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ECENTLY the fabulous New
York Yankees won 18 games
in a row. One more win would
have tied the American League
record, two more have broken it.
Back on their home grounds,
playing the St. Louis Browns
(who were on a reverse streak,
having lost 14 straight) the Yan-
kees seemed a cinch—but some-
thing happened, they lost the
game and promptly went into a
slump.

What happened? A _ fellow
named Paige! Ancient, old Sat-
chel Paige, perhaps the greatest
pitcher of all time, who didn’t
get up to the majors until he was
long past his prime—because he
was a Negro.

Lester Rodney, sports editor of
the New York Daily Worker, and
one of the men who played a
great role in breaking the anti-
Negro “gentlemen’s agreement”
which kept the big leagues “lily
white” for so many years, saw
Paige humble the Yanks (who
still bar Negroes) before 32,000
fans that day, and he has written
a baseball classic to describe it.
Here is his dramat’e story:

The Browns led 3-1 going into
the 8th. Vic Wertz, the big fel-

—low out of York, Pa., had, wallop-
ed a two-run homer off Ford.
Duane Pillette, a strapping 30
year old right-hander who once
pitched briefly for: the Yanks,
was hurling a courageous, deter-
mined game, getting out of jam
after jam. It was no ordinary
game for the Browns either.
They were as charged up as the
Yanks.

The Yanks have come from be-
hind to win 20 times this year,
so the crowd was waiting for the
late explosion. There was a feel-
ing that Pillette couldn’t sit on
the dynamite for nine innings.
The Yanks were too hot and they
wanted this one too badly.

Hank Bauer pinch hit for the
pitcher to start the 8th and poled
a line drive to deep left centre
straight to Johnny Groth. One
out. Billy Martin slashed a sharp
single to left. The anticipatory
roar arose from the stands when
Joe Collins stepped in. He had
hit safely in 14 straight games
and has a knack of delivering
important late home runs. One
of his thrusts into the right-field
stands could tie the score now,
and then Reynolds would come

in to make sure the Browns made

no more runs. .,..

*

Pillette, his uniform stained
sweat, pitched one ball, another
ball, and Manager Marty Marion,
playing shortstop, hesitated, call-
ed time, went to the mound to
talk to his pitcher and then wav-
ed to the bullpen with his right
hand. He wanted the _right-
handed pitcher who was warm-
ing up. Pillette was tiring.

Out of the distant bullpen in

left centre he came — Satchel .

Paige. The stands buzzed with
excitement. He had pitched often
in Yankee Stadium—in Negro
League games in the years gone
by when he was known by all to
be the greatest pitcher alive and
big league baseball was closed
to him because of his color. He
was some years past 40 when he
finally came in to the big leagues
with Cleveland in ‘48, and now
he is about through, winding it

up. A St. Louis writer in the -

press-box said he had pitched
just that Sunday. This was Tues-
day night.

In he came to pitch to Collins,
with the usual handicap of
two balls and no strikes on the
hitter before he even started
pitching. Completing the walk
put the tying run on base,

SPORTLIGHT

By BERT WHYTE

brought the potential winning
run to the plate.

Paige threw a few down to
Catcher Les Moss, chatted with
Marion, checked the runner on
1st, and went to work. He un-
doubtedly figured Collins would
be swinging for the home run on
the first pitch, looking for a fat
one with the count of 2-0. The
pitch was just outside and it was
3 and 0. The Yankee fans roar-
ed. Paige calmly buzzed in strike
one, and one the next pitch
Collins lifted a harmless pop to
short right.

Two away. Irv Noren next,
also very capable of putting one
in the seats. Paige nibbled

. around and the count went to 3

and 0. Then he fired one through
for strike one. He threw an-
other, a hard knee-high pitc

for called strike two, and at the
next pitch Noren swung mighti-
ly and raised a foul to the
catcher.

Paige walked slowly to the
dugout; all the Browns running
off the field stopped to say some-
thing to him. One more inning

to go.
*

The Browns didn’t score any
more in their half of the 9th,
so it was still 3-1 as Mantle
came to the plate. Paige buzzed
two strikes through on the Okla-
homa star—a youth who wasn’t
born when the man he was now
facing in baseball’s timeless man-
to-man duel was already a fabu-
lous pitcher. Mantle tried a
but to utilize his great speed
and the element of suprise, but
fouled off the pitch and was out.

Berra was easy, grounding out
routinely on the first pitch. Two
away. But Woodling lined a
single to centre and here it was
again. Gil McDougald at the
plate and the vision of a home
run tying it up in a flash.

Paige worked carefully. Two
balls, no strikes. McDougald
swung and lifted a foul. Moss
ran back, got under it—and it
glanced off the edge of his glove.
The game wasn’t over.

With a look of anguish on his
face the catcher tossed the ball
back~to Paige and the veteran
nodded to him that everything
was OK. Another foul made it
two and two. McDougald didn’t
swing on the next one and Moss
elatedly ran out from behind the
plate, but the umpire called it
ball 3. Paige kicked once at the
dirt.

He wound up and fired once
again. McDougald swung. Some
fans groaned and others shouted.
It was an easy infield popup.
The game was over, the Yankee
streak broken short of the re-
cord.

In the dressing room Paige
was about to head for the shower.
He talked about. pitching to Mc-
Dougald. “That 2-2 pitch was
a curve, broke right over the
heart of the plate. McDougald’s
a good fast ball hitter and I
wanted to curve him.”

Then he smiled and said: “The
ump knew he kicked that one.
I tried to look at him and he
wouldn’t look at me... .”

What was the pitch that end-
ed it? “Fast ball. I wasn’t go-
ing to walk him, so I just put all
the mustard I had left on a fast
ball, as close to the hands as I
could get it and still have it over
the plate. It was a nice one to
Wil. bow :

Was there special. satisfaction
in it, it being the mighty Yanks,
a win streak and all?

He answered quietly and start-
ed for the shower: “I’d rather it
was the Yanks than any other
team.”

oO

EDMONTON
With nomination day still two

sive party has 12 federal can-
didates in the field in Alberta,
headed by the party’s provin-
cial leader, Ben Swankey, who
is contesting the Peace River
seat held in the last parliament

WILLIAM A, TUOMI
Edmonton East

FRANK MARICLE
Vegreville

weeks away, the Labor-Progres- -

LPP contests 12 Alberta. seats|

by Solon Low, Social Credit na-
tional leader.

LPP
are:

candidates nominated

Dan Gamache (Athabaska),
Jack Lee (Jasper-Edson), Mrs.
Josephine Longridge (Calgary
South), Frank Maricle (Vegre-

2

es
BEN SWANKEY

Peace River
t

MRS. JOSEPHINE LONGRIDGE
Calgary South

. Wittig (Calgary North). °

ville), Tony Patera (MacLeod),
Oiva Raappana (Edmonton
West), Arthur LI. Roberts (Bow
River), Mrs. Rose Sarman (Red
Deer), Ben Swankey (Peace
River), Ewart P. Taylor (Battle
River-Camrose), William A.
Tuomi (Edmonton East), Dave

OIVA RAAPPANA
Edmonton West

TONY PATERA

MacLeod

Hilland nominated by LPP

to contest Fraser Valley _

HANEY, B.C.

Carl Hilland, 30-year old Second
World War veteran and longtime
resident of Websters Corner was
nominated last Sunday to contest
Fraser Valley federal riding for
the Labor-Progressive party.

In his acceptance speech, made
to an audience of more than 100
people attending a picnic at Web-
sters Corner, Hilland pledged:

“T shall spare no effort in this
campaign to draw together all
those who, like myself, seek to
restore the sovereignty of our
country which has been bartered
away for U.S. dollars.

“T fought in the last war to save
my country from being crushed by
Hitlerism. I can’t stand by now

‘ and see it swallowed by the U.S.”

Jack Phillips, well known Van-
couver trade unionist, was the
guest speaker.

“Some people,’ Philips said,
“tell us that they agree with our
policies, but—. They would like
to vote for us, but—.

‘During the provincial election,

_ ne

one fisherman told me he realized
that the LPP was right, but he
was going to vote CCF because if
the CCF got in at least he would
get his car insurance $10 cheaper.

“Suppose a Korean mother was
speaking here today instead of me.
Suppose her man had been burned
to a crisp by U.S. napalm bombs,
her children killed, she herself
mutilated. Could any of you here,

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he promised to give me my ©
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PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JULY 10, 1953 — PAGE 19