Victoria ..... 37 16 .698 —
Spokane ...... 34 25 .576 6
Vancouver .... 27 22 .551 8
Lewiston ..... 26 29 .473 11
Wenatchee .... 26 31 .456 12
Tri-City ..... 26 32 .448 12½
Salem ........ 24 31 .436 14
Yakima ....... 22 36 .379 17½
VICTORIA, June 17 — Victoria's 10-9 win over Tri-City in a 10-inning game Tuesday night produced some of the oddest baseball of the season.
The Braves knocked Jehosie Heard off the mound with a six-run eighth inning that erased a 7-2 Victoria lead, tied it up in the ninth after the Tyees had gone ahead with two runs in the eighth and lost it in the 10th when Granny Gladstone and Don Pries singled and Jim Clark doubled after two were out.
The loss went to Tri-City Manager Charlie Gassaway, who came on in relief in the eighth.
The game winning rally climaxed some of the most turbulent and zaniest baseball ever played here. Plate Umpire Herman Ziruolo cleared the Tri-City bench in the seventh after some remarks folowing a called third strike on Joe Scalise, sent Victoria's third baseman to the showers in the eighth after an argument over another called strike and Victoria pitcher Eric Gard in the ninth after a balk call which forced in the tying run.
The balk was called when batter John Kovenz stepped clear of the batters box with a runner on third and Gard in his pitching motion. Ziruolo paid no heed to the claim that Kovenz had called time and Gard got the thumb for shouldering his way into the raging argument that followed.
Ben Lorino, fourth Victoria pitcher, hurriedly warmed up to pitch to Kovenz and ultimately received credit for his 10th win.
But not until the Braves dissipated two excellent scoring chances.
They wound up with only one run in the ninth by bunting into a double play and failed to score in the tenth after getting the bases loaded with no one out.
One runner was forced at the plate. A second was picked off third and the play was turned into a doubleplay when Gassaway wandered too far off first and lost a race to Victoria first baseman Cal McIrvin who took the throw from third.
To give the game its final ironic twist Pries was lost to the Victoria club for several days when he sprained an ankle jumping on third base in exuberance at Clark's game winning double.
Tri-City ..... 010 010 061 0—9 16 3
Victoria ..... 104 101 020 1—10 14 2
Michelson, Gassaway (8) and Pesut; Heard, Wisneski (8), Gard (9), Lorino (9) and Marccicci.
YAKIMA, June 17 — Yakima's last place Bears won their fourth game in their last five starts Tuesday night defeating the Spokane Indinas, 8-7, in the opener of a three-game Western International League series.
John Albini singled home Charlie Malmberg with the winning run. Malmberg, who had tripled, was the goat earlier as his two errors in the third and fourth innings had let in four unearned Spokane runs.
Spokane ....... 022 200 100—7 13 0
Yakima ......... 010 400 21x—8 9 3
Palm, Roberts (7) and Sheets; Shandor and Donahue.
VANCOUVER [News-Herald, June 18]—Gordie Brunswick has been a long time in getting there, but Tuesday he showed signs of finally arriving as a hitter.
The big guy, and his bat, acted like a one-man gang for the Capilanos, winning the opener of a doubleheader at the Stadium 6-0 all by his lonesome. And even when the Caps lost the second one, 11-4, who cared. It was Brunswick’s night.
In the 6-0 victory, which was Ed Locke’s sixth and the Caps sixth out of the last seven, Brunswick drove in all the runs. He did it on a second inning single, a fourth inning homer and a repeat homer in the sixth.
BIG LONG ONES
And those homers were something to see. The first came with one on and it went over the left field wall where it says 350 feet. It went over with lots to spare, and you could guess that the ball travelled 380 feet on the fly and still be conservative.
The second came with two men on and travelled another 350 feet and looked pretty cute up there in the sky. The homers were numbers three and four for Gordon this season.
There was more to it than the mere fact that the base hits went for four bases. Both were hit off slow curve balls and when Brunswick had a two-strike count on him. All this year, and last, too, he has been a notorious bad slow ball hitter, even worse when he’s in the hole with two strikes.
NEW CROUCH
Last night it was different. He new “Vanni crouch,” in which Gordon—normally a stand-up hitter—finds himself bent over like an old gal scrubbing a floor (courtesy Mr. Vanni), is paying off. Gordie claims he can now see the ball better, and his .304 average would seem to bear that out.
But for Brunswick, Locke would have been the story. It was his first shutout, his sixth win against four losses. He allowed only three hits, struck out six and walked but one. Any way you look at it, it was an awfully sweet job of pitching.
As good as the Caps looked in the first game, they turned sour in the second. Nothing they tried turned out right as they ran into fast-balling Dick Aubertin, who was as wild as a March hare but ten times as effective. Dick walked 12 men before he was chased in the seventh, but allowed but two hits.
VAN’S BAD GAME
Meanwhile, capable Van Fletcher got his first bad game out of his system. The Salems, who previous to this had never won a game in the ‘new’ Cap Stadium, chased van in the second on four runs and five hits. They kept up the battering on Paul Jones and Billy Whyte until they amassed 11 runs on 15 walloping hits! Hugh Luby, the manager, was the biggest offender with four safeties.
DIAMOND DUST—This being baseball week, tonight is Father’s Night at the Stadium as the same two clubs pair off once more … All the daddies will get in free so long as they bring in one member of the family … Bob Snyder meets Ray McNulty on the pitching mound and the game starts at 8:15 … The WIL has introduced a new rule to try and speed up its games … No coach of manager may come off the coaching lines to dispute a balls and strikes decision by the umpire … The first game lasted only one four, five minutes, so it may have something at that.
First Game
Salem .......... 000 000 0—0 3 1
Vancouver ... 010 203 x—6 7 0
Edmunds and Thrasher; Locke and Ritchey.
Second Game
Salem ............ 040 300 112—11 5 1
Vancouver ...... 000 000 310—4 8 2
Aubertin, Hemphill (7) and Nelson; Fletcher, Jones (2), Whyte (9) and Ritchey.
WENATCHEE, June 17—Dave Dahle notched his eighth win of the season Tuesday night as the Wenatchee Chiefs nipped the Lewiston Broncs 4-3 in a Western International League baseball game here.
Catcher Walt Pocekay gave Dahle a 2-0 in the first inning clubbing his fifth home tun of the season with Bill Cleveland aboard and the Chiefs held on for their first win of the three-game series.
Dahle held the Broncs scoreless until the seventh when left fielder Bob Williams rapped out the second round tripper of the game.
Wenatchee reached Bill Brenner, the losing hurler, and reliefer Larry Powell fro a total of seven hits while Dahle scattered five Lewiston safeties.
Lewiston ........ 000 000 111—3 7 1
Wenatchee .... 200 000 20x—4 5 0
Brenner, Powell (7) and Lundberg; Dahle, Stites (9) and Pocekay.
Tyees Sell Propst, Expect Additions
[Victoria Colonist, June 18, 1952]
Victoria Tyees disposed of one of their two surplus veterans yesterday and there were indications the club will add two limited-service players.
Leaving the club is Jim Propst, who was sold to the Salt Lake City Club of the Class C Pioneer League. Propst has seen limited action this season and none for the past month. He has been on the disabled list with a sore arm. He leaves with a 2-5 record.
Nothing definite was announced by business manager Reg Patterson last night on other player moves, but Joe Jarleski checked in from San Francisco for a tryout and with the club down to five pitchers, is almost certain to get a chance to make the team. Jarleski is a 25-year-old righthander who has been playing semi-pro baseball in the Bay City. He is six feet three inches tall, weighs 180 pounds, and was with the San Francisco Seals in spring training last year.
ANDERSON AVAILABLE
Another player almost certain to be signed is Bernie Anderson, Victoria outfielder, who played last season in the Far West League with Redding and was recently released by the St. Louis Browns organization.
Anderson did well in his first season of professional baseball and may join southpaw Eric Gard as the second Vancouver Island player with the W.I.L. leaders. Anderson appeared in 124 games for Redding and made 144 hits in 490 times at bat to compile a respectable .294 batting average. He scored 135 runs, batted in 64 and had 13 doubles, 11 triples and four home runs. He stole 24 bases and struck out 34 times which drawing 94 bases on balls.
If Anderson and Jarleski are both signed, the Tyees will be two players over the league limit of 17 but catcher Milt Martin is on the disabled list, leaving one player to go. Victoria righthander Bill Prior has also been working out with the Tyees and may be signed to pitch home games.
REGULARS OUT
However, the Tyees may be without first-baseman Chuck Abernathy and infielder Don Pries for a few days. Abernathy’s leg injury sidelined him last night and his return at the moment is indefinite although it is expected he will be back in three or four days. Pries, who sprained an ankle last night, should be back this week.
Patterson also announced last night that the “Vancouver jamboree” will be held Monday night when the Capilanos open a four-game series here. The Caps will provide considerable pre-game entertainment and all proceeds, as per general manager Bob Brown’s winter promise, will go to the Victoria club. Brown promised to forego the visiting club’s 40 per cent cut of the gate to help the financially-embarrassed Victoria club.
ACCEPT INVITATION
It will be the second special “night” of the current home stand. Tomorrow is “Citizen’s Night” and a $700 Westinghouse television set will be given away to a lucky fan. Patterson announced last night that Victoria aldermen had accepted an invitation to attend in a group and that the reeves of the surrounding municipalities—Oak Bay’s Archie Gibbs, Saanich’s Joe Casey and Esquimalt’s A.C. Wurtele—will also be on hand. It is hoped that Victoria Mayor Claude Harrison will also attend and consent to make the draw for the television set.
Salem Senators will provide the opposition for “Citizens’ Night.”
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER, Herald Sports Editor [from June 18, 1952]
So far this season two umpires have quit the Western International League. . .and there's a strong rumor out that more are seriously considering making the same move. Expenses, particularly-the high-cost of living here in the Tri-Cities has been one of the umps major beefs. In the other seven league cities they get a room rate but apparently that custom hasn't been taken up here yet.
As usual there are plenty of hollers about the WIL schedule again this year. Tri-City is a good example. Starting with the June 10 game the Braves will have taken the diamond 23 times when the final out is made on June 29. . .and with only one day of rest, next Monday. That kind of a schedule is tough enough to handle with even the regulation pitching staff, but as it is now the Braves are still shy of a hurler to fill Dick Waibel's place. Vancouver, has the same complaint - long jumps with doubleheaders waiting for them at either end of the line. Incidentally Portland still has no one in sight to send Tri-City for the two players they owe them.
As usual there are plenty of hollers about the WIL schedule again this year. Tri-City is a good example. Starting with the June 10 game the Braves will have taken the diamond 23 times when the final out is made on June 29. . .and with only one day of rest, next Monday. That kind of a schedule is tough enough to handle with even the regulation pitching staff, but as it is now the Braves are still shy of a hurler to fill Dick Waibel's place. Vancouver, has the same complaint - long jumps with doubleheaders waiting for them at either end of the line. Incidentally Portland still has no one in sight to send Tri-City for the two players they owe them.
But Listen!
ALF COTTRELL
[Vancouver Province, June 18, 1952]
The two young men, Jesse Williams and Ed Locke, were idling on the shaded front steps of the big house on Charles street. Warm, early afternoon sun bore down on the tennis courts and trees in the little park across the street.
Jesse and Ed, respectively a third baseman and a pitcher by trade, are currently employed by the Vancouver Capilanos. And because there was no ball game until the evening, loafing was in order at the big house where they and their wives have suites.
A passerby asked Jesse, older of the pair, if he were acquainted with such baseball stars as Don Newcombe, Luke Easter and Satch Paige. Tall and laconic, Williams said that one way and the other he knew most all of the colored players who are now liberally sprinkled around the baseball diamonds.
Some of them were in the colored National group. Jesse played in the colored American league, but he had run into most of them through playing several times in the annual colored All-Star game.
The Pitching Man
“Old Satch Paige, he was like my pappy,” Jesse said. “I played a lot with him. We was both on the Kansas City Monarchs. I was with him when Cleveland signed him.
“There’s a guy if he was sitting here now, he would just sit until sundown just so you talked baseball. He knows everything about pitching. In fact, I think if they could get the history of it, they would find he invented pitching. And just about the finest man I ever met, too.”
“Yes he is,” murmured Locke in agreement.
Williams said he played often with Sacth on the colored All-Stars when they met Bob Feller’s All-Stars, when Feller had just about the best in the game lined up for those pose-season duels. That was before organized baseball let down the color bar a few years back.
The passerby was curious about the size of Luke Easter and Newcombe and the speed of Sam Jethroe and Seattle’s Artie Wilson.
“Newk is a big hunk of guy,” said Locke. “But take him all over, Easter is the biggest.”
Can’t Get Him Mad
“Far as speed is concerned,” Jesse put in, “this Artie Wilson can go. He is a powerful ballplayer. But Jethroe, I can’t rightly think of any human being as fast as Jethroe.
“No, I can’t think of anybody to compare him with, for speed. For awhile, the Newark colored club had Newcombe, Larry Doby, Monte Irvin and some other fellows who could play right with them. That was a good club.
This little Johosie Heard? The passerby asked what he had that was winning him so many games for Victoria.
“He’s got everything. Most of all he’s got it here,” said Locke, tapping his head. “And if you let him get you mad, he’s got you. Because you ain’t ever going to get Johosie mad.”
Was he that good in the colored leagues?
”He’s as good as that any place he pitches. And he has pitched a lot of places,” said Williams with a grin. “Always had that crazy toe-out walk, too, long as I know him. He is just a good pitcher.”
Chump Supply Bad
The passerby said he heard Williams was quite a golfer.
“I guess I’m not as good as you heard,” said Jesse seriously, shaking his head. “I ain’t throwing any challenges around. No sir. This Bill Schuster shoots a real good game of golf.”
“Jesse is going to take me out and show me the game,” said Locke. “But I know how much he will show me. Just enough so I can’t quite beat him.
“Tenpin bowling’s my game. But I ain’t played much lately. I ran out of chumps,” he said, casting a meaning look at Williams.
Having noticed that Jesse, though a speedster when in full flight, often looked as if he were walking on eggs, the passerby was curious as to the reason. Williams admitted that at times his feet bothered him. Did they hurt in a tough game?
”Not when we’re winning,” he said.
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