Team W L Pct. GB
Tacoma ...... 23 8 .742 —
Salem ....... 19 12 .613 4
Wenatchee ... 18 14 .563 5½
Yakima ...... 16 16 .500 7½
Tri-City .... 16 18 .471 8½
Spokane ..... 14 19 .424 10
Vancouver ... 13 18 .419 10
Victoria ..... 9 23 .281 14½
KENNEWICK, May 24—It wasn't a case of getting there “fastest with mostest” base hits at Sanders Field last night. The Braves did that 14-12. But the Tacoma Tigers kept theirs well bunched while the Braves spread out their skin too thinly.The game wound up in a dice player's delight, 11-7, except the visiting league leaders held the dice, and did most of the shooting after the first inning ended with the Braves out in front 3-0.
But that was their last look at the front. They had to battle from behind the rest of the way and very nearly staged another of their famous ninth inning rallies. The win gave Tacoma a four game league edge on first place.
Tonight, when the two teams meet in the second game of their current series, it will be a pair of right handers. Braves manager is sending Mike Budnick (0-1) to the mound to get the tie game for the Tri-City team. And for the Tigers, manager Jim Brillheart has nominated Mel Knezvoich, (3-0).
PESUT POWDERS PILL
Catcher Nick Pesut and second baseman, Al Spaeter, gathered in exactly half of the Braves hits. That was the trouble. Pesut and Spaeter didn't get to bat every time. Pesut fell on lefty Bob Kerrigan like a long lost “country cousin” with a pair of doubles and singles in five trips to the plate. Spaeter picked up a double and two singles in his five efforts.
Glenn Stetter, Tacoma left fielder and league leading hitter, lived up to his advance billing with a single and triple in four appearances. Both Brave pitchers served up home run balls. Loser Lou McCollum lost one over the fence in the fifth when Mike Catron parked it there with two on base. Reliefer Dick “Hardrock” Stone watched a 365 footer drop over the wall in the eighth when Larry Lee caught a fast pitch on the nose.
BURGLAR BRYANT
Brave shortstop Neil Bryant robbed Tiger catcher, Bill Sheets of a base hit in the seventh when he went high into the air to stab his line drive that was ticketed for extra Catron evened the bases. But count when he knocked down Al Spaeter's slam over third base and flied to Wimpy Quinn at first to nail Spaeter by a step.
Artie Wilson, Brave third sacker, came within one assist of tieing a league record of 10 set in 1946, by Jack Lohrke of Spokane.
Tacoma ......... 050 032 010—11-12-3
Tri-City ......... 300 000 103— 7-14-1
Kerrigan and Sheets; McCollum, Stone (6) and Pesut.
SALEM, May 23 — The Wenatchee Chiefs coupled a 15-hit attack with the steady seven-hit pitching of Al Treichel Tuesday night to whip the Salem Senators 7-5 in the opening game of the clubs' league series.
After tallying two runs in the first frame off hits by Al Drew and Bud Hjelmaa, a walk and flying, the Chiefs routed Salem starter Bob Stevenson in the eighth with a four-run blast. That surge was built around five hits, including a lead-off homer by Walt Pockey, a double by Don Fracchia and singles by Jay Ragni, Joe Unfried and Len Neal.
A double by Treichel followed by Pocekay's single brought the final Wenatchee run in the ninth, this off Ludwig Lew, third Salem pitcher of the night.
The Solons dentied Treichel for a brace of markers in the third inning, but an error was the big factor. Another run in the eighth was the extent of the home club scoring.
Wenatchee ......... 200 000 041—7 15 3
Salem ................ 002 000 010—3 7 0
Treichel and Neal; Stevenson, Waibel (8), Lew (9) and McMillan.
VANCOUVER, May 23—Vancouver Capilanos racked up their fourth successive league triumph over Spokane Indians Tuesday night breaking a deadlock with three runs in the seventh inning to win, 5-2.
It was Kevin King's first victory of the season. The four-game series concludes with a double-header Wednesday.
Spokane took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, threatened in the fifth and sixth innings, then tied the game in the seventh as Ed Murphy singled behind a walk to Joe Rossi and a single by Frank Matoh, Rossi scoring.
Two doubles, two singles, a walk and an error gave Caps their big lead, sending Jim Neeley, who went the route, to defeat. His mates clubbed King for nine hits, the same number collected by the Caps, but made four boots.
Spokane .......... 010 000 100—2 9 4
Vancouver ....... 001 001 300—5 9 3
Neeley and Rossi; King and Heisner.
VICTORIA, [Colonist, May, 24]—That was a different Victoria club 1,500 baseball fans saw at Royal Athletic Park last ngiht and the change was wrapped up in the game’s biggest word—H-U-S-T-L-E.
Definitely improved defensively with the switch which sent Chorlton to the outfield and installed peppery Joe Kronberg at third base, the Athletics came up with their best performance of the year to down Yakima Bears, 6-3. Afternoon and evening games today wind up the first series of the season with the league champions.
OVERCOMES WILD SPELL
With his infield contributing three sparkling double plays and missing a fourth on a dubious call at second base, Jim Hedgecock overcame a wild spell to record his second win. The veteran southpaw, who has not been doing two week in relief roles, held the Bears to six hits and would have had a shutout but for bases on balls. All three Yakima runs were put on the bags by Hedgecock.
Playing as if he liked baseball, Kronberg took over in the infield and gave it some badly-needed sparkle with his chatter and hustle. He handled everything that came his way with dispatch, including a couple of tricky bounders, started one of the twin killings and saw another fail when base-Umpire Mickey hanick ruled Jim Moore had failed to touch second. Kronberg also singled on the first pitch to him in the first inning to drive in Edo Vanni with the game’s first run. Chorlton was installed in centrefield with Gene Thompson moving to left and Vanni to right. Indicating that his great speed will be of value in the outfield, Chorlton pulled down Reno Cheso’s line drive to left centre for the game-ending out after a long run.
SLAMS FIRST OFFERING
It took only two pitches to put the A’s ahead. Vanni slammed Ted Savarese’s first offering from a double and Kronberg followed with his hit. The Bears tied it in the third but Vanni led off the Victoria half with a neat bunt single, stole second, and scored on Chorlton’s one-base smash.
Yakima took the lead in the fifth when Hedgecock forced in a run with four bases on balls and a scratch infield hit produced another tally but the A’s got to tiring Savarese in the sixth for the tying and winning runs. The tiny southpaw issued his only passes of the game to Thompson and Jim Wert with one out and then got behind on Al Ronning. With the runners on the move, the Victoria catcher slammed a down down the left field line and later scored the inning’s third run on Bill Dunn’s triple.
INSURANCE RUN
Successive singles, two of them scratchy, by Chorlton, Thompson and Wert, and an outfield error produced an insurance run in the seventh, but Hedgecock tightened up and faced but 13 men in the last four frames.
Jim Propst will make his first start this afternoon and will face either Jim Rial and Bill Bradford. Propost was scheduled to work the night game with Jake Mooty going in the afternoon, but Mooty requested another day’s rest and manager Marty Krug had to make a change. Ron Smith now looms as the arclight choice.
Yakima ............ 001 020 000—3 6 2
Victoria ........... 101 003 10x—6 10 2
Savarese, Domenichelli (7) and Tornay; Hedgecock and Ronning.
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER, Herald Sports Editor
[from column of MAY 24/50]
In Greenwood, S. C., a baseball umpire shot a fan who made the mistake of pulling a faulty weapon on the ump. In Wenatchee, some 1,000 fans literally scared the daylights out of a couple of umps as they attempted to let a little of it through them. And in Kennewick,. . .well, the watchword is caution.
The other morning while several fans were coffee-cupping the shooting and riot, the conversation led around to the chances of something like that happening at Sanders Field during a Brave game. The chatter warmed up as the coffee cooled. Finally one of the 'pros' turned to Hal Brutzman and asked his opinion. Hal surveyed the group cautiously and then asked, “First of all, is anyone here carrying a gun?”
THE WITNESS
So this “witness” to umpire 'Doc' Regele's statement that he was out to "get" Wenatchee manager, Tommy Thompson, has now changed his mind. Now the witness says that Regele “gave him that impression” before the series opened Friday. The report that this witness has changed his mind comes from Wenatchee sportscaster, Bob Robertson.
Could it be that this witness suddenly changed his mind when the hint of a libel suit started wafting through his mind. And just who is this remarkable person who held such a remarkable conversation with an umpire prior to the game. The odds against a perfect stranger walking up to an umpire and holding a deep conversation away from the ears of everyone else are terrifically high. Unless you happen to be a member of the radio, press, or a very old friend. And, an old friend doesn't go around peaching on a buddy any more than an umpire goes around making those statements.
THE TRUTH MUST OUT
In fairness to umpire Regele he should be confronted with this witness when league president Robert Abel conducts his investigation. Then the truth will out. Either he did make some kind of a statement, impossible as it sounds, that gave the impression he was out to “get” Thompson, or the whole thing is a misunderstanding.
But either way a full explanation is due the public in answer to such a charge. It wouldn't be fair for Regele to remain under a cloud in the mind of any person who at tends a baseball game.
It is more than the reputation of one man that is at stake here. The entire umpiring profession will suffer as deep a blow if these charges are unanswered, as it would if they were found to be true. These next passing days should prove very, very, interesting.
HOW SAY YOU, SIR?
Mr. Robertson seems to have gone to considerable trouble in an effort to prove that the Tri-City Braves were 'given' the game. Why doe.sn't he present these facts to the league president? Why doesn't he name this witness? Does Mr. Robertson have a story to tell?. . .or is he just playing the part of a tough loser. How about it Mr. Robertson, where did this conversation take place, and who took part in it besides umpire Regele? That might be a bigger story than what's yet been told. How say you?
In Greenwood, S. C., a baseball umpire shot a fan who made the mistake of pulling a faulty weapon on the ump. In Wenatchee, some 1,000 fans literally scared the daylights out of a couple of umps as they attempted to let a little of it through them. And in Kennewick,. . .well, the watchword is caution.
The other morning while several fans were coffee-cupping the shooting and riot, the conversation led around to the chances of something like that happening at Sanders Field during a Brave game. The chatter warmed up as the coffee cooled. Finally one of the 'pros' turned to Hal Brutzman and asked his opinion. Hal surveyed the group cautiously and then asked, “First of all, is anyone here carrying a gun?”
THE WITNESS
So this “witness” to umpire 'Doc' Regele's statement that he was out to "get" Wenatchee manager, Tommy Thompson, has now changed his mind. Now the witness says that Regele “gave him that impression” before the series opened Friday. The report that this witness has changed his mind comes from Wenatchee sportscaster, Bob Robertson.
Could it be that this witness suddenly changed his mind when the hint of a libel suit started wafting through his mind. And just who is this remarkable person who held such a remarkable conversation with an umpire prior to the game. The odds against a perfect stranger walking up to an umpire and holding a deep conversation away from the ears of everyone else are terrifically high. Unless you happen to be a member of the radio, press, or a very old friend. And, an old friend doesn't go around peaching on a buddy any more than an umpire goes around making those statements.
THE TRUTH MUST OUT
In fairness to umpire Regele he should be confronted with this witness when league president Robert Abel conducts his investigation. Then the truth will out. Either he did make some kind of a statement, impossible as it sounds, that gave the impression he was out to “get” Thompson, or the whole thing is a misunderstanding.
But either way a full explanation is due the public in answer to such a charge. It wouldn't be fair for Regele to remain under a cloud in the mind of any person who at tends a baseball game.
It is more than the reputation of one man that is at stake here. The entire umpiring profession will suffer as deep a blow if these charges are unanswered, as it would if they were found to be true. These next passing days should prove very, very, interesting.
HOW SAY YOU, SIR?
Mr. Robertson seems to have gone to considerable trouble in an effort to prove that the Tri-City Braves were 'given' the game. Why doe.sn't he present these facts to the league president? Why doesn't he name this witness? Does Mr. Robertson have a story to tell?. . .or is he just playing the part of a tough loser. How about it Mr. Robertson, where did this conversation take place, and who took part in it besides umpire Regele? That might be a bigger story than what's yet been told. How say you?
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