Friday, August 29, 1952

W L Pct. GB
Victoria .... 85 45 .654 —
Spokane ..... 78 59 .569 10½
Vancouver ... 65 62 .512 18½
Salem ....... 65 69 .485 22
Yakima ...... 63 70 .474 23½
Lewiston .... 62 73 .459 25½
Tri-City .... 59 72 .450 26½
Wenatchee ... 53 80 .398 33½

VICTORIA [Colonist, Aug. 30]—Although they sported a healthy lead at the time, Victoria Tyees had to do something when Portland Beavers recalled Cal McIrvin after he won his 13th last July 14.
Their first step was to purchase Carl Gunnarson, the ageless southpaw, from Vanxcouver. Their second was to put Bill Prior, lean home-grown righthander, on their active list. McIrvin has not been missed.
When McIrvin left, the Tyees were 53-29 with an eight-game bulge over Spokane Indians and a 10½ game edge over Vancouver. Without McIrvin, the W.I.L. leaders have compiled a 32-16 record, lead Spokane by 10½ games and the Caps by 18½, and Victoria’s first pennant needs only mathematical clinching.
REPLACEMENTS DO WELL
McIrvin’s replacements have won 13 games and lost but six with Gunnarson 7-2 and Prior 6-4. But it should have been 14-5, with Prior at 7-2. His 3-2 loss to Salem in 10 innings at Royal Athletic Park last night was about as tough as they come.
Matched against Vince DiBiasi, the cunning ex-Coast League veteran, Prior was never better. He started out by whiffing the first three hitters he faced and went into the ninth with a three-hit shutout and leading, 2-0, because DiBiase tossed a sacrifice bunt into right field in the seventh.
Then it started. With one out, Dick Bartle was fooled on a third strike but he topped the ball down the third base line and easily beat it out for a scratch single. Prior walked Jim Deyo and Bob Nelson smashed a hit back through the middle.
Cec Garriott, taking his eye off the ball to take a look at the base runners, let it go through and both Bartle and Deyo scored. Prior had no double with the next two batters but lost it in the next inning when he made his own trouble by walking Bill Spaeter with two out and wild-pitched him into scoring position.
Bill White was put on first but Bartle got himself a real hit this time to plate Spaeter with the tie-breaking run.
It was an unhappy ending to another of the pitchers’ battles which are becoming more usual as the season nears its close. Both Prior and DiBiasi gave up six hits but the Tyees couldn’t get more than one an inning and scored their two runs on a walk, DiBiasi’s heave to right field and an infield out. Prior struck out eight and walked seven.
It will be Carl Gunnarson and Bill Bottler, in that order, for the Tyees in today’s two games, The Senators will counter with righthander Ray McNulty and southpaw Bob Collins … Granny Gladstone has only 14 home runs according to official league statistics and not 15 as was thought … Ben Lorino has yet to receive credit for that early-season relief win at Yakima and is listed with 22 wins instead of 23 … Bill Spaeter saved the game for the Solons last night with a sparkling fifth-inning catch of Lu Branham’s fly near the right-field foul line. It ended the inning with John Treece already across the plate with the run that would have won … Likeable Dick Bartle is having a good season with Salem and at .281 could still finish a .300 hitter … Other good defensive plays last night were turned in by Don Pries and Jim Deyo, Salem centrefielder, who robbed Jim Clark in the fifth … Treece broke out of his slump with two hits … plans are reported underway for a “Player Appreciation Night” and it is needed. Just over 1,300 fans have turned out for the last two games, hardly appreciation for the fine baseball played all season by the Tyees.
Salem ...... 000 000 002 1—3 6 1
Victoria .... 000 000 200 0—2 6 1
DiBiasi and Nelson; Prior and R. Bottler.

YAKIMA, Aug. 29 — The Spokane Indians jumped off to a three-run lead in top of the first Friday night and were never headed as they toppled the Yakima Bears, 6-3, in a Western International League baseball game.
Spokane ....... 301 001 010—6 7 1
Yakima ......... 010 001 100—3 9 2
Conant and Sheets; Savage, Thompson (2), King (6), Del Sarto (8) and Donahue.

VANCOUVER [Keith Matthews, News Herald, Aug. 30]—The Capilanos broke out in a rash of extra basehits Friday night, won themselves a ball game 7-1 over Tri-City and preserved their third place hold over Salem.
It was close for a while, but the Caps got a break in the sixth when pitcher Ad Satalitch threw away an easy out at first base. That error cost him two runs and Vancouver scored two more before the inning ended. As far as the ball game was concerned, it ended right there.
Ed Locke was the winner, his 10th of the year, and it was one of his fancier efforts. Ed was powerfully quick last night and had the Braves on his hip most of the way.
CROWD IMPROVED
The crowd—at Picture Night at the stadium—was improved. About 1500 took this one in and that was almost 1000 more than Thursday.
As the Caps come into their closing days of baseball at home, attendance is an important thing. Right now the figure is right around 120,000. It’s not what was expected at the start of the year when a 200,000 season was considered the target, but considering the weather and the way the pennant race is dragging, it’s not bad.
Victoria, for instance, will only draw about 115,000 for their pennant winner this year—and they must be thinking right now that it doesn’t pay any more to have a cinch winner than it does to have a permanent loser. The Tyees just can’t seem to hit the happy medium.
IMPORTANT ISSUE
Attendance will be an important thing at the coming league meeting in Seattle next month. It will be brought up, for instance, that something will have to be done against Wenatchee. Maybe Tri-City, too.
Because the two prairie towns, Calgary and Edmonton, are now hovering in the background, it well could be that the league fathers will look upon this year’s weak sisters [ ] drastic measures.
DIAMOND DUST—The Caps and Braves play two tonight starting at 7 o’clock … Newcomer Jerry Cade, a lefthander, pitches the first game for the Caps and Van Fletcher goes out for again for his 12th win in the second game. Monday (Labor Day), the same clubs wind up the six-game [ ] fair with two more … It will be at 2:30 in the afternoon and 7 o’clock at night with Bob Snyder and John Guldborg likely pitching for the Caps.
- - -
VANCOUVER, Aug. 29 — The Vancouver Capilanos grabbed sufficient margin for victory in the first inning Friday night as they chilled the Tri-City Braves 7-1 in a Western International League baseball contest.
The outcome left the teams holding a victory apiece aftcr two games of a six-game series.
Vancouver broke out for two runs in the first on a double by manager Edo Vanni, a triple by Gord Brunswick and a single by John Ritchey.
Not satisfied, the Caps added four more runs in the sixth on three hits, a walk and a two-base error by pitcher Ad Satalich. They scored again in the eighth.
Nick Pesut's single, a walk, a fielder's choice and an infield grounder gave the
Braves their lone run in the fifth.
Tri-City ........ 000 010 000—1 3 2
Vancouver .... 200 004 01X—7 10 1
Satalich and Pesut; Locke and Ritchey.

WENATCHEE, Aug. 29 — Lewiston bunched its seven hits nicely Friday night to defeat Wenatchee, 3-1, in a Western International League baseball game.
The Broncs sewed it up in the third, scoring twice on Bill Brenner's single, a walk and a two-run triple by Snag Moore. They added their third tally in the eighth on a walk, single and long fly.
Lewiston ....... 002 000 010—3 7 2
Wenatchee .... 000 000 100—1 6 0
Brenner and Lundberg; Dasso and Pocekay.