|
Reversal of fortune?
Boston Globe, Wednesday, September 10
RED SOX DROP EIGHTH STRAIGHT
A's Win Seventh In a Row, Narrow Bosox Lead To Four
BOSTON--In case you haven't noticed it, there is a pennant race in the American League once again. The unfortunate confluence of a Red Sox slump and an Athletics hot streak have, in the span of two weeks, reduced Boston's lead from a once seemingly insurmountable thirteen games to a very precarious four.
Bill Carrigan's crew has recently experienced almost all the set-backs that can afflict a ball club. The injury bug bit Bing Miller hard, shelving him for the rest of the season and endangering his career with a ruptured disc in his back. The bug also got Lefty O'Doul, but not as viciously; O'Doul's painfully jammed finger kept him on the pine until only yesterday, however.
Slumps by Frank Frisch, who has three hits in his last 30 at-bats, and by Judy Johnson, equally inept over his last 20 trips to the plate, have also compounded the problem. "I have to stop pressing so much," Frisch admitted. "I am thinking too much at the plate, rather than simply relaxing and letting my muscles take over."
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, a troika of twirlers has been showing anything but Brotherly Love to rival batsmen. Herb Pennock, Lefty Grove, and young Bill Foster have all been pitching as well as anyone in the game recently.
This threesome has received all the hitting support it needs from men like catcher Mickey Cochrane, first baseman Joe Hauser, and outfielders Joe Jackson and Al Simmons. Also emerging on the scene is a 19-year-old powerhouse named Jimmy Foxx, who has seen time at first base and in the outfield.
"There's no need to panic," Carrigan calmly replied when asked about the Red Sox' recent woes. "We are still in first place, and this team is full of players who have won, and who know how to win."
Carrigan is right about the Bostons' position in the standings, and about its roster full of winners. We hope he is also right about the need for alarm.
|