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. . : Stan Musi a I Is Cinch to Join 2,000 Hit Club This Season National League Slugger Needs Only 733 Safeties To Attain Coveted Mark By STEVE SNIDER United Press Sports Writer NEW YORK, N. Y., May 24.--Stan "The Man" Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals is virtually a cinch to join the "2,000 Hit Club" in the Majors this year as president, janitor and perhaps sole active member. Johnny Mize of the Yankees, Bob Elliott of the Giants and Phil Cavarretta of the Cubs also are pursuing the elusive mark, but Musial may pass them all and arrive first in the 2,000 hit ranks. He opened the season only 171 short of membership and rarely produces under 200 hits per year. Musial is rattling the fences as usual while the three other veterans havent been getting steady employment. Barring injury, or the worst slump of his career, the man could make it in August. The door to the club is wide open. For the first time in years, not a single major leaguer active today has 2,000 base hits to his lifetime credit. Eighty-nine others down through the years got into the club, but. even so, the standards ,are high. Ted Williams, often described as the greatest hitter of our times, never quite made it and perhaps never will because of his second call into service. Musial opened the campaign with 1,829 to his credit and hit safely 38 times in his first 32 games. Thats subnormal for Stan, who had a dismal start. The hits are falling now in his accustomed manner. Mize Being Used As Pinch-Hitter Mize, 39-year-old graybeard of the Yan-keeSi needed only 51 hits this year to make the grade, but Big Jawn has been reduced to pinch-hitting roles. He added 15 hits in the first 29 games. With the club interested in a first base trade, Mize may be dropped if it goes through possibly for his last big league out. Elliott was 95 short of membership at the outset and added just 16 in the first 30 games for the Giants. Cavarretta, 34 short, is a bench manager at the moment and a not-too -successful pinch-hitter. Among the pitchers, Bob Feller of Cleveland and Bobo Newsom of the Senators are sole proprietors of the "200 victory club" and theyre getting mighty lonesome waiting for Detroits Hal Newhouser to rap on the door. Hal opened the season with 191 victories and made absolutely no headway in his first two starts. Feller had 230 to his credit as" the campaign began and expects to top 300 before he quits. Newsom opened with 205 victories, picked up his first one this year. Dutch Leonard of the Cubs, who spent plenty of years in the American League, is the only National leaguer anywhere close with 187 over a lifetime. Next in line is the fading Harry Brecheen of St. Louis j with only 121. Except for Musial, only 31, and Feller, now 33, the records of the moderns arent exactly sensational compared to the old-timers. Ty Cobb hit safely 4,191 times and six others topped 3,000 hits. Cy Young pitched 511 victories, 11 others are over 300. 0 The moderns, of course, argue the old-timers didnt have to contend with a long war, night baseball, or the passion for the home run. FRANK STRANAHAN The Ohioan is among 42 American golfers competing in the British Amateur championship which gets under way at Prestwick, Scotland today.
