Victoria ..... 41 20 .672 —
Spokane ...... 38 28 .575 5½
Vancouver .... 32 24 .571 6½
Lewiston ..... 30 32 .485 11½
Wenatchee .... 30 35 .462 13
Salem ........ 29 35 .453 13½
Tri-City ..... 28 38 .424 15½
Yakima ....... 25 41 .379 18½
VICTORIA [Vancouver News-Herald, June 26]—John Ritchey is still clouting the ball in a manner reminiscent of his championship batting year, 1951. But Thursday night, John committed another one of baseball’s cardinal sins and it cut off a Vancouver rally and preserved a 4-3 Victoria win.
The loss cut the Capilanos successes at four straight and it also was Victoria’s first breath of winning air in the past four games.
But for Ritchey, the game might be going on yet. John was picked off first base in the middle of a ninth inning rally. It was the fourth time this year Ritchey had been caught napping and the second in which the lapse cost the Caps dearly.
PICKED OFF
Vancouver was behind 4-2 going into the ninth when Edo Vanni doubled and Len Tran singled, sending Edo to third. Then Ritchey bounced on to first base and Chuck Abernathy forced Tran at the keystone. Vanni scored on the play, however, and it was a 4-3 ball game with the Caps getting awfully close.
As he went into his windup for the second time to Jim Wert, Cal McIrvin suddenly whirled and caught Ritchey leaning the wrong way. Instead of the tying run being on base, he was dusting his pants in the dugout and Wert’s ground-out ended the game.
For the first time in the series, pitching predominated. Both McIrvin and Ed Locke got away to shaky starts, but after the third inning, they were in command. Locke gave up a single run in the first, two in the second, another in the third. The Caps picked up two in the second on Wert’s two-run homer, his first of the year.
CAL ON WAY
For McIrvin, it was a sweet good-bye present to his Tyee teammates. Just before the game started the left-hander received word he was being recalled to Portland. He left right after the game to join his Coast League club.
It was Cal’s 10th victory of the year, and his five-hitter, though slightly tarnished by Ritchey’s questionable alertness, was a thing of beauty. Until the ninth, McIrvin had a three-hitter and the fourth hit he allowed—Vanni’s double—was a bad-hop ground ball which jumped over second baseman Lou Branham’s shoulder just as he was shaping up to make the play.
DIAMOND DUST—Vancouver closes the series in Victoria tonight with John Guldborg (8-3) facing Jehosie Heard … Bob Snyder (4-3) will likely open the Salem series Friday … Two Vancouver errors contributed to two of the Victoria runs … Prior to this game the Caps had made only one error in their past four games.
Vancouver …. 020 000 001—3 5 3
Victoria ……. 121 000 00x—4 9 0
Locke and Ritchey; McIrvin and Marcucci.
SPOKANE, June 25 — Sam Kanelos' ninth-inning single to left field sent Mel Wasley home with the winning run that gave Spokane an 8-7 Western International League baseball victory ovre Lewiston Wednesday and a 1-0 lead in their three-game series.
Lewiston …. 002 005 000—7 5 2
Spokane ….. 022 300 001—8 12 1
Bowman, Powell (3), Thomason (6) and Lundberg; Palm, Chase (6), Roberts (6) and Sheets.
KENNEWICK, [Tri-City Herald, June 26]—Those 573 fans who took the trouble to go to Sanders Field last night saw perhaps the finest, and certainly one of the most thrilling Western International League baseball games played in the park this year.
It was a pitcher's duel all the way, mixed in with some old fashioned baseball that Tri-City's manager, Charlie Gassaway made pay off for 2-1 victory over the Salem Senators. Gassaway's insistence that his team be able to bunt and run made the difference. Becauise it was the usually slow-footed Nick Pesut whom Don Lopes squeezed home with the winning run in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Salem got their first base hit and first run in the third. The Braves immediately countered with one of their own in the bottom half of the same inning to tie the score. Then when Pesut crossed the plate in the fourth that ended the scoring.
It was a masterpiece of pitching spewing for both Tri-Clty's Bob Greenwood and Salem's Dick Aubertin. Greenwood gave up but two singles. Gene Tanselli got one in the third and manager Hugh Luby got the otner when he led off the top half of the eighth. Aubertin held the Braves to four hits, all of them of the single variety.
Greenwood reached Aubertin first when he singled to left in the third. Aubertin then moved the tall hurler to third when he issued successive walks to Vic Buccola and Tom Marier. With the bases loaded Des Charouhas lifted a long fly ball to right field
and Greenwood scored after the catch. That run tied the score at 1-1.
Nick Pesut singled. He moved to second when Joe Scalise followed with a base blow, Bob Rittenberg then laid down a sacrifice that moved both runners into scoring position. That is when Lopes came to the plate to produce the sacrifice that won the game when it scored Pesut easily. It almost didn't come off, though.
Pesut started for the plate on Aubertin's second pitch to Lopes. However, the signals were apparently crossed for Lopes, seeing Pesut breaking for the plate, had to lunge at the ball, fouling it off to protect the runner. Such a cross-up normally would call off the play for that time at least however, Lopes after taking a 3-1 count then bunted the ball between the mound and first base and Pesut raced into the plate.
Joe Scalise came up with one of the finest outfield catches ever seen in the park. It was reminsicent of the time Edo Vanni got his on the head with the ball flying over the fence for a double. Only when Scalise leaped high in the air with his globed hand thrust as high as he could get it, he came down with the ball. It would have been a cerain double for Connie Perez.
Hugh Luby, who was on first when Perez poled the ball, apparently thought it was ticketed too, for Scalise's throw to first missed getting Luby for a double play by inches. Scalise also made an excellent running catch of Bill Spaeter's deep, fly ball to right center in the eighth, that looked good for two or three. bases. Both saves came with runners on base and had either got through might have changed, the entire complexion of the ball game.
Salem …. 001 000 000—1 3 0
Tri-City … 001 100 00x—2 4 1
Aubertin and Nelson; Greenwood and Pesut.
WENATCHEE, June 25 — Rookie Ken Wright allowed five scattered hits Wednesday night as the Yakima Bears clipped the Wenatchee Chiefs 9-3 to make it two-in-a-row in their
three-game Western International League series.
The Bears combined three hits and three walks off starter Dave Dahle and rolled up five runs in the first inning. They added one more in the second and two in the seventh off reliefer Tom Moore and chased in their final tally in the eighth off Ed Kapp, who replaced Moore.
Yakima …. 510 000 210—9 12 0
Wenatchee .. 210 000 000—3 5 2
Wright and Donahue; Dahle, Moore (2), Kapp (7) and Pocekay.
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER, Herald Sports Editor [June 25, 1952]
At this, the near half-way point in the Western International League race and the next to the last day we'll occupy our favorite corner in the paper, it might be a good idea to see how the forecast of that race is faring. Our prediction at the start was Vancouver, Spokane, and Victoria in that order among the top three. Those are the top today but not quite that way. In fact it's just the reverse if you're going to push the question.
Our guess of Yakima in fourth was way off as the Bears are now shackled to the cellar. Salem to finish fifth wasn't too bad, as they are now sixth. We had the Braves winding up in sixth and they are seventh. However, Wenatchee and Lewiston, our choices for the seventh and eighth spots, apparently didn't listen to what was said. Lewiston is fourth while Wenatchee is fifth.
And at this midway point in the pennant race it is also a good time, to take a deep breath, look around and try to figure out what may happen before the last out is made in September. For instance the talk is strong that at least two clubs are near an el foldo. Both Salem and Wenatchee are on the ropes financially speaking. And there's a rumor that another team might not finish the season.
TEAMS NEED GOOD SUPPORT
Baseball fans don't want to support anything but a winner. That is an obvious conclusion. . . but it's also a very true one. But this is an eight-team league and all eight can't win; someone has to lose. That too, you say, is obvious. And you're right. Yet the fact remains that if the fans won't back their clubs when they're down, they may not have one to see in a year or two. That's the situation right now at Salem and possibly Wenatchee.
BONUS BULE ON THE SKIDS
Baseball is going to take Tom Yawkey's check-book away from him. They want some of those promising baseball youngsters too, but just plain don't have the loot to bargain against the Yawkey millions. One thing though, don't take as gospel truth those figures you read and hear that some of these kids get for signing. That Urness who reportedly.got $86,000 probably got a lot closer to $25,000. Why the big ballyhoo, and why the big pitch that makes it sound so much batter?
Well first of all there were only three scouts in on the bidding. It all took place in a little town and thus the only source of information was the family. And of course it doesn't hurt the Red Sox a bit to have word get around of their off-hand manner of flinging thousands to get a boy. After all it's just that much easier to approach the next one. And like the guy who buys a gold brick when the kid does sign he doesn't like to admit he got any less.
BISD DOGS FIND THE TALENT
You can be sure baseball will rewrite the bonus rule back into the rules. The thing is out of hand. And too many youngsters actually believe those tales, making it difficult for the average scout to approach a boy. In talking to the Giant and Pirate West Coast scouts the other night they also pointed out it's next to impossible to uncover any hidden talent these days.
Any kid with any promise at all has more "bird dogs" watching him than you'll see in the field on the opening day of the pheasant season. But they follow down every clue and every possibility, however remote, just in the hope they can find a Ruth, DiMaggio or such.
JOTS AND DOTS ... THIS AND THAT
Neil Bryant who played a lot of baseball here for the Tri-City Braves in '50 and '51 will middle aisle it Saturday evening.
Our guess of Yakima in fourth was way off as the Bears are now shackled to the cellar. Salem to finish fifth wasn't too bad, as they are now sixth. We had the Braves winding up in sixth and they are seventh. However, Wenatchee and Lewiston, our choices for the seventh and eighth spots, apparently didn't listen to what was said. Lewiston is fourth while Wenatchee is fifth.
And at this midway point in the pennant race it is also a good time, to take a deep breath, look around and try to figure out what may happen before the last out is made in September. For instance the talk is strong that at least two clubs are near an el foldo. Both Salem and Wenatchee are on the ropes financially speaking. And there's a rumor that another team might not finish the season.
TEAMS NEED GOOD SUPPORT
Baseball fans don't want to support anything but a winner. That is an obvious conclusion. . . but it's also a very true one. But this is an eight-team league and all eight can't win; someone has to lose. That too, you say, is obvious. And you're right. Yet the fact remains that if the fans won't back their clubs when they're down, they may not have one to see in a year or two. That's the situation right now at Salem and possibly Wenatchee.
BONUS BULE ON THE SKIDS
Baseball is going to take Tom Yawkey's check-book away from him. They want some of those promising baseball youngsters too, but just plain don't have the loot to bargain against the Yawkey millions. One thing though, don't take as gospel truth those figures you read and hear that some of these kids get for signing. That Urness who reportedly.got $86,000 probably got a lot closer to $25,000. Why the big ballyhoo, and why the big pitch that makes it sound so much batter?
Well first of all there were only three scouts in on the bidding. It all took place in a little town and thus the only source of information was the family. And of course it doesn't hurt the Red Sox a bit to have word get around of their off-hand manner of flinging thousands to get a boy. After all it's just that much easier to approach the next one. And like the guy who buys a gold brick when the kid does sign he doesn't like to admit he got any less.
BISD DOGS FIND THE TALENT
You can be sure baseball will rewrite the bonus rule back into the rules. The thing is out of hand. And too many youngsters actually believe those tales, making it difficult for the average scout to approach a boy. In talking to the Giant and Pirate West Coast scouts the other night they also pointed out it's next to impossible to uncover any hidden talent these days.
Any kid with any promise at all has more "bird dogs" watching him than you'll see in the field on the opening day of the pheasant season. But they follow down every clue and every possibility, however remote, just in the hope they can find a Ruth, DiMaggio or such.
JOTS AND DOTS ... THIS AND THAT
Neil Bryant who played a lot of baseball here for the Tri-City Braves in '50 and '51 will middle aisle it Saturday evening.
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