TRIBE HAMMERS NATS, CLAIMS PIECE OF FIRST PLACE
Garcia 3rd Cleveland Hurler to Win 15
CLEVELAND, Aug. 20 (AP) - The white hot Cleveland Indians won their fifth
consecutive game--and for the 18th time in their last 19 contests--by pummeling
the Washington Senators, 15-1, at Municipal Stadium. Coupled with the
Yankees' split of a doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium, the
Indians have tied the New Yorkers for first place in the American League.
Cleveland is now a season's best 26 games over .500.
The Indians took a first inning lead on Luke Easter's 19th home run of the
season--his seventh home run this month--a two-run shot and never looked back,
blowing the game open in the second inning and all but officially putting it
away in the ensuing frames. Ray Boone and Dale Mitchell both homered,
accounting for three runs, in the second and Boone's RBI single in the third
drove Washington starter Dick Starr from the game. His replacement, Joe
Haynes, was immediately greeted by Jim Hegan's two-run triple.
A four-run bottom of the fourth was highlighted by run-scoring singles off the
bats of Bobby Avila, Al Rosen and Harry Simpson; the final tally of the inning
came home on Boone's fielder's choice. Avila's two-run blast into the left
field grandstand provided the Indians with insurance they didn't need in the
fifth inning and Hegan's RBI ground out in the eighth capped the scoring for
Cleveland.
Mike Garcia, meanwhile, was having little difficulty with the Senators.
The Indians right-hander took a shutout into the sixth, but a two-out single
Pete Runnels scored Eddie Yost, who had tripled, with the lone Washington
run. Garcia settled for a complete game, scattering six hits, walking none
and fanning five to join Bob Lemon and Early Wynn in Cleveland's 15-win
club. The trio is tied with New York's Vic Raschi for the AL lead in
victories.
Garcia is now 5-0 in August and has won his last six starts and his last eight
decisions. His last loss came in July 2 at Comiskey Park against the
Chicago White Sox. In fact, none of Cleveland's "big three"
starters has recorded a loss since Wynn dropped a tough 3-2 decision to Mickey
McDermott and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 28. Since then,
the group has combined for a 16-0 record.
The Indians have two more home games with Washington while the Yankees will play
at Detroit for a pair. Then, the two AL leaders will meet for a big
three-game series at Municipal Stadium, Aug. 23-25. Large crowds are
expected in the cavernous venue for all three contests. The Yankees have
controlled the head-to-head match-up thus far, winning 12 of the 17 games the
two teams have played. The Indians have dominated the other six AL clubs
in head-to-head play, having clinched nothing less than a season series split
with all of them.
8/20/1951, Was51-Cle51, Cleveland Municipal Stadium 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 1951 Senators 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 6 0 5 1 1951 Indians 2 3 3 4 2 0 0 1 x 15 19 1 6 1 Senators AB R H BI AVG Indians AB R H BI AVG Yost 3b 4 1 2 0 .260 Mitchell lf 4 3 3 2 .359 Ferrick p 0 0 0 0 .667 Maddern ph 1 0 0 0 .000 Coan lf 4 0 1 0 .295 Avila 2b 4 2 2 3 .282 Runnels ss 4 0 2 1 .238 McCosky cf 1 0 0 0 .258 Vernon 1b 4 0 1 0 .314 Doby cf 2 3 2 0 .286 Mele cf 3 0 0 0 .308 Stirnweiss 2b 1 0 0 0 .206 Dente ph 1 0 0 0 .264 Easter 1b 4 1 1 2 .228 Robertson rf 4 0 0 0 .161 Kennedy,Bo ph 1 0 0 0 .241 Michaels 2b 3 0 0 0 .228 Chapman 1b 0 0 0 0 .164 Grasso c 3 0 0 0 .246 Rosen 3b 5 2 2 1 .253 Starr p 1 0 0 0 .143 Simpson rf 2 1 1 1 .279 Haynes p 0 0 0 0 .200 Lehner ph 2 0 1 0 .138 Porter ph 1 0 0 0 .000 Boone ss 3 2 2 3 .238 Consuegra p 0 0 0 0 .378 Combs ph 2 0 1 0 .350 Verble ph 1 0 0 0 .179 Hegan c 5 0 3 3 .241 33 1 6 1 Garcia p 5 1 1 0 .224 42 15 19 15 Senators INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Starr L 4-10 2.2 6 8 8 2 0 49 28 5.50 Haynes 2.1 9 6 6 1 0 54 35 6.38 Consuegra 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 27 17 4.79 Ferrick 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 15 11 5.77 8.0 19 15 15 3 0 145 91 Indians INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Garcia W 15-7 9.0 6 1 1 0 5 118 82 3.13 9.0 6 1 1 0 5 118 82 Was: Porter batted for Haynes in the 6th Verble batted for Consuegra in the 8th Verble moved to 3b in the 8th Dente batted for Mele in the 9th Cle: Lehner batted for Simpson in the 6th Combs batted for Boone in the 6th Maddern batted for Mitchell in the 6th Maddern moved to lf in the 7th McCosky inserted at cf in the 7th Stirnweiss inserted at 2b in the 7th Lehner moved to rf in the 7th Combs moved to ss in the 7th Kennedy,Bo batted for Easter in the 7th Chapman inserted at 1b in the 8th E-Rosen. 2B-Yost(25), Mitchell(19). 3B-Yost(8), Hegan(6). HR-Mitchell(13), Avila(6), Easter(19), Boone(7). RBI-Runnels(16), Mitchell 2(48), Avila 3(51), Easter 2(77), Rosen(79), Simpson(36), Boone 3(60), Hegan 3(39). SB-Doby(1). K-Vernon, Mele, Grasso, Starr, Dente. BB-Doby 2, Simpson. BALK-Starr. GWRBI: Easter Temperature: 83, Sky: clear, Wind: left to right at 8 MPH. Attendance: 28,363 Game Time: 2:16