YANKS AND GIANTS AHEAD AS SECOND WEEK’S PLAY ENDS

Race This Year Recalls Memories of Pennant Chases of 1921-22-23.

By FRANK GETTY, United News Staff Correspondent.

NEW YORK, April 25.—The big league pennant races are assuming an aspect reminiscent of the days of 1921-22-23, when both New York teams monopolized first place in their respective leagues.

The close of the first fortnight of the 1926 season finds the Giants and Yankees again out in front.

Terrific hitting is directly responsible for this situation. While other teams are complaining that the new baseball is not lively, the New York teams have been belting its cover off.

There is a new “murderers row” on the Yankees this year, only this one extends from Mark Koenig , the lead-off man, to Pat Collins , the slugging catcher. As for the Giants, except when they have been facing Jess Petty of Brooklyn, they have slaughtered every brand of pitching that has been served up to them.

As the Giants have the nucleus of a real pitching staff this year, while the Yankees hardly need one, another all-New York world’s series, which would be the fourth in six years, is foreseen by Gotham fans.

Rogers Hornsby ’s Cardinals, by their persistent failure to hit safely, were dragged down to fourth place Sunday, sustaining a 4 to 0 defeat at the hands of Red Lucas of the Reds.

An example of the Giants’ batting strength was their Sunday game at Brooklyn, which they lost 8 to 6, but in which they made 12 hits, including a home run by George Kelly .

The Yanks uncorked their punch against the disappointing Athletics, who are now in the cellar, and clambered over Connie Mack ’s helpless hopefuls to the top of the American league, making twelve hits off Sammy Gray and winning 7 to 2.

The Cleveland Indians, who had been leading the league, dropped to second place when St. Louis touched three of Tris Speaker ’s twirlers for 14 hits and an 11 to 5 victory.

Urban Faber pitched the White Sox into third place by holding Detroit to five hits. He weakened in the ninth and was relieved by Sloppy Thurston , the White Sox winning, 4 to 2.

In a free-hitting game, the Senators lost to the Red Sox, the score being 8 to 6, and the total of bingles 27.

The Pittsburg Pirates crawled deeper into the cellar in the National league by failing to connect with the offerings of one of Joe McCarthy ’s new pitchers named Percy Jones . The world’s champions had one big inning, when the rookie was driven to the showers, but Guy Bush went in and held the Pirates safe while the Cubs squeezed out a 4 to 3 victory.

Thus the spectacle is presented of the two teams most generally favored by the experts to win pennants ignominiously occupying cellar berths through no fault but their own.

It is a long way to September, but a five-game lead is a whole lot to spot either of those New York clubs.

While records and averages this early in the season mean very little it is interesting to note that Rogers Hornsby , despite his worries as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, is hitting at a .444 clip and apparently is headed for his seventh batting championship of the National league.

The most effective work in the American league has been produced by Pat Collins , the Yankee catcher. The actual leader of the American league batters is Spurgeon Chandler (Note: Article likely refers to George Burns or Spud Spurgeon ) of Cleveland with .484, but the New York backstop’s hitting has counted for more. Collins has made 11 hits, including three home runs, for an average of .423, and has contributed stolen bases and sacrifice hits to the Yankee offense.

All pitching honors go to Jess Petty , the Brooklyn pitcher, who has won all three of his starts and has allowed but two runs in 28 innings. He shut out the Giants on opening day, allowing but one hit. On Saturday, he beat them again, allowing four safeties. In between these performances, Petty turned back the Phillies in a 2 to 1 eleven inning contest.

Next to Petty comes Red Lucas , the Cincinnati rookie, who has won three straight games for the Reds, including a shut-out victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

Although the Cards are held up in the National league race, they are near the bottom in team batting and fielding. The two New York teams top their respective leagues in team batting.

Source: (1926, April 26) South Bend news-times. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87055779/1926-04-26/ed-1/.