view raw text
► Surprises Aplenty in Major Leagues So Far This Spring [ Braves Providing Biggest; Pirates and Red Sox Also Much Better Than Expected By STEVE SNIDER United Press Sports Writer NEW YORK, N. Y. May 7.— Surprises? The major leagues have em aplenty this spring, with the baby in the family — Milwaukee — providing the biggest of all. The transplanted Braves made a big hit in their first appearance in the Big Town, winning three out of five from the Giants and Dodgers, who regarded them as patsies in recent years when the name was "Boston." Individual Braves surprises included the fleet Bill Bruton, who stole the first base on Brooklyns Roy Campanella since way last fall; catcher Del Crandall, who performed like a long-time veteran, and first-baseman Joe Adcock, who parked a home run into the center field bleachers for the the first time in the history of the Polo Grounds. Pittsburgh is another surprise. When the Braves shifted to Milkwaukee the Pirates took over the "Boston" schedule, which meant opening against the leagues strength — Brooklyn, the Phillies and New York. Branch Rickey feared his Buccos would get off to such a miserable start that they ] wouldnt be heard from again the rest of the year, but theyre a long way from being the worst-looking team in the league at the moment. Bernier Swatting .353 Individually there are plenty of Pirate : , surprises, but look at just one — rookie Car- ! ; los Bernier. Scouts said hed never hit big j I league pitching. Currently he is swatting .353 and leads the league in triples, with four. The Red Sox are fooling em, too. Gambling with kids and just a few veterans,. Lou Boudreau got his club off to a better-than-expected start in a year that has been reported as one that will make or break him as Red Sox manager. Jimmy Dykes of the Athletics is a happily surprised gent on several counts. His club has been threatening to grab the league lead. Lefty Alex Kellner, almost completely without control in spring training, jumped off to a 4-1 record in a hurry — thanks to control. You can add outfielder Dave Phil-ley, a .267 hitter over eight campaigns who is clipping along around .390. The Giants have been dishing out the wrong kind of surprises for their backers. Challenging the Redlegs for the cellar, Leo Durochers disorganized outfit is kicking around somewhat like the 1951 team that blew 11 straight in the early stages. Thats the year, though, that the Giants won the pennant. Fellow by the name of Johnny Wyrostek of the Phillies is surprising everyone, including his friends and relatives. A .273 hitter over nine seasons, he made 23 hits in his first 53 trips to the plate for a .426 average. Hes just one of the reasons the Phillies are starting the way they finished last season. The Yankees encountered a few unpleasant shocks on their first invasion of the West, worst of which were the failures of front-line pitchers Allie Reynolds, Ed Lopat and Vic Raschi. The last-named, always a big winner as a Yankee, now has a 1-2 record and looks so shaky, the brass hats are genuinely worried over his future.
