to be Bob Jensen unless he could arrange a deal with some other club, he held off as long a he could just as most anyone does when they have a distasteful job to do.
No trade materialized and the A’s had too many players. The W.I.L ruling calling for four limited service players and a rookie to be included in the league player limit of 17 made it imperative the pitcher to go had to be a veteran. Off the season’s record, it had to be Big Bob.
Bob’s failure to effect a comeback this season was a disappointment because everyone was pulling for him to come around and no one tried harder than the giant righthander. In training camp he was the most serious of all. He reported in good condition and was invariably the first on the field and the last to leave. But it takes more than condition and he just couldn’t seem to get started.
It’s hard to tell, but it appeared that it was Bob’s fixation with becoming a “smart” pitcher that prevented him from a successful comeback. It was either that or the fact that he could no longer blaze that fastball for nine innings the way he did in 1946 when he won 15 games for a hopeless last place club, set a league strikeout record of 296 and finished with a creditable earned-run average of 4.04.
Apparently convinced that he needed more than his fast ball, he worked on a curve and a change-up and hi he did managed to get the ball over more often, but his curve wasn’t good enough and they hit his change. When he did try to fire, he walked a few and went back to his slower stuff. Also working against him was the fact that his showing didn’t merit regular starting assignments and he is the type of pitcher who must work often.
Bob left a job to give baseball one more whirl and he may not want to give it up yet. Everyone hopes that he will catch on with another club and that he will again find the form which made him a standout four years ago. Bob wanted to make his comeback in Victoria. He didn’t, but Victoria baseball fans won’t soon forget.
Random Harvest
The A’s have won nine and lost three since Edo Vanni left the club. It’s a matter of opinion if the result would have been better or worse with him . . . One of the things I would like to see happen would be for Umpire Jerry Mathieu to realize the fans don’t pay to see him perform and to change his attitude toward players. Last night Jim Hedgecock exchanged a few words with Mathieu over a called ball on Bill Beard. The next time Hedgecock came to bat, Mathieu called a dubious strike and remarked, “How do you like that Hedgecock?” the Victoria southpaw reported after the game.
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