Lanier’s pitching, fielding lapses give Yanks opener
Wild pitch, dropped ball, failure to cover first all prove costly to Cards
By Jack Cuddy, United Press staff writer
Fortress over World Series brought the possibility today of protests to Army authorities. Low-flying Army planes, like this one, soared over Yankee Stadium at the opening of the Series yesterday – at one time holding up the game – and aroused the ire of New York’s Mayor La Guardia, who threatened to have the pilots grounded.
New York –
The New York Yankees, before a near-record crowd of 68,676 fans, got the jump on the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1943 World Series at Yankee Stadium yesterday by winning the first game, 4–2, mainly because of an error and a wild pitch by lefty Max Lanier.
Lanier, the Cards’ ace southpaw, who yielded seven hits to the American League champions during the seven innings he pitched, made his costly bobbles in the fourth and sixth frames that led to his club’s defeat – a defeat that ended the Redbirds’ string of four straight victories in last year’s five-game championship series.
Stocky Lanier of the jerky, monkey-motion windup, set the stage for two unearned Yankee runs in the fourth inning when he raced to cover first base and dropped Lou Klein’s throw of Frank Crosetti’s grounder from second. Crosetti, the Yankees shortstop, then stole second, and was safe on catcher Walker Cooper’s rather high throw. Billy Johnson, Yankees third baseman, bunted safely for a single, then Charlie “King Kong” Keller, Yankees slugging left fielder, hit into a double play as Crosetti scored from third with the Yanks’ first unearned run – a tally that tied the count at 1–1, as the Cards had scored once in the second inning.
Gordon clots home run
But the Yankees fourth session was not yet ended, although it would have been except for Lanier’s error. Joe Gordon, New York second baseman who was the goat of last year’s World Series, stepped up to the plate and slammed the ball into the lower left field stands for a home run that put the American League pennant winners ahead, 2–1. Trigger Joe connected with this four-bagger when the count on him was three balls and one strike. It sank into the lower stands, just to the left of the 402-foot sign. The crowd gave Gordon a frenzied ovation.
Catcher Bill Dickey, the oldest player on the Yankees squad and their best current hitter, was the next man up. He flied to shortstop Slats Marion.
Undaunted by this bad break in the fourth inning, the Cardinals – eager, fast-stepping youngsters – evened the count at 2–2 in the next inning, the fifth. But bad luck again descended upon Lanier and his Redbirds in the sixth, when southpaw Max made his costly wild pitch.
Wild pitch loses for Cards
Crosetti and Johnson, of the Yanks, had gained second and first base, respectively, by virtue of their singles, and Keller had flied out, when the wild pitch came – the unfortunate heave that lose the game.
Joe Gordon was at bat. Whether memories of Gordon’s home run in his previous trip to the plate made Lanier nervous, or whether it was merely a slip, is problematical. Lanier threw one of his low balls, but it was too low. A groan went up from St. Louis fans as the ball struck the tip of home plate and bounced into the air over catcher Cooper’s head. Cooper, keeping his mask on, started running to his left, but the ball bounced back of him to the right, and it was some time before he located the ball.
Meanwhile, Crosetti was speeding home from second base and he scored standing up. Johnson advanced from first to third. Gordon, who may or may not have been the innocent cause of the wild pitch, fanned. Then Bill Dickey singled to center, scoring Johnson with the Yanks’ fourth tally of the day, wrapping up their victory.
Chandler achieves first win
Debs Garms was sent in to pinch hit for Lanier at the opening of the eighth inning. Then Harry Brecheen, another southpaw, took over the Cardinals mound. The Yanks got a total of eight hits off both flingers.
Meanwhile, the Cards garnered only seven off Spurgeon “Spud” Chandler, the Yankees righthander, who achieved his first World Series victory in his third attempt. Each club turned in two errors. Chandler, of the corn-tussle hair, pitched an excellent game, keeping his hits well separated and bearing down in the clutches.
The Cards opened their scoring in the second inning when Marion doubled off first baseman Nick Etten’s glove, scoring Walk Cooper, who had singled and been advanced by Whitey Kurowski’s sacrifice and Danny Litwhiler’s walk. Had Etten not tried for Marion’s drive, the ball might have gone foul – it was so close to the line and rising as Etten deflected it.
The other Cardinals marker came in the fifth inning when Lanier’s single drove home Sanders, who got on base through Etten’s error. Etten thought Sanders was out at first base on Gordon’s throw of his grounder from second. But umpire Beans Reardon called him safe just as Etten started to throw the ball up to catcher Bill Dickey. Surprised at the umpire’s decision, Etten twisted back as he threw and the ball went wild, permitting Sanders to gallop down to second. Sanders advanced to third after Litwhiler’s fly to center. Marion was thrown out, then Lanier’s single brought Sanders home for the Cards’ final tally.
The crowd of 68,676 in the huge bunting-festooned stadium approached the record single-game Series crowd of 69,902 which attended the fourth game of last year’s Series – a Sunday contest.