By The Associated Press
W L PCT. GB
Tacoma ...... 13 7 .720 —
Salem ....... 17 8 .680 1
Wenatchee ... 14 12 .538 4½
Yakima ...... 14 12 .538 4½
Tri-City .... 13 14 .481 6
Vancouver ... 10 15 .400 8
Sookane ..... 10 17 .370 9
Victoria ..... 7 18 .280 11
SPOKANE, May 17— Johnny Conant's wild pitch with the bases loaded in the 10th inning Wednesday night brought Vancouver a 5 to 4 victory over the Spokane Indians and boosted the Caps to sixth place.
Conant filled the bases on a single and two walks and had a count of two and two on pinch-hitter Bill Brenner when he uncorked a wild pitch to permit Jimmy Robinsonm to score from third with the winning run.
Spokane sent the game into extra innings with a four-run splurge in the ninth that broke a runless streak of 24 innings.
- - - - -
VANCOUVER, May 18 [Erwin M. Swangard, Daily Province]—It is said that life begins at 40 but for Ruby Robert Brown, major domo of the Vancouver Capilanos of the Western International League, life started in earnest today for the 1950 baseball season.
And Robert had new vitality in his step after working until nearly midnight Wednesday at finishing off the annual and most distasteful chore of pruning his club down to the required 18-men limit. Midnight was the deadline.
After he made out a couple of transportation slips, one to outfielder Art Lucchesi, en route today to Salt Lake City of the Pioneer League, and another to young lefthander Bill Whyte, a local product, to neighboring Victoria Athletics, also of the WIL, Bob looked around and what he saw didn’t displease him.
SECOND WIN
At Spokane Wednesday night his Caps showed they can hit by unleashing an 18-hit attack to down the Indians 5-4 in 10 innings, which gave them a two-game victory streak.
Reliable Bob Snyder, the ace of the Cap pitching corps, went the entire 10 innings, thus returning to a form many believed he had lost.
But in his worry bag are still a few items.
YOU TAKE IT
Take the Cap outfield. Available at present are Dick Sinovic, Charlie Mead and Reg Clarkson, the latter suffering from an arm injury. Bill Brenner will have to shuffle them somehow to fill the left field spot left by Lucchesi’s departure.
Ray Tran, kingpin of the Tran-Tran-McLean double play combination is still on the disabled list due to a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, his post is being filled by young Mansell Travis, a youngster of considerable capability. Jim Robinson is a fixture at third.
Bob is certain his wandering outfielder, Jim Keating, will report sooner or later and by doing so will create a problem—the 18-player limit, you know.
NO BETTING
“Jim will report whenever he feels ready to play ball. I have his promise,” said Brown.
Manager Bill Brenner, of course, will do most of the catcher with young Roy Heisner on hand for relief. His pitching staff includes eight hurler. They are Bob Snyder, Hunk Anderson, Bob Costello, Carl Gunnarson, Kevin King, Paul Spurlock, George Nicholas and Bob Bruenner. That’s the team as of today.
Vancouver ......... 200 000 101 1—5 18 1
Spokane ............ 000 000 004 0—4 9 3
Snyder and Heisner, Brenner (10); Rockey, Conant (10) and Rossi.
KENNEWICK, May 17—A strong, driving wind from the south and the west kicked up an annoying dust storm Wednesday night and forced postponment of the Tri-City-Victoria western International League baseball game.
Fewer than 50 fans were in the grandstand when the umpires decided to call the game. It will be played as the opener of a double-header Thursday night.
The wind whistled across the playing field and the dust it brought with it prompted the "no-game" decision about a half hour before it was time to play ball.
WILFan note: Hmm. Tri-City game postponed due to Dust Devils.
WENATCHEE, May 17 — Wenatchee Chiefs officials called off the game with Salem here Wednesday because of cold and threatening weather.
Yakima at Tacoma, postponed, rain and wet grounds.
Braves Option Pitcher
KENNEWICK, May 17—The Tri-City Braves kept with in their league player limit by optioning pitcher Ken Kleasner to Porterville of the Class C Sunset league.
The tall, young right hander had appeared in several games for the Braves and was charged with one loss during the season against no victories.
Thus the Braves have added two hurlers to their staff during the 1950 season while dropping three.
Chiefs Release Bob Goldstein
WENATCHEE, May 18—The Wenatchee Chiefs handed an outright release yesterday to first baseman Bob Goldstein. Wenatchee bought the 22-year-old infielder from the Seattle Rainiers last winter.
Goldstein, a former Spokane high school star, was returned to the Chiefs by Salt Lake City of the Pioneer league, to whom he was sold conditionally three weeks ago.
Salt Lake City also returned Rookie righthander Howdy Davis to the Chiefs. Wenatchee General Manager George Clark said Davis will be farmed out to a class D league when a spot can be found for him.
ERIC WHITEHEAD'S FAN FARE
[from Daily Province, May 18, 1950]
Looks as though Cap pitcher George Nicholas, a notoriously shrewd bargainer, has missed out on a good thing. Had the swarthy romeo been careful enough to have a ‘no-hit-game bonus’ clause inserted in his contract he would have hit the jackpot at Spokane Tuesday night.
George, you may remember, is the cool cookie who held out far past the call to spring training camp this year, finally reported after a special games-won bonus clause was entered in his contract. And the guy who throws fast-balls for a living and chews cigars for a pastime was doing his bargaining after a very so-so season in 1949.
Now with this nifty no-hitter under his belt, this Nicholas, who figures to be much better than he’s shown to date, could quite easily go nutty and win a flock of games for our perspiring Brownies.
• • •
And although all no-hitters are rated the same in the bare records of organized baseball, George’s Tuesday effort was much better than most. He walked two, hit one; only three men got aboard.
That’s just a couple of jumps closer to the magic “perfect game” than the great Bob Feller (whom I once called a “softy”) [unreadable] did with his two recorded no-hitters.
Rapid Robert tossed his first no-hitter against Chicago in 1940—a 1-0 shutout. But eight White Sox got aboard off the Cleveland swifty—all with walks—which the purists will tell out are “as good as base hit.” It was six years before Feller hurled his second hitless masterpiece, downing the Yanks 1-0. This time Feller walked five.
But we can compare Nicholas with Feller a little better (oh sacrilege!) when George gets around to pitching his second no-hitter. We’ll have to discount that no-hit contest he pitched against the Sing Sing team inasmuch as the Sing Singers appeared in the box scores under pen names, a condition unacceptable to Spalding’s baseball guide.
• • •
Our boy could even pull a Johnny Vandermeer and do it again next time out. Although the odds of are slightly against that happening. In fact you’ll find it pretty much a unanimous prediction among baseball men that no pitcher will ever again throw two consecutive no-hitters, as did amazing Mr. Vandermeer in 1938. In the most remarkable mound spree in baseball history, Vandermeer actually went three and two third innings in his third game (in a ten-day period) before he was solved for a hit. The third game was a three hitter.
But even no-hit games have been lost. The only real pay-off comes in the runs-scored column. And if you’re looking for Nicholas or maybe little Junior to shoot at, show him Walter Johnson’s all-time record of 56 scoreless innings, registered from April 10 to May 14, 1913.
[part of column not posted]
But to get back to our bush leagues—Cap fans will be happy if Nicholas will just help the locals to get as far as possible from Victoria. Baby, it’s cold down there.
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER, Herald Sports Editor
[May 18, 1950]
When the Tri-City Braves and the Yakima Bears resume that game called by the league curfew rule on May 6 it may well be the first and last such encounter this year ... and perhaps for longer than that.
W. I. L. league president, Bob Abel is now balloting club directors by mail on a proposal that would not dispense with the curfew rule, but would modify it. This new rule corresponds with official baseball rule 4.10 (d) which says "It is a regulation game when terminated by the umpire . . . provided five or more innings have 1 been played, or the home team has ccored more runs in four innings, or before the completion of its fifth inning, than the visiting club has scored in five completed innings."
Bob Brown, general manager of the Vancouver club first came forth with the idea and he got a quick assent from Dewey Soriano of Yakima. Dick Richards, general manager of the Braves, has indicated to Abel that the Tri-City team also agrees with the new proposal. Thus three of the eight are already on record in favor of the new proposal.
STILL PLAY IT
Had this rule been in effect when the Brave-Bear game was called by the curfew then Yakima would have won. They were ahead 9-8 at the end of five full innings as the new rule specifies. Of course, even though the directors okay the proposal it would not have any bearing on this particular game because the rule was not in effect at the time the game was played.
OLSEN TIES WORLD MARK
When Jim Olsen, the big Brave right handed pitch-hitter pasted two over the wall in Vancouver last Saturday night he tied a record held by only one pitcher in the entire history of major league baseball. Unfortunately the records of the minor leagues are not quite so complete so we can't, say that it's a new record there. But it's safe to say that while it may have been equalled it's never been bettered.
The major loop pitcher who also posted two circuit clouts in one game did it five times In his career by the way. Many of you will no doubt recall Wes Ferrell of Cleveland and Boston. He first slammed two in one game in the year 1931. In 1934 he repeated twice and came back again, once each, in 1935 and 1936.
Jim is just as happy to be with the Braves as they are happy to have him. While sitting around gassing after Tuesday night's game he said that as soon as he saw the Braves 1950 lineup he was hoping the Braves would buy his contract. "Best team in the league," was the way he put it ... and he meant it.
THROW ON A STEAK
The other day Claude Roma of the Greyhound Bus Depot Cate in Kennewick handed Charlie Petersen, manager of the Braves, a stack of tickets, each worth a free meal at Roma's restaurant. "Every time the team wins a series give each player a ticket," Roma said. But he got so excited when the Braves won 13-6 Tuesday night that he promptly rescinded his order and invited all the players to come down right away. "Why wait for the series to end," he laughed, "we're winning now aren't we?" And who is going to argue with that kind of logic.
George, you may remember, is the cool cookie who held out far past the call to spring training camp this year, finally reported after a special games-won bonus clause was entered in his contract. And the guy who throws fast-balls for a living and chews cigars for a pastime was doing his bargaining after a very so-so season in 1949.
Now with this nifty no-hitter under his belt, this Nicholas, who figures to be much better than he’s shown to date, could quite easily go nutty and win a flock of games for our perspiring Brownies.
• • •
And although all no-hitters are rated the same in the bare records of organized baseball, George’s Tuesday effort was much better than most. He walked two, hit one; only three men got aboard.
That’s just a couple of jumps closer to the magic “perfect game” than the great Bob Feller (whom I once called a “softy”) [unreadable] did with his two recorded no-hitters.
Rapid Robert tossed his first no-hitter against Chicago in 1940—a 1-0 shutout. But eight White Sox got aboard off the Cleveland swifty—all with walks—which the purists will tell out are “as good as base hit.” It was six years before Feller hurled his second hitless masterpiece, downing the Yanks 1-0. This time Feller walked five.
But we can compare Nicholas with Feller a little better (oh sacrilege!) when George gets around to pitching his second no-hitter. We’ll have to discount that no-hit contest he pitched against the Sing Sing team inasmuch as the Sing Singers appeared in the box scores under pen names, a condition unacceptable to Spalding’s baseball guide.
• • •
Our boy could even pull a Johnny Vandermeer and do it again next time out. Although the odds of are slightly against that happening. In fact you’ll find it pretty much a unanimous prediction among baseball men that no pitcher will ever again throw two consecutive no-hitters, as did amazing Mr. Vandermeer in 1938. In the most remarkable mound spree in baseball history, Vandermeer actually went three and two third innings in his third game (in a ten-day period) before he was solved for a hit. The third game was a three hitter.
But even no-hit games have been lost. The only real pay-off comes in the runs-scored column. And if you’re looking for Nicholas or maybe little Junior to shoot at, show him Walter Johnson’s all-time record of 56 scoreless innings, registered from April 10 to May 14, 1913.
[part of column not posted]
But to get back to our bush leagues—Cap fans will be happy if Nicholas will just help the locals to get as far as possible from Victoria. Baby, it’s cold down there.
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER, Herald Sports Editor
[May 18, 1950]
When the Tri-City Braves and the Yakima Bears resume that game called by the league curfew rule on May 6 it may well be the first and last such encounter this year ... and perhaps for longer than that.
W. I. L. league president, Bob Abel is now balloting club directors by mail on a proposal that would not dispense with the curfew rule, but would modify it. This new rule corresponds with official baseball rule 4.10 (d) which says "It is a regulation game when terminated by the umpire . . . provided five or more innings have 1 been played, or the home team has ccored more runs in four innings, or before the completion of its fifth inning, than the visiting club has scored in five completed innings."
Bob Brown, general manager of the Vancouver club first came forth with the idea and he got a quick assent from Dewey Soriano of Yakima. Dick Richards, general manager of the Braves, has indicated to Abel that the Tri-City team also agrees with the new proposal. Thus three of the eight are already on record in favor of the new proposal.
STILL PLAY IT
Had this rule been in effect when the Brave-Bear game was called by the curfew then Yakima would have won. They were ahead 9-8 at the end of five full innings as the new rule specifies. Of course, even though the directors okay the proposal it would not have any bearing on this particular game because the rule was not in effect at the time the game was played.
OLSEN TIES WORLD MARK
When Jim Olsen, the big Brave right handed pitch-hitter pasted two over the wall in Vancouver last Saturday night he tied a record held by only one pitcher in the entire history of major league baseball. Unfortunately the records of the minor leagues are not quite so complete so we can't, say that it's a new record there. But it's safe to say that while it may have been equalled it's never been bettered.
The major loop pitcher who also posted two circuit clouts in one game did it five times In his career by the way. Many of you will no doubt recall Wes Ferrell of Cleveland and Boston. He first slammed two in one game in the year 1931. In 1934 he repeated twice and came back again, once each, in 1935 and 1936.
Jim is just as happy to be with the Braves as they are happy to have him. While sitting around gassing after Tuesday night's game he said that as soon as he saw the Braves 1950 lineup he was hoping the Braves would buy his contract. "Best team in the league," was the way he put it ... and he meant it.
THROW ON A STEAK
The other day Claude Roma of the Greyhound Bus Depot Cate in Kennewick handed Charlie Petersen, manager of the Braves, a stack of tickets, each worth a free meal at Roma's restaurant. "Every time the team wins a series give each player a ticket," Roma said. But he got so excited when the Braves won 13-6 Tuesday night that he promptly rescinded his order and invited all the players to come down right away. "Why wait for the series to end," he laughed, "we're winning now aren't we?" And who is going to argue with that kind of logic.
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