Del Baker American League Race

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The 1951 Del Baker Pennant race is underway and the Washington S&MoRyes have taken a one game lead over the Cleveland Indians after just eleven games Washington is 9-2, Cleveland is 8-3 and Detroit is running third three games out.

WASHINGTON 5 DETROIT 4

Washington evened their three game series with Detroit with a 5-4 come from behind effort made possible by a four run eighth inning that erased a 4-1 Boston lead.

Washington third baseman Terry Pena hit a lead off homerun, (2nd) off Whitey Flohr (7IP 8H 3R/3ER 3BB/7SO) to start the uprising. Jim Stidham followed with a triple and Jim Wallace with a double driving in Stidham to cut the lead to 4-3. After pinch hitter Freddy Ramirez flied out, Joe Hodges unloaded on a pitch sending it deep into the left field stands for his second of the season and a 5-4 Washington lead.

Steve Fallenstein pitched an uneventful ninth inning for his fourth save.

Earlier in the game John Comorsky hit a two run homerun for Detroit in the second a d Pat Sanguillen tripled to drive in Al Hughes who had walked. Sanguillen scored on a sacrifice fly by Bill McGhee.

John Schmidt hit a solo homerun in the 6th for Washington's first run.

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Cleveland 7 Boston 6

After getting clobbered 11-2 in game one of the series, the Cleveland Indians came back with a 7-6 win in game two to tie up the series.

This was a game of lead changes and it was Cleveland who drew first blood in the first inning. Jim Braxton hit the first of two homeruns he had in the game off Boston's starting pitcher Tony Martin.

The Indians added a second run in the second inning. Martin walked Bobby Johnson with one out and he scored on a two out sngle by catcher Brad Redmond.

Boston took its first lead a the wild 3rd inning when they put three runs on the scoreboard and lost one at the plate.

Dummy McDavid and Lew Sayles opened the inning with singles. Aarlie McDonald walked to load the bases. Jack Helfrisch cashed in two runs with a double scoring McDavid and Sayles. McDonald stopped at third base.

McDonald scored from third base on a passed ball charged to Cleveland catcher Brad Redmond. Helfrisch advanced to third on the passed ball. Bob Jackson walked to put runners on first and third. Ossie Roser popped out and Helfrisch was thrown out at the plate by center fielder Seji Tomita, while trying to score on a flyball hit by Al Wyatt to end the inning.

The score was 3-2 Boston.

Cleveland re-took the lead in the 3rd with two more runs to take a 4-3 lead. Tomita reached on an error but shortstop Arlie McDonald and Braxton hit his second homerun of the game, third of the season.

And once again a lead did not last very long.

Boston scored three times in the seventh inning to take a late 6-4 lead. McDonald had a run scoring single scoring pinch hitter Turner Kafora who walked with one out.

Righthander Earl Foster replaced starter Joe Neilson with two outs (6.2IP 5H 5R/5ER 5BB/4SO).

Foster walked Helfrisch and Bob Jackson doubled to right field scoring McDonlad and a hustling Helfrisch who slid under the throw to catcher Redmond. Redmond was shaken up on the play and later pinch hit for by Jim McAuliffe who stayed in the game to catch.

The Indians staged a last of the ninth rally of the game and scored three times to take Earl Foster off the hook and give the win to Elvio Petralli, (1-0) recently called up from AAA.

McAullife was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Jeff Williams reached on an error by second baseman Joe Malkmus. Mike Raymond singled in both runners to tie the game, then stole second base (3rd), advanced to third on a ground out by Braxton, and scored on a single by Charlie Gore.