Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Monday, July 21, 1947

SPOKANE, July 21—Relief pitcher Jim Forsyth tonight hit a two-run homer in the tenth inning to give the Spokane Indians a 7-5 victory over Wenatchee and stretch Spokane's lead in the Western International Baseball League to a full game over the idle Bremerton Bluejackets. Spokane manager Ben Geraghty used 16 players, including three pitchers and himself, before the Indians found the scoring punch to tally three runs in the ninth inning and three more in the overtime period.
Wenatchee ......... 003 010 000 1—5 9 1
Spokane ............. 001 000 003 3—7 11 3
Vivaldi and Dalrymple; Samson, Latino (10), Forsyth (10), and Bufflap, O'Neill (10).

WIL STATS
(Includes games of July 13 except Tac. at Van., doubleheader, July 13. Compiled by Howe News Bureau)
TEAM BATTING
                   AB   R   H  HR  Pct
Vancouver ....... 3029 516 901 65 .297
Tacoma .......... 3031 519 881 64 .291
Spokane ......... 3174 636 913 46 .288
Victoria ........ 3290 644 944 88 .287
Salem ........... 3027 529 845 30 .279
Wenatchee ....... 3067 516 843 71 .275
Bremerton ....... 3007 500 821 45 .273
Yakima .......... 3023 601 823 57 .272


TEAM FIELDING
                  DP  PO    A   E   Pct
Bremerton ....... 80 2304  944 131 .961
Vancouver ....... 62 2224  870 120 .960
Victoria ........ 98 2426 1061 166 .955
Salem ........... 77 2176  933 150 .954
Spokane ......... 76 2335  978 169 .953
Tacoma .......... 70 2241 1021 190 .948
Yakima .......... 98 2283 1045 193 .945
Wenatchee ....... 63 2260  839 194 .941


TOP BATTERS
                     AB  R   H HR RBI Pct
Kuper, Tac ........ 210 47  86  2 54 .410
Phillips, Spo ...... 74 17  30  4 18 .403
Mastro, Vic ....... 223 57  87  6 53 .390
Hooper, Vic ....... 251 65  91  8 44 .363
Stetter, Tac ...... 230 44  81  2 34 .352
Constantine, Yak ... 35  5  13  1  4 .351
Mead, Vancouver ... 331 69 115 13 69 .347
Gorman, Spo ....... 337 64 113  8 83 .346
Brenner, Van ...... 119 16  41  6 16 .344
Clift, Yak ........ 143 46  49  6 29 .343
Pesut, Wen ........ 205 37  70 15 58 .341
Wasley, Wen ....... 317 58 106  8 71 .334
Volpi, Bre ........ 192 28  64  3  3 .333
White, Vic ........ 398 66 132 11 70 .332
Greco, Tac ........ 328 58 109 19 83 .332
Greenhalgh, Wen ... 237 57  78  8 31 .329
Beard, Sal ........ 256 49  84  2 56 .328
Goldsberry, Yak ... 196 43  64  2 50 .327
Maul, Bre ......... 314 53 102  8 54 .325

Capilanos Batters
                     AB  R   H HR RBI Pct
Stumpf ............ 222 17  69  5 37 .311
Mullens ........... 321 72  98 18 68 .305
Mohr .............. 365 71 109  5 32 .299
Wright ............ 152 25  45  2 21 .296
Estes ............. 315 53  92  6 37 .292
Hjelmaa ........... 329 52  95  1 44 .289
Snyder ............. 55  5  15  0  2 .273
Hall ............... 48  5  13  1 12 .271
Reese, Bre-Van .... 245 46  66  4 44 .269
Tran .............. 296 52  76  4 53 .257
Robertson .......... 20  4   5  1  2 .250
Hedgecock .......... 54  8  13  1  8 .241

TOP PITCHERS
                       W  L  Pct  BB  SO
Gunnarson, Sal-Van .. 10  3 .769  58  73
Sullivan, Bre ....... 10  3 .769  29  70
Cordell, Yak ......... 6  3 .750  39  58
Costello, Spokane ... 15  6 .714  77 133
Lowman, Bremerton ... 10  4 .714  34  45
Mossor, Salem ....... 12  5 .706  80 131
Ahearn, Bre .......... 7  3 .700  51  58
Hall, Vancouver ...... 9  4 .682 108 122
Wyatt, Salem ........ 12  6 .667  71  99
Blankenship, Vic ..... 6  3 .667  52  78
Romple, Yak .......... 6  3 .667  54  58
Spitzer, Spo ......... 4  2 .667  84  79
P. Barisoff, Spo ..... 4  2 .667  13  12
Walden, Tac ......... 10  6 .625  67  68
Samson, Spo .......... 9  6 .600  74  70
Kasparovitch, Vic ... 10  7 .588  59  67
Lazor, Spo ........... 7  5 .583  51  48
Marshall, Bre ........ 7  5 .583  82  78
Johnston, Bre ........ 8  6 .571  42  46
Fortier, Vic ......... 5  4 .556  49  43

Capilanos Pitchers
                       W  L  Pct  BB  SO
Snyder ............... 9 10 .474  50 105
Hedgecock ............ 7  8 .467  68  87
Jonas ................ 2  3 .400  17  12
Robertson ............ 3  5 .375  26  37
Bryant ............... 1  5 .167  24  25
Manier ............... 0  1 .000  10   3

ON THE SUNBEAM
By ALF COTTRELL
[Vancouver Sun, July 22, 1947]
Look Out Below, Caps Coming
Several weeks ago when the local Capilanos started their mad dash toward the Western International League cellar the goal seemed unattainable.
Some of their fondest admirers snickered at those who brashly said they might make it, but the snickers are getting fewer and more thoughtful with each passing series.
Yakima is only six games away and the Yaks can probably feel the Caps tramping on their fingers right now. Once past Yakima and it will just be a case of Wenatchee, get out from in back of that coal bin. The Capilanos are on their way.
Spoofing aside, this season must have been a heartbreaker for the local field general, Bill Brenner. He has had a lot of tough ones to take but the roughest must have been the gradual realization that he had everything but a ball club.
The fans have stuck with the ship in rather amazing fashion. There is seldom a murmur of disapproval from the oft-crowded uncovered stands. There have been only two main beefs, one re Brenner’s reluctance to send a pitcher to the bullpen to warm up when the
air is thick with enemy base-hits, the other his stubborn reliance on the unrealiable Lou Estes as the cleanup hitter.
Even Bob Brown, the front office chieftain, has been relatively immune to criticism and he has been as vulnerable as a hippopotamus with lockjaw. When the need for a shot of new pitching blood became apparent he went and brought sore-armed Pete Jonas, which was like shipping whisky to J. Dewar. We already had some.
Some Pullets in the Ruff
Two items would seem to have kept the wolves off the Caps, in the main. Firstly, the fact that the Caps have some young and eye-soothing speedballs on the payroll, and secondly the matter of Brenner’s personal popularity.
Re the first item, Frank Mullens has had a big year afield, at bat and on the bases. And the fans, it must be remembered, were on Frank’s team even when he wasn’t cutting it in noticeable slices last year. Mullens personifies the old college try, and that covers a lot of sins with the multitude.
The club was also lucky in coming out of the shrubbery with two fine young infield prospects in Len Tran and Bud Hjelmaa. Tran, who has finally started to hit, is the dashing sort of a lad who doesn’t slow down at grade crossings, and Hjelmaa isn’t the kind to jump on the curves, either, though he may lunge at the odd one.
As for Brenner’s personal appeal, it is such that even boss Brown can scarcely do more than mutter in his absence. When in Bill’s company the old red-headed executive becomes a two-year-old again, playful of mood and forgetful of planned scoldings.
“Fire Away; I Love It,” He Says
The press would by this time have tried the average manager and cut him into small strips. Such is the baseball writers’ admiration for Brenner the individual that they would probably toss a fellow reporter out of the union for suggesting that Bill had missed a trick.
This is not idle theory. Yours truly, incidentally, sees less of the big, barking catcher-manager than the other fellows, but even in this space yours truly must blushingly admit to having pulled a punch or two. This despite Brenner’s constant injunction, “Go, ahead; I can take it.”
That doesn’t alter the fact that the big, harmony-loving manager has shown certain weaknesses. Tough on umpires, he is obviously over-gentle with his own players. Particularly with working pitchers. This is his first full year as a manager, of course. And bad ball clubs make bad managers. But there we go again.
Dagnab it, after all he is the best manager we have had this season.

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