TRIBE TAKES SERIES, 2-GAME AL LEAD
Garcia and Mitchell Star
CLEVELAND, Aug. 25 (AP) - With the largest crowd of the major league season in
attendance, the Cleveland Indians won the rubber match of a three-game series
with the New York Yankees behind the stellar pitching of starter Mike Garcia and
another big offensive performance from Dale Mitchell. The 4-1 win ups
Cleveland's American League to two games over the New Yorkers.
The three game series drew 174,927 paying customers, an average in excess of
58,000 per contest. The series finale crowd of 68,630 surpassed the
previous season high, set by the Yankees in their home opener on April 17, by
more than 1500.
The Indians pecked away at Yankees pitching all game long. The first
Cleveland run came in the second on Harry Simpson's seventh home run of the
year, a solo shot. The lead was doubled in the third. Mitchell led
off the inning with a double and was sacrificed to third by Bobby Avila.
Yankees manager Casey Stengel, sensing that runs would be at a premium, pulled
the infield in, a strategy that seemed to pay off when Larry Doby chopped a
routine grounder to third. Mitchell initially held the bag at third but
Yankees third baseman Bobby Brown led the ball go under his glove and roll to
the outfield grass. The error let Mitchell trot home to give Cleveland a
2-0 lead. The run was unearned since Eddie Lopat retired Al Rosen and Ray
Boone easily to end the frame.
Mitchell's 15th home run of the season, which cleared the fence in right-center
field, led off the fifth against Lopat and put the Indians on top 3-0.
Garcia, meanwhile, shut the Yankees out through eight and benefited from Bob
Kennedy's one-out solo home run off reliever Bob Kuzava in the home half of the
eighth.
The Yankees attempted to rally in the ninth. Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra
started the inning off with consecutive singles. Garcia retired Johnny
Mize on a fly ball to the edge of the right field warning track, but Brown
singled to right, scoring DiMaggio to make it 4-1 and leaving runners at fist
and second. Suddenly the tying run was at the plate in the form of Gil
McDougald. Cleveland manager Al Lopez had seen enough and called on Lou
Brissie to replace Garcia, who received a huge ovation from the crowd as he
walked to the dugout. Brissie retired McDougald on a long fly to center
and then faced Hank Bauer, who was asked to pinch hit for Kuzava. Bauer
has been one of the most dangerous hitters in the AL this year, but Brissie got
him on a routine ground ball to shortstop Boone to end the game.
Both clubs have 31 games remaining, but only two more head-to-head: September 16
and 17 at Yankee Stadium.
8/25/1951, NYA51-Cle51, Cleveland Municipal Stadium 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 1951 Yankees 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 7 1 8 1 1951 Indians 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 x 4 9 1 6 2 Yankees AB R H BI AVG Indians AB R H BI AVG Rizzuto ss 4 0 1 0 .296 Mitchell lf 3 2 3 1 .359 Mantle rf 4 0 0 0 .278 Avila 2b 3 0 1 0 .285 Woodling lf 3 0 0 0 .303 Doby cf 4 0 0 0 .279 DiMaggio,J cf 3 1 1 0 .268 Rosen 3b 3 0 0 0 .249 Berra c 4 0 1 0 .281 Boone ss 4 1 1 1 .238 Mize 1b 3 0 0 0 .314 Kennedy,Bo rf 4 0 1 0 .241 Brown,B 3b 4 0 2 1 .271 Easter 1b 0 0 0 0 .229 McDougald 2b 4 0 1 0 .252 Simpson 1b 3 1 2 1 .274 Lopat p 2 0 1 0 .237 Chapman ph 1 0 0 0 .161 Hopp ph 1 0 0 0 .280 Hegan c 3 0 0 0 .233 Kuzava p 0 0 0 0 .083 Garcia p 3 0 1 0 .228 Bauer ph 1 0 0 0 .365 Brissie p 0 0 0 0 .296 33 1 7 1 31 4 9 3 Yankees INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Lopat L 12-9 6.0 7 3 2 1 3 79 54 3.01 Kuzava 2.0 2 1 1 0 1 30 16 4.76 8.0 9 4 3 1 4 109 70 Indians INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Garcia W 16-7 8.1 7 1 1 3 3 113 71 3.05 Brissie S 7 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 8 6 4.15 9.0 7 1 1 3 3 121 77 NYA: Hopp batted for Lopat in the 7th Bauer batted for Kuzava in the 9th Cle: Chapman batted for Simpson in the 8th Easter inserted at 1b in the 9th Chapman moved to rf in the 9th E-Brown,B, Boone. 2B-McDougald(10), Mitchell(21), Kennedy,Bo(10), Garcia(3). HR-Mitchell(15), Boone(8), Simpson(7). RBI-Brown,B(36), Mitchell(51), Boone(62), Simpson(37). K-Mantle 3, Avila, Rosen, Hegan 2. BB-Woodling, DiMaggio,J, Mize, Rosen. SH-Mitchell, Avila. GWRBI: Simpson Temperature: 79, Sky: clear, Wind: out to center at 8 MPH. Attendance: 68,630