W L PCT GB
Yakima ...... 90 56 .616 —
Tacoma ...... 88 55 .615 ½
Tri-City .... 80 64 .555 9
Wenatchee ... 76 69 .524 13½
Victoria .... 64 82 .438 26
Vancouver ... 61 80 .433 26½
Spokane ..... 60 83 .420 28½
Salem ....... 57 87 .396 32
VANCOUVER, Sept. 7 [Dan Ekman, Sun] — With no local pennant conention to distract them, the town’s baseball fans are voting this waning week of the WIL schedule to a clinical study of the Capilanos’ current flaws and capabilities.All hands are in agreement that a major pruning job must be done on this year’s second.division crew. And for more than the usual reasons, the management will be trying to please its customers obviously nothing less than a pennant-winning car suitably dedicate that new stadium promised for April, 1951, delivery. Moreover, there will be a lot more seats to fill next year.
All of which adds interest to this windup week, since even now future prospects are being tabbed and pink slips mentally filled out.
CASE OF McLEAN
Last night, two Cap crewmen put up a strong argument for 1951 jobs as the Brenners beat the Yakima Bears, 6-2. One Reg Clarkson figured to be back anyway, but the second—Bobby McLean—has often felt the sharp edge of the axe at his collar this season, so his case is worth detailed discussion.
McLean, who came to the Caps in 1949, worked until recently at first base, where his defensive play was almost faultless. But his hitting, especially this year, has been what you might expect of a pitcher, which may explain why the tall lefthander was consigned permanently to the mound a few weeks back.
His new job may be the making of the quiet, likeable Oaklander. Last Saturday at Victoria, he stopped the Athletics with a three-hitter and against the league-leading Yakimas, last night, he was scarcely less effective.
Not that you would call Bob a finished pitcher yet. He hit three batters and walked four more. But errors set up Yakima’s only two runs in the first inning, and McLean’s good assortment limited the powerful Bears to only six hits.
TWO FOR REG
The Caps meanwhile stroked freely at the offerings of Dick Larner and, as mentioned earlier, Reggie Clarkson was a big part of the show. He hit two home runs over the right field fence to pace the local attack.
Jim Keating batted in two more runs with a third-inning triple, but the most consistent man at the plate was handy Sandy Robertson, who filled in at third base for the departed Jim Robinson. Sandy went three for three.
Since Victoria beat Tacoma 8-0 on the Island, the locals didn’t gain in their struggle to nail down fifth place. Nor did Yakima lose ground to the Tigers in the pennant argument, which means that the last four days of the schedule will decide it.
With the Bears at Victoria, Tacoma opens locally tonight in a double bill starting at 7. Bob Bruenner and George Nicholas will be the Cap pitching choices.
Yakima ............. 200 000 000—2 6 1
Vancouver ......... 102 210 00x—6 10 3
Larner and Tiesiera; McLean and Brenner.
VICTORIA, B. C., Sept. 6 [Victoria Colonist] - Looking far more like a second-place club than their opponants, Victoria Athletics last night won their final series of the season from Tacoma by blanking the Tigers, 8-0, and keeping them from regaining the W.I.L. kead they held when they arrived in Victoria Monday.
The victory gave the A’s the series, 3-1, and left them with a half-game grip on fifth place. The Tigers hold the edge for the season, 13-9, but had far more trouble with the A’s than the final standings would indicate.
John Marshall and Jim Propst collaborated for the three-hit shut-out, both pitching some of their finest baseball of the season. Marshall lost credit for his 16th win of the season when Plate-Umpire Doc Regele tossed the righthander out of the game while he was batting in the fourth inning for the flimsiest excuse seen here this season for an eviction.
NO BOWS
Regele, whose official has come in for merited criticism all season, could hardly take any bows for his work last night, coming as it did in the middle of a pennant battle between the Tigers and Yakima Bears and without any reasonable protest.
Marshall was going through his usual contortions at the plate when Regele said something to him while dusting off the plate. This brought a reply from Marshall and Manager Marty Krug on the scene. Krug defended Marshall’s right to bat as he chose and play resumed after some acrimonious discussion.
Marshall then shifted to the first base side of the plate for the third time this season and was waving his bat aimlessly over his head. Regele decided this was the excuse he had apparently been seeking from the first inning and immediately tossed Marshall out. Manager Krug protested the game and it was some time before irate Victoria players finished telling Regele their opinion of him.
SHUTOUT LIKELY
At that time, Marshall had a one-hitter and appeared as if he would have no trouble getting a shutout. Propst came in and limited the Tigers to two hits the rest of the way to protect the 4-0 lead but Regele’s action disrupted the Victoria pitching schedule and may affect the pennant race. Propst was scheduled to open against the Yakima Bears tonight but now Jim Hedgecock will have to take over with less rest than he should have had.
The A’s again found Tiger pitching to their liking and sent the pennant contenders to Vancouver for five games in three days with their mound rotation all out of order. The Tigers were forced to use 11 pitchers in the four games here and the Victorians climbed on them for 55 hits in the series.
Twelve of them came last night and the Tigers tossed in three errors and ten bases on balls as they continued to show sins of a general disorganization in the face of pennant race pressure. Luckily for them the Bears also seem to be suffering the jitters.
Tacoma ........ 000 000 000—0 3 3
Victoria ......... 040 120 10x—8 12 1
Kipp, Knezovich (6), Bowman (8) and Sheets; Marshall, Propst (4) and Danielson.
KENNEWICK, Sept. 5 — The Tri-City Braves walloped Salem again Wednesday night, 14 to 3 with a makeshift Senator lineup contributing five errors to a 17-hit attack.
The drubbing was the second in a row—it was 18 to 4 Tuesday night —and gives the Braves a 4-0 lead in the five-game Western International league series. The crippled Senators had to use an outfield composed entirely of pitchers and they had a bad night in the unfamiliar garden.
Salem ........ 000 010 002— 3 6 5
Tri-City ...... 112 600 31x—14 17 0
Valentine, Linebarger (5) and Martin; Michelson and McKeegan.
Wenatchee ........ 010 050 110—8 14 2
Spokane ............ 003 000 110—7 10 2
Treichel, Blankenship (8) and Neal; Bishop, Curran (5), Holder (9) and Rossi.
ERIC WHITEHEAD’S FAN FARE
[from Daily Province, Sept. 6, 1950]
Well, as a wag once wagged, the frost will soon be on the pumpkin. And along with frosty pumpkins, we will once again be getting that rusty old World Series pitch about the sharpest edges ever honed.
Mel Allen, the eternal voice of the razor blade, will this year be our local contact with such fanciful stuff as ball club championships.
Through the extreme courtesy and kind consideration of our WIL Capilanos, we are this joyous autumn spared the jangled verves and unhealthy excitement of a local pennant chase. And it could be that Mel’s racy account of the pending fall classic will make us all forget that horrible moment way back in the reckless blush of springtime when some of our more dismal citizens were predicting a plague of pennant fever come September.
• • •
Brenner’s impotent (as distinct from “important”) Brownies have at no time this year — for any prolonged spell — either looked or felt sharp enough to pinch-hit for one of Allen’s rustier old razor blades.
On Saturday, the Capilanos wrap up one of the most disappointing campaigns on record and toddle off to their respective winter homes to brood over their scrap-books.
Figured on paper to be individually strong or stronger than any other team in the WIL, the Caps failed dismally to click as a unit. Blessed with the occasional sporadic flashes of good pitching and good hitting, they rarely got the two together.
According to side-line connect, backed up by certain chagrined albeit honest team members, the team’s big sin was a lack of hustle during the gruelling road-stands. More than once, business manager Bob Brown was compelled to come storming onto the scene during certain disastrous road-spells to administer severe “produc-or-else” tongue lashing to his desultory hirelings.
• • •
As that ominious “or else” is very likely to pop up in the form of a complete winter house-cleaning, Bob has to keep the fans happy. They were not happy this year. The Cap lineup that has been practically intact for the past two years is due for a sweeping rebuilding job.
Bluntly, the fans don want Jimmy Robinson back on third or Bob McLean back on first next year, They don’t want any part of a first or second.string catcher with a Bill Heisner .180 batting average, according to a verbal poll whence these facts were gleaned. The fans have turned sour on old guard Charlie Mead, who despite his 19 homers, has this year appeared tired and dispirited.
• • •
The pitching staff, with a fair turn of competent veterans who didn’t get too many breaks, has been unblessed with a crop of rookies who had more “promise” than stuff and control. A year’s mellowing could fix that, and it’s likely that kids like Dick Alvari, Kevin King and Bob Bruenner will be at least hot enough for this ball club next year.
Bob McLean, who hits more like a pitcher than a first-baseman, gets a second change to look more natural tonight as he takes the hill in the last game against Yakima. With a three-hitter already under his belt, the Californian might yet be welcome back in town as a capable hurler.
In the previous, as we said previously, there’s always Mel Allen with that coming Tigers vs. Phillies epic. Yep, I said “Tigers.”
The Bengals will hive the Yanks back to the Indians any day now. I hope.
[from Daily Province, Sept. 6, 1950]
Well, as a wag once wagged, the frost will soon be on the pumpkin. And along with frosty pumpkins, we will once again be getting that rusty old World Series pitch about the sharpest edges ever honed.
Mel Allen, the eternal voice of the razor blade, will this year be our local contact with such fanciful stuff as ball club championships.
Through the extreme courtesy and kind consideration of our WIL Capilanos, we are this joyous autumn spared the jangled verves and unhealthy excitement of a local pennant chase. And it could be that Mel’s racy account of the pending fall classic will make us all forget that horrible moment way back in the reckless blush of springtime when some of our more dismal citizens were predicting a plague of pennant fever come September.
• • •
Brenner’s impotent (as distinct from “important”) Brownies have at no time this year — for any prolonged spell — either looked or felt sharp enough to pinch-hit for one of Allen’s rustier old razor blades.
On Saturday, the Capilanos wrap up one of the most disappointing campaigns on record and toddle off to their respective winter homes to brood over their scrap-books.
Figured on paper to be individually strong or stronger than any other team in the WIL, the Caps failed dismally to click as a unit. Blessed with the occasional sporadic flashes of good pitching and good hitting, they rarely got the two together.
According to side-line connect, backed up by certain chagrined albeit honest team members, the team’s big sin was a lack of hustle during the gruelling road-stands. More than once, business manager Bob Brown was compelled to come storming onto the scene during certain disastrous road-spells to administer severe “produc-or-else” tongue lashing to his desultory hirelings.
• • •
As that ominious “or else” is very likely to pop up in the form of a complete winter house-cleaning, Bob has to keep the fans happy. They were not happy this year. The Cap lineup that has been practically intact for the past two years is due for a sweeping rebuilding job.
Bluntly, the fans don want Jimmy Robinson back on third or Bob McLean back on first next year, They don’t want any part of a first or second.string catcher with a Bill Heisner .180 batting average, according to a verbal poll whence these facts were gleaned. The fans have turned sour on old guard Charlie Mead, who despite his 19 homers, has this year appeared tired and dispirited.
• • •
The pitching staff, with a fair turn of competent veterans who didn’t get too many breaks, has been unblessed with a crop of rookies who had more “promise” than stuff and control. A year’s mellowing could fix that, and it’s likely that kids like Dick Alvari, Kevin King and Bob Bruenner will be at least hot enough for this ball club next year.
Bob McLean, who hits more like a pitcher than a first-baseman, gets a second change to look more natural tonight as he takes the hill in the last game against Yakima. With a three-hitter already under his belt, the Californian might yet be welcome back in town as a capable hurler.
In the previous, as we said previously, there’s always Mel Allen with that coming Tigers vs. Phillies epic. Yep, I said “Tigers.”
The Bengals will hive the Yanks back to the Indians any day now. I hope.
NON WIL MINOR LEAGUE NEWS
3 of Rainiers' Nine Are (Yes!) Those Davises
SEATTLE, Sept. 5 — The Seattle baseball club of the Pacific Coast league made another "initial" investment Wednesday.
The team signed its third gent by the name of Davis.
This one is Orin Davis, a 26-year-old third baseman from Austin, Tex., of the Big State league, where he's been hitting .275. He's a left-handed sticker.
Orin comes here on a 30-day “look” basis and is expected momentarily.
He'll confuse the issue along with pitcher Jim (J.) Davis, and second baseman Tod (T.) Davis in the box scores.
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