Bums, Giants Meet in Crucial Series: N. L. Lead at Stake as Fans Clamor for Seats; Durocher May Start Rookie Hurler, Daily Racing Form, 1954-06-29

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Bums, Giants Meet In Crucial Series N. L Lead at Stake as Fans Clamor for Seats; Durocher May Start Rookie Hurler By CARL LUNDQUIST United Press Sports Writer NEW YORK, N.Y., June 28. The Giants and Dodgers, baseballs two hottest clubs, will renew the games hottest rivalry Tuesday night in the Polo Grounds in a series co-featuring the personal exploits of those two hottest players, Willie Mays and Duke Snider. The National League lead is at stake. The battle between Willie and Duke for "the centerfield post in the All-Star game is at stake. The major league team home run leadership is at stake. And anybody who makes a key error might be burned at the stake. Things are that serious. A crowd of close to 50,000 was expected for the opener in which Sal Maglie, making his first start since he pulled a leg muscle on June 18, will pitch for the Giants against Don Newcombe, the fire-ball ace of the Dodgers. Maglie has two victories and a defeat against Brooklyn this year. Newcombe won his only start against the Giants. The ticket situation is so tight that even secretary Eddie Brannick of the Giants was turned down in a request for eight seats. Pete Hoffman, the Giants ticket manager, said there just werent any available. Leo Has Few Surprises Manager Leo Durocher, at his best in the direction of a front-running ball club, suggested he had a surprise or two in store for , the Dpdgers. In fact, he wouldnt even state flatly that Maglie would be his opening pitcher. Apparently, he was thinking about starting his newest pitcher, Ramon Monzant, the 21-year-old, right-handed Venezuelan, who was brought up Saturday from the Minneapolis club of the American Association. There is a parallel for such action. Last year, Durocher brought up Alan Worthington from Minneapolis and the right-hander shut out the Dodgers and the Phillies in succession in his first two starts to set a major league mark for a rookie. Minneapolis manager Bill Rigney says that the skinny hurler has a sweeping curve which is "just plain murder on right handed hitters." "I dont see how any of them ever get a hit off him," he said. The Dodgers, of course, field an all-right handed starting lineup, with the exception of Snider. The Giants lead Brooklyn by one game, which means that the Dodgers would have to sweep the three-game -set to take over first place undisputedly. If they win two, the teams will be deadlocked at the end of the series. Currently, Snider is batting .368 to pace the National League, while Mays is hitting .324, but is out in front in the Major league home run race with 24. The Dodgers yesterday overtook the Giants in the home run race and now have 83 to 82 for New York. The Cubs still top the majors with 85. The tempo isnt quite so hectic for a change in the three-team American League pennant battle. Cleveland, which remained in first place by Vz games after losing two out of three to the Yankees, takes on the last-place Red Sox and the White Sox have two night games with the skidding fourth-place Tigers. Washington plays at Philadelphia. Elsewhere in the National, the third-place Phillies play at Pittsburgh, St. Louis is at Cincinnati and Chicago at Milwaukee. All games in both leagues are at night.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1954062901/drf1954062901_2_3
Local Identifier: drf1954062901_2_3
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800