W L Pct GB
Vancouver ... 15 8 .714 —
Spokane ..... 14 8 .636 1½
Salem ....... 11 8 .579 3
Tri-City ..... 9 8 .529 4
Yakima ....... 8 11 .421 6
Victoria ..... 8 11 .421 6
Tacoma ....... 7 13 .350 7½
Wenatchee .... 7 14 .333 8
KENNEWICK, May 13 [Herald]—A balk, the first this year in Sanders Field, sent the winning Vancouver run across the plate last night. The balk and the 6-5 defeat, was charged to relief hurler Sam Castro. It was the first loss for the Tri-City Braves in the current series with the Capilanos. The two teams finish out this afternoon with a doubleheader starting at 1:30 p.m.
With the score tied 5-5 in the top of the ninth and base runners on first and third Castro carried the ball high over his head preparing to deliver the pitch to Curt Schmidt. However instead of coming to the set position, Castro carried the motion through and both umpire Nels Pearson behind the plate and Milt Eiler on the bases called, "balk."
The decision scored Charlie Mead from third with the winning run.
Castro had taken over the Tri-City hill from strter Lou McCollum in the ninth inning with one out and men on first and second. Manager Charlie Petersen lifted McCollum after he had walked Ray Tran and Chuck Abernathy with Dick Sinovic coming to the plate. The strategy was well dictated for Buddy Peterson scooped up Sinovic's ground ball to force Tran at third.
But Castro walked Mead to load the bases. Then Reno Cheso blooped a single over second base to score Abernathy and Sinovic and sent Mead scurrying to third. Schmidt then came to bat and on the first pitch Castro balked.
It was a tough game to lose for the Braves had forged out in front 5-3 going into the top half of the ninth principally on the strength of two home runs. Artie Wilson rapped the first one in the fourth inning a near 400-footer which carried over the
left center field wall to give the Tri-City team a 3-2 edge at that point.
Then after Vancouver had tied the score in the top of the seventh Vic Buccola slammed his fourth four-master of the year over the right field fence. Both home runs found men aboard the sacks. Wilson drove in Neil Bryant and when Buccola plated Al Spaeter in front of him it looked like the ball game.
It was the first home run of the year for Wilson.
A crowd of 1059 shivering fans clung tightly to their seats when it looked as though the Braves might stage a ninth inning rally even though two were out. Nick Pesut got it started with a single into left field. Then Jim Olsen batting for Castro drew a free pass. That put Pesut in scoring position. However Al Spaeter, who was under the gun, lifted a high fly deep into left field to end the game.
McCollum, who was in trouble several times during the game put on a brilliant display of pitching in the fourth to get out of a jam. With the sacks full of Capilanos and only one out, the veteran right hander got Bob Snyder on a high fly to Buccola and then sent Bob McGwire back to the bench on a swinging third strike.
Vancouver .... 020 000 103— 6 10 1
Tri-City ........ 001 200 020— 5 9 2
Snyder and Ritchey; McCollum, Castro (9) and Pesut.
YAKIMA — Tacoma and Yakima went 11 innings tonight before Yakima scored in the last
of the eleventh for a 1 to 0 victory in a Western International League Baseball game.
Jerry Zuvela's triple in the 9th set up the winning run. Mike Baxes and Mansell Travis were intentionally passed to load the bases. Zuvela scored on Bill Brenner's long fly to center.
Bill Boemler, a new addition to the Yakima roster, spaced 7 hits for the win. Sol Israel's double in the seventh with two out was the only extra-base blow off his deliveries.
Jerry Barta, Tacoma righthander, dueled on even terms with Boemler until the eleventh. He gave up five hits all of which were registered by lefthanded swingers.
Tacoma .... 000 000 000 00—0 7 0
Yakima ..... 000 0000 000 01—1 5 1
Barta and Sheets; Boemler and Tiesiera.
SPOKANE, May 12—The Salem Senators downed Spokane 8 to 4 tonight in the first game of their Western International League baseball series.
The Indians held a 1 to 0 lead during the first five innings while Dick Bishop held the Senators to 3 scattered hits. But Salem went wild in the sixth, taking Bishop for four hits and scoring four runs, three of them ununearned.
Both teams used three pitchers. Ray McNulty was the winning pitcher and Bishop the loser.
Salem ......... 000 004 301—8 11 3
Spokane ..... 100 002 010—4 6 2
McNulty, DeGeorge (7), Mishasek (8) and Beard; Bishop, Worth (6), Weaver (9) and Nulty, Melchenheimer.
WENATCHEE, May 12 — The Victoria Athletics eaged the Wenatchee Chiefs 2 to 1 in a Western International league baseball game here tonight.
Shortstop Bill Dunn opened the ninth inning with a single. Tom O'Laughlin forced him at second and advanced to third on Lilio Marcucci's double. Hal Jackson's single scored O'Laughlin with the winning run.
Marcucci's double in the seventh produced the A's first run by scoring O'Laughlin after outfielder Marv Diercks sacrificed him to second.
The two clubs meet in a doubleheader here tomorrow.
Victoria ......... 000 000 101—2 7 1
Wenatchee .... 000 000 001—1 4 0
Hedgecock and Martin; Dahle and Len Neal.
Western International league averages.
Includes games of Sunday, May 6, 1951 except doubleheader of May 5 between Salem and Victoria. Compiled by Howe News Bureau.
TEAM BATTING
G AB R OR H TB 2B 3B HR SH SB BB SO PCT
Tri-City . 14 485 97 70 151 202 26 8 3 9 4 93 46 311
Tacoma ... 15 526 83 97 155 187 23 3 1 16 1 57 50 295
Salem .... 13 413 58 68 121 142 16 0 5 8 7 65 40 293
Wenatchee. 17 595 98 114 174 232 34 6 4 10 9 95 76 292
Spokane .. 18 622 109 106 176 246 28 3 12 16 21 131 80 283
Yakima ... 15 517 72 92 144 189 21 9 2 12 9 64 63 279
Vancouver. 16 581 108 63 157 199 27 6 1 6 11 78 44 270
Victoria . 12 394 51 66 93 121 19 0 3 8 14 65 43 236
TEAM FIELDING
W L T DP TP PD PO A E PCT
Tacoma ..... 6 9 0 15 0 0 396 176 20 955
Victoria ... 4 8 0 13 0 2 311 140 18 962
Tri-City ... 8 6 0 18 0 0 360 162 22 960
Salem ...... 6 7 0 23 0 0 347 155 16 959
Yakima ..... 6 9 0 13 0 0 391 165 26 955
Spokane ... 11 7 0 16 0 3 483 225 34 954
Wenatchee .. 6 11 0 16 0 0 449 194 32 953
Vancouver . 13 3 0 21 0 2 419 202 18 972
[WILFan note: I'm guessing 'PD' is a misprint for 'PB']
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER, Herald Sports Editor [May 13/51]
"Old baseball players never die. . .they retire to the WIL." It used to be that the Coast league was the last stop but no more. Just counting quickly the names that come to mind who stepped down from the majors and-or PCL there are Hugh Luby, Dick Barrett, Bill Schuster, Cy Gassaway, Steve Mesner, Ken Richardson, Rupe Thompson, Alan Strange, (though he doesn't play much anymore), Bill Brenner, and our own Charlie Petersen. And that doesn't include a good baker's dozen or more who make yearly trips to the Coast league for a month or two each year.
Thus we take issue with Rube Samuelson who said in his Pasadena column that the old players retire to the Coast league. . .We've got a few over this way too Rube. So it's little wonder that the WIL is a class B league in name only. And since the rookie rule was thrown into the discard fewer and fewer are the young faces appearing in the lineups.
WALK THE PLANK DAY
Which all brings us around to the fact that one week from today it will, be 'walk the plank day." That's when the WIL teams must trim their roster down to the maximum of 17 players. . .three less than the Braves are currently carrying. One method, and certainly the most desirable right at the moment, would be for Charlie Petersen to put himself on the inactive list. That would reduce the number to be cut to only two. And at the same time Petersen could carry the reinstatement slip with him and should the occasion arise, put himself back on the active list, putting say a pitcher on the inactive roster. That's an old baseball maneuver in the Minor leagues where the number of players is limited.
THERE WOULD STILL BE TWO
However, even should the Braves' pilot use this device there would still be two to be lopped off. There are quite a few possibilities. First there's the pitching staff of nine. That's a few more than a team in this league normally carries, though it is a great satisfaction for a manager to look down the bench and see all that help available should he need it. Still one could be cut. Then there's the outfield. Right now the Braves have four, and again that's one over the usual limit. If the cut should come here it would either be Rube Navarro or Bill Edelstein. But there's still one more place the cut might be made, that would be in the catching department. Meaning of course that Mike Michelson would be farmed out for further seasoning.
The only objection to cutting Michelson would be that Nick Pesut would be carrying a mighty full load. Part of that though could be transferred to Clint Cameron, who caught in the Coast league before he injured his ankle, and Petersen could also put on the tools if need be. If say, one cut was made there and another on the hurling staff, that would leave the Braves with an utility player, either Navarro or Edelstein. With Navarro hitting from the right and Edelstein from the left it makes for an ideal situation when a pinch hitter is needed. That's been proven time and time again already this season.
SOMETHING TO WATCH FOR
However, Charlie has also favored a strong pitching staff as one of the first requirements for a winning team. If he doesn't cust a hurler then it must be a catcher and an outfielder. But either way he goes it isn't going to be easy. Most managers have at one time or another in their career themselves been cut from a team and they know hosv it feels. Still that's one of the tasks included in their paycheck and one which Petersen must face this week.
The levelling off process which everyone has expected has arrived. Vancouver stumbled three times in a row and to none other than the Victoria Athletics, the last place team in the league. But the Caps were probably glad to lose that first one anyhow . . . you can't go on winning them forever and the longer you do the greater the pressure that is built up. With those three out of their system they can find the spots which need rebuilding.
Pitching is taking an odd turn in the league even though the season is still young. What we have in mind particularly is Tacoma's Guzman Amador (that's his right name Ed) and Victoria's Big Jawn Marshall. Amador,
It was hoped by the Tigers, would be one of their key pitchers, a 20-game winner perhaps. Yet now it looks as though Jim Brillheart has relegated the south-of-the-border hurler to a relief role. He just hasn't had enough to last out as a starter. It could be that pitching practically the year around as he does, that his arm has lost it's snap. That's happened to plenty others.
Marshall for some reason or other has also done an el foldo this year. It may be that the suspicion of a spare tire he's carrying around his middle is slowing him down. Whatever it is Jawn isn't proving to be the mainstay of the A's as they thought he would.
Thus we take issue with Rube Samuelson who said in his Pasadena column that the old players retire to the Coast league. . .We've got a few over this way too Rube. So it's little wonder that the WIL is a class B league in name only. And since the rookie rule was thrown into the discard fewer and fewer are the young faces appearing in the lineups.
WALK THE PLANK DAY
Which all brings us around to the fact that one week from today it will, be 'walk the plank day." That's when the WIL teams must trim their roster down to the maximum of 17 players. . .three less than the Braves are currently carrying. One method, and certainly the most desirable right at the moment, would be for Charlie Petersen to put himself on the inactive list. That would reduce the number to be cut to only two. And at the same time Petersen could carry the reinstatement slip with him and should the occasion arise, put himself back on the active list, putting say a pitcher on the inactive roster. That's an old baseball maneuver in the Minor leagues where the number of players is limited.
THERE WOULD STILL BE TWO
However, even should the Braves' pilot use this device there would still be two to be lopped off. There are quite a few possibilities. First there's the pitching staff of nine. That's a few more than a team in this league normally carries, though it is a great satisfaction for a manager to look down the bench and see all that help available should he need it. Still one could be cut. Then there's the outfield. Right now the Braves have four, and again that's one over the usual limit. If the cut should come here it would either be Rube Navarro or Bill Edelstein. But there's still one more place the cut might be made, that would be in the catching department. Meaning of course that Mike Michelson would be farmed out for further seasoning.
The only objection to cutting Michelson would be that Nick Pesut would be carrying a mighty full load. Part of that though could be transferred to Clint Cameron, who caught in the Coast league before he injured his ankle, and Petersen could also put on the tools if need be. If say, one cut was made there and another on the hurling staff, that would leave the Braves with an utility player, either Navarro or Edelstein. With Navarro hitting from the right and Edelstein from the left it makes for an ideal situation when a pinch hitter is needed. That's been proven time and time again already this season.
SOMETHING TO WATCH FOR
However, Charlie has also favored a strong pitching staff as one of the first requirements for a winning team. If he doesn't cust a hurler then it must be a catcher and an outfielder. But either way he goes it isn't going to be easy. Most managers have at one time or another in their career themselves been cut from a team and they know hosv it feels. Still that's one of the tasks included in their paycheck and one which Petersen must face this week.
The levelling off process which everyone has expected has arrived. Vancouver stumbled three times in a row and to none other than the Victoria Athletics, the last place team in the league. But the Caps were probably glad to lose that first one anyhow . . . you can't go on winning them forever and the longer you do the greater the pressure that is built up. With those three out of their system they can find the spots which need rebuilding.
Pitching is taking an odd turn in the league even though the season is still young. What we have in mind particularly is Tacoma's Guzman Amador (that's his right name Ed) and Victoria's Big Jawn Marshall. Amador,
It was hoped by the Tigers, would be one of their key pitchers, a 20-game winner perhaps. Yet now it looks as though Jim Brillheart has relegated the south-of-the-border hurler to a relief role. He just hasn't had enough to last out as a starter. It could be that pitching practically the year around as he does, that his arm has lost it's snap. That's happened to plenty others.
Marshall for some reason or other has also done an el foldo this year. It may be that the suspicion of a spare tire he's carrying around his middle is slowing him down. Whatever it is Jawn isn't proving to be the mainstay of the A's as they thought he would.
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