White Sox Get Minoso and Lehner: Philly and Zernial Join As; Brissie Traded to Cleveland, Daily Racing Form, 1951-05-01

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White Sox Get Minoso and Lehner Philly and Zernial Join As; Brissie Traded to Cleveland Seven-Man Deal Also Sees 1 * Zoidak and Murray Become Property of Philadelphia By the United Press The White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Athletics announced the completion of the biggest trade of the season, involving seven players, early Monday. When all the dealing and counter-dealing was through, the Sox had sent outfielders Gus Zernial and Dave Philly to the Athletics and received outfielder Paul Lehner from the As and the Indians rookie Negro sensation, outfielder-infielder Orestes Minoso. There was no cash involved. Cleveland gained the services of southpaw pitcher Lou Brissie from the As in return for righthander Sam Zoidak and catcher Ray Murray. Sox manager Paul Richards immediately indicated his intentions of putting both Lehner and Minoso in the starting lineup that will face the New York Yankees this afternoon at Comiskey Park. Minoso, who hit .339 last year with San Diego in the Pacific Coast League, can play first or third base as well as any outfield position. Up to the time of the trade he led the Cleveland club with a hefty .461. Richards will in all probability play him at third, where veteran Hank Majewski i and Floyd Baker have been sharing the duty. Combination of Qualities In the 27-year-old Minoso, the Sox have a combination of the qualities of Majew-skis hitting and Bakers quick fielding. This addition should round out the hottest hitting young infield in the majors. Present American League averages show the Sox almost completely dominating the , batting picture. Centerfielder Jim Busby i tops the circuit with a spectacular .462, while first baseman Eddie Robinson is carrying a .448, and the short-to-second combination of Nelson Fox and Chico Car-rasquel sport .400 and .391, respectively. Clevelands manager, Al Lopez, admitted I being especially wary of parting with Minoso. His availability in utility roles have made him very valuable, particularly since the hard-hitting Luke Easters injuries . have made him a question mark at ; first base. After just one season in the minors, Lehner broke into the majors via the St. Louis Browns. In 1949 he went to Philadelphia in a 00,000 package deal with Bob Dil-linger. . Last year Paul hit .309 in 114 games ; with the As and drove in 52 runs. A resident of Glendale, Calif., the 29-year-old . Lehner bats and throws left -, handed. He will alternate in left field with I veteran Eddie Stewart, who was acquired I during the winter from the Washington , Senators. Fractured Collarbone in 1949 Zernial, 27-year-old long ball hitter, , joined the Sox at the start of the 49 season . and immediately set the league on fire. . In June of the same year he suffered a fractured collar bone attempting a circus ; catch and didnt rejoin the club until the end of the season. Last year he got off to a poor start but by mid-July began showing indications of living up to his early r press clippings. "Big Zeke," as he became » known to Comiskey Park regulars, finished I the year with a respectable .280 for 143 [ games. The giant, Texas-born, right-hand I swinger, drove in 93 runs to pace the South t Siders in that department and hammered I out 29 home runs, more than any other . man in Sox history. Because of his frame hes six feet, three inches and some 220 pounds, Zernial [ wasnt the answer to a managers dream t as an outfielder. However, the Comiskeys, for a time, were willing to go along with Gus, feeling that he would improve afield j and at the same time wield a big stick in ! the Sox weak-hitting line-up. During spring training on the West Coast, the Sox general manager, Frank [ Lane, and Richards began to realize that Zernial and Philley were not the answer to their outfield problem. Philley, a 29-year-old - switch hitter, wound up with a meager J .242 last year and gave little promise of f accomplishing any more this season. He - has been with the Sox since 1946. Cleveland has been anxious to get Brissie • to add left-handed strength to their mound i staff. In 1949 he won 16 games for the As, but last year compiled a paltry 7-19 record. Nevertheless, Lopez claims to have acquired - the prize of the whole transaction. .. He indicated his intention of using Lou i both as a starter and in spot relief rolls. :. Zoidak won 11 games for Cleveland in i their 1948 championship pennant drive. He e came to the Indians in June of the same e year from the Browns. Last season he was s - .. i :. i e e s - used chiefly in relief and finished the term with a 4-2 mark. As a rookie last year, Murray, now 30 ► years old, caught 55 games for the Tribe j and batted only .273. His chances of seeing much action at Cleveland were very slim, since he rated third behind Jim Hegan and veteran Birdie Tebbetts. GUS ZERNIAL— Leaves South Side for Philadelphia.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1951050101/drf1951050101_2_1
Local Identifier: drf1951050101_2_1
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800