Saturday, July 17, 1954

              W L  Pct GB
Lewiston .... 9 5 .643 —
Victoria .... 5 3 .625 1
Tri-City .... 7 5 .583 1
Yakima ...... 6 5 .475 1½
Edmonton .... 5 5 .500 2
Salem ....... 5 6 .455 2½
Vancouver ... 4 6 .400 3
Wenatchee ... 3 9 .250 5

VICTORIA [Jim Tang, Colonist, July 18]—Victoria Athletics lost their second-half WIL lead at Royal Athletic Park last night as the trailing, but pesky, Wenatchee Chiefs made it two in a row by scoring an 8-6 decision to take a three-game series, 2-1.
Meanwhile, Lewiston Broncs split a doubleheader with Vancouver Caps to move into the league lead.
The Tyees are idle today and tomorrow, then open a three-game series at Salem on Tuesday. They return home Friday for a three-game series with the Yakima Bears.
ABSENCE HURTS
One bad inning ruined the Tyees, who didn’t get the best of breaks last night. The Chiefs opened with two tainted runs in the first inning and scored five times in the third for their margin. The Tyees pecked away at righthander Charlie Oubre but couldn’t get a big rally underway as they missed Neil Sheridan’s clean-up bat.
Sheridan misplayed Tony Rivas’ fly into a triple in the first inning and appeared to pull a muscle in his leg while trying to get back into position. He was taken out of the line-up and pitcher Bill Prior played the full game in the outfield and batted in the fourth spot.
Bob Drilling, seeking his seventh straight victory, was a two-run victim of the lucky triple in the first inning but he didn’t appear to have his usual fine control and working behind the hitters caught up with him in the third inning.
A single by Rivas, a double by Ross McCormack and a home run by Jake Helmuth opened the rally and drilling was replaced by Berlyn Hodges and eventually took his sixth setback.
Hodges gave up two more runs before getting the side out in the third but pitched well from there, Rivas’ eighth-inning home run being the only other tally he conceded.
Given a big lead, Oubre held on as the bottom half of the Victoria batting order failed to deliver a hit. The righthander worked easily for the first seven inning but the Tyees were getting to him at the finish, scoring twice in the eighth and twice in the ninth and getting the tying run at the plate before Tom Perez lined out for the game-ending out.
PEREZ ON TARGET
Perez’ hitting was the feature of the game. The Victoria outfielder, who hits the ball as hard as anyone in the league, lined a long triple deep into left field in the third inning, drove left-fielder Larry Richardson back to the left-field corner with a sacrifice fly in the fifth and hit his 16th home run with Prior on the bags in the eighth before driving the ball straight at Richardson in the ninth.
Wenatchee ...... 305 000 010—8 15 2
Victoria ........... 100 010 022—6  9 2
Oubre and Helmuth; Drilling, Hodges (3) and Lundberg.

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, July 19]—The mosquitos in Edmonton this time of year, they say, are fearsome things.
If that’s true, they might be just what the doctor ordered for the Vancouver Capilanos, who open a week-long stand in the Alberta city starting Tuesday. All last week the Caps looked as if they needed something to sting them into action.
They ended up with four wins and four losses for the week, not a bad record for some clubs, but definitely below par fir this one. On occasion, they showed flashes of the form that brought them the first half championship, but mostly they were uninspiring.
The Caps were fortunate to get their even break for the week by splitting Saturday night’s doubleheader against Lewiston Broncs. They got a total of seven hits in the two games, and it took an error to give them their 10-inning, 3-1 nightcap victory.
They managed just four hits in this game off Guy Fletcher after Dean Kime had held them to three for a 6-2 first game victory.
Down 2-1 to the Broncs, the Caps tied it in the eighth on a walk, an infield out, and K Chorlton’s single. They won it in the first extra frame on Jim Clark’s double, a wild pitch and an error by Catcher Ed Garay after a Vancouver strikeout. Garay dropped the ball, it rolled to the grandstand, and the winning run scored.
Pete Hernandez, who allowed 10 hits, got credit for the win, his third.
PROVINCE STARS—Lewiston’s Eddie Bockman, who hit two home runs for both the Broncs’ runs in the nightcap … Grumpy Guy Fletcher, who had reason to be grumpy … and Pete Hernandez, effective in the clutch,
[WILfan notes: Marv Williams, with two, and Dick Greco, with one, accounted for Vancouver’s hits in the opener. Each singled in a run. Al Heist smacked a solo homer for Lewiston … Clint Cameron had a two-run single in the opener for the Broncs … Jim Clark and Bob Duretto got Vancouver’s other two hits in the finale, both doubles. Don Hunter singled three times for the Broncs …. Hernandez walked one and struck out five]
First Game
Lewiston ......... 000 051 0—6 6 0
Vancouver ...... 100 000 1—2 3 2
Kime and Garay, Roberts, Robertson (5) and Pesut.
Second Game
Lewiston ........ 010 100 000 0—2 10 2
Vancouver ..... 001 000 010 1—3  4 0
Fletcher and Garay; Hernandez and Duretto.

EDMONTON, no story available
Yakima ........... 201 010 4—8 12 0
Edmonton ....... 021 000 0—3  5 1
Carmichael and Summers; Kimball and Partee.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald]—The Tri-Clty Braves somewhat equalized the series of losses in the last road trip to Salem by winning Friday night and splitting a doubleheader Saturday night with the Senators here.
Today the Braves will be seeking their third win of the series.
Don Robertson, Tri-City's winningst pitcher who has a 12-4 record, has been named starter.
In Saturday night's action the Braves lost the opener 6-3 and won the second game 4-2. Friday night Tri-City downed the Senators 7-4. In the second game Saturday the veteran Jess Dobernic gave up but three hits in winning his fifth straight victory.
Two of the hits were for extra bases, however, and ruined his bid for a shutout. One Salem run game in the fourth inning when Gene Tanselli tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly. In the eighth inning Hugh Luby, the Salem Manager, doubled, moved to third on a sacrifice and scored on a sacrifice fly.
Tri-City, however, led throughout the game. Their first run came in the second inning when Jack Warren doubled, moved to third on a fly to the outfield and scored on an error. In the fifth Bob McGuire doubled and Dick Watson walked. A fielder's choice put Dobernic on base and forced McGuire.
Watson went to third on a passed ball and scored when Terry Carroll grounded out. The sixth inning run came on a walk and singles by Bob Moniz and McGuire. Arty Wilson added an insurance run in the eighth when he homered over the Tri-City Herald sign in left center field.
Present at the game was WSC baseball coach Buck Bailey who saw several of his ex-students in action. One of these was McGuire who besides his hitting made eight putouts, a high number for an outfielder.
In the first game Saturday night the Senators jumped on relief pitcher Dale Thomason for three runs in the eighth inning and then held Tri-City scoreless in the bottom half.
Jon Briggs, the Salem starter who gave up but four hits, was taken out and Ernie Domenichelli came into pitch in the bottom half after Briggs walked the first two batters to face him. However Len Tran bounced into a double play and Rube Johnson filed out to end any scoring threat.
Altogether Tri-City used four pitchers in the game. Dale Bloom started and was taken out in the fifth inning for pinchhitter Art Wilson.
Wilson tripled Dick Watson home and scored on Terry Caroll's sacrifice fly to put the Braves ahead, 3-2 at that point.
Bui Bill Tompklns, Tri-City lefty who was released before midnight last night, gave up a game tying homer to Gene Tanselli. He then got the side out but was taken out for Walt Clough in the next inning.
In the bottom of the seventh with two away, Dick Watson doubled down the right field line and represented the potential winning run. Jack Warren came in to pinchhit for Clough and was in tentlonally walked. Carroll grounded out to end the threat.
Salem's big eighth inning runs came on a triple by Bob Kellogg, a single by Gene Tanselli, sacrifice, a walk and Dennis Luby's double.
They got their fourth inning runs when Connie Perez homered with Tanselli aboard.
Mel Krause, Salem rightfielder who is running a close contest with Vanni for the-player-bounced-out-the-most-often award, got the boot in the top of the seventh following a disputed call at first. It was the second time in four nights that he has been ousted.
First Game
Salem ........ 000 201 03—6 12 0
Tri-City ...... 010 020 00—3  4 2
Briggs, Domenichelli (8) and D. Luby; Bloom, Tompkins (6), Clough (7), Thomason (8) and Johnson.
Second Game
Salem ........ 000 100 010—2 3 1
Tri-City ...... 010 011 01x—4 6 0
Roenspie and D. Luby; Dobernic and Warren.

Braves Pitching Staff Overhauled
[Tri-City Herald July 18, 1954]
Tri-City's pitching staff underwent a major overhaul this weekend with the acquisition of one pitcher, another who wants to be a pitcher and the release of a third.
Additional shakeups are expected during the week.
The new pitchers are Herman Besse, released recently by the Sacramento Solons, and Gordy Brunswick, bought from San Francisco.
Released was Bill Tompkins, lefthander, who was signed shortly after the Calgary Stempeders folded.
Besse is a lefthander and from the standpoint of age, will take the title of "oldest pitcher" from Jess Dobernic. He is 38 to Jess's 38.
Last season with Sacremento, Besse won 6 and lost 10 in pitching 143 innings. He started 18 games, completed 6 and had and ERA of 3.41.
He was signed as a free agent.
Brunswick, a former Washington State college athlete, is well-known in the Western International league and mostly for his hitting. He formerly belonged to Seattle and played outfield on option to Vancouver.
He was sold to San Francisco earlier this season and after a brief promising start as an outfielder, his bat cooled and he was sent to Modesto in the California league.
General manager Eddie Taylor, in announcing the signing, said "Brunswick feels his best bet in baseball is in pitching.
"We have no idea how he will do. He used to throw batting practice for Seattle. But at least he wants to pitch."
Brunswick is still capable of hitting the long ball and if his pitching is not all that is hoped, he will probably see service as an outfielder.
The release of Tompkins came in order to make room on the roster for Brunswick who is expected to report today. Sometime before Tuesday, Tri-City will have to either cut another player from the roster or put one on the temporarily inactive list tn order to make room for Besse.
* * *
Salem Also Gets Two More Hurlers
The Salem Senator, now playing Tri-City at Sanders Field, also acquired two pitchers recently. One of them is Joe Nicholas, former Tri-City hurler who was sold to Portland by Salem last season. This year, after a brief stay with Portland, he was optioned to Victoria.
He has since been returned and joined the Senators at Salem before they came here. However, manager Hugh Luby gave him permission to miss this series so he and his family could have time to get settled.
The other new pitchers for Salem is Tom Herrara, a righthander with the San Diego Pads earlier this year. He was optioned to Salem last week.

IT BEATS ME
By Jim Tang
[Victoria Colonist, July 18, 1954]

Ron Jackson, who has emerged as one of the better second-basemen in the WIL, both offensively and defensively, is the big story on the Tyees. He’s not only a pesky hitter but the improvement in his defensive play has been amazing. And here you can give a big assist to Eddie Lake, who has been giving the Tyees the best shortstopping in the league. The club leads the league in double plays with 108 for 75 games with Lake figuring in 57 and Jackson, out of the line-up for 20 games, figuring in 50 … Fans who were at the game in question will be happy to hear that pitcher Pete Hernandez, manager Bill Brenner and trainer Hal Younker were fined $50, $25 and $10 respectively, for their bad language during the Vancouver Capilanos’ series here … and a cheer for Wenatchee manager George Kelly, who not only conducts himself on the diamond like the old pro he is but sets his youngsters a fine example in hustle all the time. It’s a relief for the watcher to see a manager who doesn’t go into a frenzy on every close play called against his club, or protest ball-and-strike decisions from a dugout or coaching-box vantage point … when he arrived it was big news but matters changed and I guess no one will mind the tardiness of the report that righthander Joe Nicholas has left the Tyees to pitch (?) for the Salem Senators … the Tyees have been after Dick Greco for several months for several seasons and though they had him twice this season, the last time when he refused to report to Salem last week. But the Capilanos got away to a bad start in the second half may (probably will) keep the big outfielder.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[from Tri-City Herald July 18, 1954]
Beanie Steals Nine Bases
Jack (Beanie) Warren is one of the slowest characters on the Tri-City team, so slow, in fact that when he represents the winning or tying run, playing manager Edo Vanni usually sends in a pinch runner.
Yet Jack has stolen nine bases so far this season. That isn't many compared with K. Chorlton's 21 but it stands right along side Len Tran's nine, and not much below team-leading Terry Carroll's 13.
Most of all, though, from Jack's point of view, it is exactly nine more than another notoriously slow catcher, Nick Pesut, has been able to steal all season. Even Rube Johnson, who Vanni says "runs like Old Buck," has stolen two more than Pesut.
Vanni, himself, is still capable of a base theft now and then. He has stolen five this season which is quite a few considering he has been at bat but 80 times.
Vanni and Warren, though, are able to get that extra step on the pitcher which makes up for the second or so they lack in speed.
* * *
They Almost Won One
Tri-City, it seems, almost won one of those games at Salem after all. During the first game there, the fans would set off firecrackers whenever a Tri-City player came to bat.
Ump Art Bogle warned the crowd if there was a repetition of it the following night, Tri-City would be-declared winner by a forfeit.
* * *
Anyone Got Money?
This will give you some idea what a team such as Tri- City faces when it goes out looking for a pitcher: Recently Edmonton, rapidly beefing up for the second half, decided to go after another hurler. John Ducey, the G. M. offered as high as $5,000 for Ted Edmunds, the Yakima ace.
He was turned down, naturally, and now is seeking an ex-Coast Leaguer.
Tri-City's general manager Eddie Taylor talks of being a little in the black and of hoping to buy a pitcher. Without revealing the exact extent of Tri-City finances, you can figure Eddie is talking about something like $500-S1,000 or about one-tenth the amount, a team such as Edmonton has to throw around.