Brecheen Cards’ hope to even Series
Browns name Jakucki to increase 2–1 edge; Birds drop 6–2 battle
By Leo H. Petersen, United Press sports editor
St. Louis, Missouri –
A streamlined lefthander and a big, loose-jointed righthander picked up from baseball’s bargain drew the starting assignments today for the fourth game of the World Series with the underdog Browns holding a 2–1 edge over their intracity rivals, the Cardinals.
Southpaw Harry Brecheen was the choice of Manager Billy Southworth in an attempt to get his National League champions back on an equal footing while Luke Sewell of the Browns called on Sigmund Jakucki, whom he rescued from the highways which lead to baseball obscurity.
Brecheen won 16 games while losing only five this year and Jakucki’s record for his first major league season was 13 and nine.
Clear, cool weather prevailed today as the Browns and Cardinals prepared to take the field. The forecast was for fair and cooler today and tonight, with fair and continued cool Sunday.
Jakucki semi-pro
Harry came up with the Cardinals last year from Columbus of the American Association, while the easygoing, good-natured Jakucki was playing semi-pro ball when the Browns picked him up. He probably never would have received a major league opportunity had not the war drained the ranks of professional baseball players.
When Brecheen was poison to the National League, Jakucki was doing better than all right in the junior circuit but he had one weakness which kept him from being one of the leading hurlers. That was his home-run ball. But when his control is gilt-edged he has a low slider that gives batters plenty of trouble.
Kramer stops Cards
Jack Kramer handcuffed the Cards yesterday with seven scattered hits as Sewell’s “Hitless Wonders” put on one of their best displays of what little batting power they possess. The Browns, long on pitching and fielding, needed help from their weakest department to win the third game of the series, 6–2, for the fielding which stood them in such good stead during their stretch drive for the pennant, bogged down once more.
Infield errors gave the Cardinals two unearned runs, but the Browns more than made up for that when they shelled Ted Wilks, Southworth’s rookie star, from the box in the third inning.
Wilks was coasting along under a 1–0 lead and, although troubled by wildness, had pitched no-hit ball for the first two and two-thirds innings. But with two men down in the third, the veteran Gene Moore broke the spell with a single. Before the inning was over, the Browns were leading 4–1 as Vernon Stephens, George McQuinn, Al Zarilla and Mark Christman followed with singles and Fred Schmidt, who relieved Wilks after Christman’s hit, contributed a wild pitch.
Browns rally
The run the Brownies gave the Cards on a second error in the seventh was more than discounted when they used doubles by Don Gutteridge and McQuinn, a walk to Stephens and a passed ball by the Cardinals catcher, Walker Cooper, to score two more tallies.
It was more of a margin than Kramer needed. Although he weakened in the late innings, he always had enough reserve.
His performance added to a remarkable World Series pitching record. In three games the Brown hurlers have allowed the Cardinals only one earned run.
Despite their victory in the third game – the winner of which has gone on to win the series nine times in the last 10 years – the Browns were still quoted as underdogs. The Cards were listed at 4–5 while the Browns were rated at even money. For the fourth game, the Cards were favored 11–20 while the Browns were held at 8–5.