By United Press
W L Pct. GB
Spokane ..... 2 0 1.000 —
Tacoma ...... 2 0 1.000 0
Tri City .... 1 1 .500 1
Vancouver ... 1 1 .500 1
Wenatchee ... 1 1 .500 1
Yakima ...... 1 1 .500 1
Salem ....... 0 2 .000 2
Victoria .... 0 2 .000 2
Braves Grab 5-4 In Tenth To Even Series
KENNEWICK, April 19—Charlie Petersen, versatile playing manager of the Tri-City Braves, named Bob Felizzatto, the slender young port-sider for mound duty Thursday night to duplicate the stellar hurling feat turned by Joe "Bullet" Orrell tonight as the Braves evened their series with Vancouver 5-4 in the tenth inning.
There were 1,193 fans in the stands to witness the first Braves victory. Friday night's game will end the series with Vancouver.
On Friday Tacoma moves into Sanders Field for a four-game, three day series, with a double-header slated for Saturday. The first contest gets under way at 7 p.m.
On the mound for the Capilanos Thursday night will be right hander Bob Costello.
When Felizzatto toes the mound it will mark at least two firsts for the Braves during their 1950 drive for the pennant. He is the first left-hander to appear in a starting role this year, and he is also the first mound starter that is not a veteran of the team from last year.
THAT DID IT
Tonight the Braves waited until the bottom of the tenth inning before they called a halt to their second overtime performance. With the bases loaded hurler Orrell drilled a sharp single over second base to score Bryant with the winning run evening the series 1-1.
Although "Bullet" gave up 11 safe blows he managed to keep them pretty well scattered except for a big Vancouver fourth inning when they shoved two runs across the plate on three singles and a sacrifice.
Neil Bryant, hard-hitting Brave shortstop, held the spotlight with a triple and a pair of doubles in five trips to the plate. But Al Spaeter and Nick Pesut fattened up their averages by hitting at an even .500 clip. Dick Faber, left fielder, also found his hitting range by pounding out two forgive to garner a .400 percentage mark for the evening's work.
Bill Brenner's Capilanos drew away with a 3-0 lead at the end of the fourth inning, but a three run splurge by the Braves in the sixth evened the count at 3-3. Spaeter opened this frame by singling and moved to second when Buccola was safe on fielder's choice. Clint Cameron looked at four pitches and walked to load the bases. Then Bryant uncorked his first double of the evening to drive in three runs.
Vancouver scored again in the top of the seventh when Reg Clarkson opened with a triple down the right field foul line and scored on Charlie Mead's double. But the Braves came back in the bottom half of the inning to knot the count 4-4. Artie Wilson led off with a double and moved to third when Capilano third baseman Jim Robinson muffed a throw attempting to cut Wilson down as he went into the bag. Then Spaeter stepped up and slashed a single to drive Wilson across the plate.
THERE SHE GOES
And that's the way it stood until the last of the tenth when Orrell, who had pitched a masterful game all the way, walked into the batter's box and won his own ball game with a single.
Bob McLean, Capilano first sacker, grabbed the overall hitting honors by getting three hits in four trips to the plate tonight, but his teammate, right fielder Charlie Mead wasn't far behind with a double and a single to his credit in three official appearances at bat.
Vancouver displayed a fast double-play combo in Moore, Tran, and McLean, as they put two together to cut off potential Brave rallies. For the winners, Buccola and Bryant engineered the double play in the seventh when Buccola took Brenner's line drive and whipped the ball to Bryant at second to nail Mead.
Vancouver ....... 001 200 100—4-11-3
Tri-City ........... 000 003 100—5-12-1
Nicholas, Anderson (7) and Brenner; Orrell and Pesut.
SPOKANE, April 19—Rookie Pitcher Bob Roberts snuffed out a ninth inning Victoria rally Wednesday night with a neat relief job as the Spokane Indians scored their second straight victory over the Athletics, 6 to 5.
Spokane's Dick Bishop got credited for the win over Victoria but had to call on Roberts for help, when the Athletics pushed over two runs and had another pair on the bags with only one out in the ninth frame. Another tally crossed the plate when catcher Joe Rossi threw wild to second but Roberts nipped the rally one short of tying the score by fanning Gene Thompson and forcing Bob Jensen to pop up.
The Spokane-Victoria tilt lured but 935 spectators compared with the previous evening's 3,900. Chilly weather was blamed for the drop-off.
Victoria ..... 001 010 003—5 11 1
Spokane .... 000 032 10x—6 8 2
Wilke, Blankenship (6) and Ronning; Bishop, Roberts (9) and Rossi.
SALEM, April 19—The Tacoma Tigers made it two in a row over the Salem Senators Wednesday night, winning 6-1.
Tacoma lefty Roy Kerrigan was no secret to the Salem batsmen who punched out 11 hits only to have their efforts nullified by three Tacoma double plays.
The Tigers sewed up the game in the first inning, scoring twice on hits by Ron Gifford, Al Cohen. Quimpy Quinn and Glen Stetter.
Tacoma ..... 202 010 001—6 14 1
Salem ........ 010 000 000—1 11 2
Kerrigan and Sheets; Gilson, Osborn (7) and Beard.
WENATCHEE, April 19—Big Al Treichel gave up only seven hits, lowest of the night in the WIL, in hurling Wenatchee to an 8-4 victory over defending champion Yakima Bears here Wednesday night.
The 6-foot, 5-inch pitcher had his troubles, however, with the rulebook, committing five balks—three in the eighth inning when Yakima scored all its four runs.
Yakima .......... 000 000 040—4 7 2
Wenatchee .... 000 205 10x—8 12 0
Lamer, Dominicelli (9) and Tiesiera; Treichel and Fiscalini.
Bees Bolster Pitching As Campaign Nears
By OLLIE McCULLOCK
[Salt Lake Tribune, Apr. 20, 1950]
Salt Lake Bees Wednesday padded the right side of their pitching staff and admitted that additional help, both southpaws and righthanders, is on its way to the Hive mound.
The Buzzers acquired Percy Fisher, 6 ft. 5 in. star of the Pittsburgh, Cal., club of the Far West league in 1949. Fisher has been optioned to Salt Lake by San Francisco Seals — via Yakima, Wash.
Yakima will furnish two more righthanders, Gen. Mgr. Claude Engberg said in announcing Fisher's optioning. A portsider will be picked up from "another club." Though Engberg was silent on "who," the pair ticketed from Yakima to Salt Lake are assumed to be Ernie Domenichelli and Jack Rial, both members of the 1949 Bee team.
One WIL Record Sure To Crack This Season
By HOWARD APPLEGATE
United Press Sports Writer
TACOMA, Wash., April 20.—It's a pretty sure thing that one Western International league baseball record will fall this year, but most of the rest look like they might stand the test for another season or two.
The mark which will be shattered to smithereens is, of course, the collection of balks; the WIL topper being four in one season held jointly by three pitchers.
Other records under fire will be Jim Warner's 43 home runs for Wenatchee last year; Archie Wilson's 26 triples for Victoria in 1948; Smead Jolley's doubles for Spokane's 1940 club and Edo Vanni's 1948 Spokane record of 198 singles.
THE ONLY MAN
The 1940 Spokane club also the league batting crown with a .315 mark while Earl Kuper of Tacoma holds the all-time individual batting lead with .389 in 111 games in 1947. Jolley holds the record of runs batted in with 181 in 1940 and is the only man ever to win two league batting titles, in 1940 and '41.
Yakima's record of 35 runs in one game in 1947 stands; as does the combination of 43 runs put together by Salem and Wenatchee in 1946. Hal Rhyne, Jr., of Wenatchee last year set a mark of hitting in 36 consecutive contests.
Among the pitchers Don Osborn of Vancouver holds the most number of league victories, 89, rung up between 1938 and 1942. Exactly 20 WIL hurlers have notched 20 or more victories in a season but no hurler has done it more than once. Osborn is the only twirler to lead the loop in won-lost percentages twice, doing so in 1941 and '42.
SOME HURLING MARKS
Other pitchers' records include Harold [Hunk] Anderson's 11-1 record for Vancouver last year as the highest precentage; Joe Blankenship's 25 wins for Victoria in 1948; Frank Nelson's 12 straight victories for Spokane in '48; Hub Kittle's 71 losses during six seasons with four different clubs; Bob Drilling's 23 losses for Yakima in 1948; 296 strikeouts by Victoria's Bob Jensen in 1946; Jensen's individual strikeout mark of 19 against Wenatchee in 1946 and four balks in one season held by three pitchers.
Floyd Isckite of Tacoma pitched the only nine-inning no-hit no-run game in the league's history
in 1939 against Wenatchee. Four pitchers hold seven inning—no hitters—Floyd Bevens of Wenatchee, Bob Kinnaman of Spokane, Cy Greenlaw of Tacoma and Ken Wyatt of Salem.
FIELDING RECORDS
Not to forget the fielders, Bob Garretson of Tacoma holds the highest mark for first basemen with a .996 average in 1940; John Kerr of Vancouver leads second sackers with .972 in 1938; Ted Jennings set the mark of .961 for third basemen while with Yakima last season and Ike Peterson of Lewiston's 1937 entry still holds the shortstop fielding mark of .955.
Henry Bonetti, a 1939 Wenatchee outfielder, leads the field for those positions with a .988 mark; Yakima's Louis Lorenz set the catcher's fielding mark in 1939 with .988.
The most errors ever made in one season were 76 by shortstop Roy Peterson of Tacoma in 1946.
Four teams trying for pennants for the first time this year and Tri-City, although Tacoma split the title with Wenatchee in 1937 and has won two playoffs. Spokane has the most pennants three.
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER
Tri-City Herald Sports Editor
[April 20, 1950]
Well, that old pesky rule that's been the bane of the Pacific Coast league's pitching staff this year, wasn't evident at the opening of Western International league here. We are referring to the new version of the balk rule just in case you've been wondering.
Of course the fact that two seasoned hurlers, Lou McCollum and Bob Snyder, were on the mound had a lot to do with it. Whether the junior members of the pitching staffs will be capable in this respect still remains to be seen. Speaking for the Braves we can say that Manager Charlie Petersen did everything he could in spring training to drive the point home. Those pitchers worked on that one point many, and many a day.
Tuesday night before the game Hal Malone, sportswriter for the Vancouver Sun and your old Insider had dinner with Bob Abel, WIL prexy. When the question of who calls the balk rule came up, Abel answered that in the WIL the normal procedure will be for the umpire behind the plate to call it. He mentioned one case in the PCL where, with a right handed pitcher on the mound, and a man on first, the umpire at first base called a balk and touched off one of the finest rhubarbs of the young season.
NO NEW MARK
The league president had one opening day disappointment though. While we were batting the conversational ball back and forth he voiced the hope that Tuesday's roundup of attendance at the openers would set a new record. But the 1947 mark of approximately 18,000 stood up okay, although it was pushed pretty hard.
However, Abel said he still believes that the WIL will pull close to a 1,000,000 paying customers thru the turnstiles this year. But the Tri-Cities that will have to make the difference if that mark is reached. Tacoma should pull more than last year with the better team they've said to have. There's no question that Wenatchee will outdo the gate that Bremerton was able to pull. All in all this looks like a big year for every baseball league, not just the majors.
THE FANS LIKE HIM
That was Joe Iacovetti (yak-a-vatti) behind the plate Tuesday night. His actions really captured the fancy of the fans and he bids fair to be popular around the league, even if he didn't rate too well with Braves' manager Petersen in the opener.
That base that Al Spaeter pilfered Tuesday won him a free lube and wash job from Cahoon Motors, Richland, as one of the "firsts" offered by Tri-City merchants. Jim Warner's double brought him a de luxe car cleaning job from Scaberg Buick of Pasco.
HATED TO WATCH THAT ONE
Our biggest personal heartbreak of that game came in the eighth inning when Warner's home run blast over the left field wall went foul by what seemed to be inches. But you shouldn't have felt bad when Jungle Jim hoisted a short one back of second base. In big parks where the betting goes on, the odds on Warner would have dropped at least 5-1 against him even getting a single then. Their reasoning is that running the bases, as Warner did to second, takes so mch pep out of a player, without getting a chance to rest, that his chances of hitting safely are markedly down.
WELCOME
It'll be young Bob Felizzatto on the mound for the Braves tonight. This young left-hander showed great promise during the spring training campaign. Not only is he going to be a great pitcher some day, but right now he has the personality of a top flight salesman, as do the rest of the Brave team. This will be the first time a port sider has taken a turn on the mound for the Braves this season, and it is also the first time that a newcomer to the Tri-City pitching staff has put in an appearance.
The Braves front office is really happy after that big opening night and why shouldn't they be. The fans saw a good ball game, had a good time, and went home happy. The reason you didn't see any hot dog vendors in the stands was because of a power shortage. You know how it is, work like the devil to get things all set to keep the fans well supplied and something is sure to go wrong. But they're working hard to get things righted and within a week or two the park will be going full blast whenever the Braves are home.
TACOMA MOVES IN NEXT
The press box was jammed Tuesday with two newspapers from Vancouver, two from Spokane, and one from Yakima among the working staff. But it isn't every day that a new entry comes into the league, particularly one that figures to draw at the gate and field as strong a club in the race as do our Braves. It well warranted the heavy press coverage.
Tacoma moves in tomorrow night for a four-game stand with a double-header on Saturday starting at 7 p. m. Right now the Tigers are busily trying to take the measure of Salem; and they did okay in the first one. So you can look for a good series to follow the Capilanos into Sanders Field. On Tuesday our Braves hit the road to open the Yakima park and then into Tacoma for a four-game engagement there before returning here May 2 to meet Wenatchee.
Of course the fact that two seasoned hurlers, Lou McCollum and Bob Snyder, were on the mound had a lot to do with it. Whether the junior members of the pitching staffs will be capable in this respect still remains to be seen. Speaking for the Braves we can say that Manager Charlie Petersen did everything he could in spring training to drive the point home. Those pitchers worked on that one point many, and many a day.
Tuesday night before the game Hal Malone, sportswriter for the Vancouver Sun and your old Insider had dinner with Bob Abel, WIL prexy. When the question of who calls the balk rule came up, Abel answered that in the WIL the normal procedure will be for the umpire behind the plate to call it. He mentioned one case in the PCL where, with a right handed pitcher on the mound, and a man on first, the umpire at first base called a balk and touched off one of the finest rhubarbs of the young season.
NO NEW MARK
The league president had one opening day disappointment though. While we were batting the conversational ball back and forth he voiced the hope that Tuesday's roundup of attendance at the openers would set a new record. But the 1947 mark of approximately 18,000 stood up okay, although it was pushed pretty hard.
However, Abel said he still believes that the WIL will pull close to a 1,000,000 paying customers thru the turnstiles this year. But the Tri-Cities that will have to make the difference if that mark is reached. Tacoma should pull more than last year with the better team they've said to have. There's no question that Wenatchee will outdo the gate that Bremerton was able to pull. All in all this looks like a big year for every baseball league, not just the majors.
THE FANS LIKE HIM
That was Joe Iacovetti (yak-a-vatti) behind the plate Tuesday night. His actions really captured the fancy of the fans and he bids fair to be popular around the league, even if he didn't rate too well with Braves' manager Petersen in the opener.
That base that Al Spaeter pilfered Tuesday won him a free lube and wash job from Cahoon Motors, Richland, as one of the "firsts" offered by Tri-City merchants. Jim Warner's double brought him a de luxe car cleaning job from Scaberg Buick of Pasco.
HATED TO WATCH THAT ONE
Our biggest personal heartbreak of that game came in the eighth inning when Warner's home run blast over the left field wall went foul by what seemed to be inches. But you shouldn't have felt bad when Jungle Jim hoisted a short one back of second base. In big parks where the betting goes on, the odds on Warner would have dropped at least 5-1 against him even getting a single then. Their reasoning is that running the bases, as Warner did to second, takes so mch pep out of a player, without getting a chance to rest, that his chances of hitting safely are markedly down.
WELCOME
It'll be young Bob Felizzatto on the mound for the Braves tonight. This young left-hander showed great promise during the spring training campaign. Not only is he going to be a great pitcher some day, but right now he has the personality of a top flight salesman, as do the rest of the Brave team. This will be the first time a port sider has taken a turn on the mound for the Braves this season, and it is also the first time that a newcomer to the Tri-City pitching staff has put in an appearance.
The Braves front office is really happy after that big opening night and why shouldn't they be. The fans saw a good ball game, had a good time, and went home happy. The reason you didn't see any hot dog vendors in the stands was because of a power shortage. You know how it is, work like the devil to get things all set to keep the fans well supplied and something is sure to go wrong. But they're working hard to get things righted and within a week or two the park will be going full blast whenever the Braves are home.
TACOMA MOVES IN NEXT
The press box was jammed Tuesday with two newspapers from Vancouver, two from Spokane, and one from Yakima among the working staff. But it isn't every day that a new entry comes into the league, particularly one that figures to draw at the gate and field as strong a club in the race as do our Braves. It well warranted the heavy press coverage.
Tacoma moves in tomorrow night for a four-game stand with a double-header on Saturday starting at 7 p. m. Right now the Tigers are busily trying to take the measure of Salem; and they did okay in the first one. So you can look for a good series to follow the Capilanos into Sanders Field. On Tuesday our Braves hit the road to open the Yakima park and then into Tacoma for a four-game engagement there before returning here May 2 to meet Wenatchee.
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