BROWNS EARN DH SPLIT, OUTLAST TIGERS IN EPIC SLUGFEST
Bengals Win Opener, Clinch Share of AL Crown
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 22 (AP) - The St. Louis Browns scored at least one run in each
of the first seven innings, outlasting the Detroit Tigers to win the second game
of a doubleheader 20-15 at Sportsman's Park. The game tied the major
league season high for runs in a contest with 35. After going all season
without scoring more than 16 runs in a game, the Browns reached the 20-run
threshold for the second time in eight days. St. Louis scored a major
league season best 28 runs on September 14 in a bludgeoning of the Philadelphia
Athletics, also at Sportsman's Park.
The first half-inning in which a team failed to score was the top of the seventh
when Browns reliever Ed Wells held the Tigers without a run. He ultimately
tossed three innings of shutout ball to close out the game.
Most of the pitchers used by both clubs were considerably less effective than
Wells. Neither starter--Carl Fischer for Detroit, Dick Coffman for St.
Louis--recorded an out in the fourth inning. Coffman was removed after
just three outs, surrendering six runs (five earned) on seven hits in one-plus
innings of work. Fischer was charged with 10 runs, all of them earned, on
12 hits when he was pulled in the fourth.
The clubs matched scoring output through the first three innings. The
Tigers scored twice in the top of the first on Marv Owens' two-run bases loaded
single and the Browns countered with a pair of tallies when Debs Garms singled
with one out and scored on Jack Burns' home run.
Detroit appeared to seize control in the second with four runs. The first
six batters of the inning all reached base safely off of Coffman who was
yanked. But the Browns immediately tied the game again in the bottom of
the inning, with Harlond Clift's three-run homer being the big blow.
Pete Fox's RBI single in the top of the third regained the lead for the Tigers
but Bill McAfee's run-scoring base hit in the bottom half evened the score
again, this time at seven runs apiece.
Detroit scored four more times in the top of the fourth. Hank Greenberg
led off with a home run and Ray Hayworth, Fischer and Fox added RBIs later.
But, incredibly, St. Louis eclipsed the four-run top of the inning with a
six-run bottom. The first four batters reached safely, culminating with
Ollie Bejma's three-run double. Two batters later, Bruce Campbell ripped a
three-run pinch hit home run over the right field pavilion roof to give the
Browns their first lead, 15-13.
Naturally the Tigers scored two runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game but
the Browns exploded for five more runs in the bottom half of the frame to seize
the lead for good. Garms doubled home two runs to give St. Louis a 17-15
advantage. Burns' deep fly to center scored Garms to make it 18-15.
Roy Pepper followed with a triple and, one out later, Ski Melillo deposited a
pitch into the left field bleachers to account for the final score.
Mercifully, no one scored over the remaining three half-innings.
The four home runs hit by the Browns are a season high for one game.
The Tigers did manage to eke out a 5-3 win in the opener, clinching a share of
the American League pennant as a result. One more Detroit win or a single
loss by the New York Yankees will give the Tigers the flag outright.
9/22/1934, Det34-SLA34, game 2, Sportsman's Park (A) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 1934 Tigers 2 4 1 4 2 2 0 0 0 15 18 3 9 2 1934 Browns 2 4 1 6 1 5 1 0 x 20 25 3 12 2 Tigers AB R H BI AVG Browns AB R H BI AVG Fox rf 6 2 3 2 .281 Clift 3b 6 2 3 3 .258 White cf 5 3 3 1 .330 Garms lf 7 4 4 2 .307 Gehringer 2b 6 1 3 3 .386 Burns 1b 4 3 3 3 .294 Greenberg 1b 5 2 3 3 .302 Pepper cf 5 2 2 0 .292 Owen 3b 5 1 2 2 .346 Bejma rf 5 1 3 4 .291 Goslin lf 5 2 2 1 .307 Melillo 2b 6 3 3 3 .229 Walker,G ph 1 0 0 0 .288 Hemsley c 4 1 2 0 .289 Rogell ss 4 1 0 0 .281 Strange ss 4 2 2 0 .243 Hayworth c 3 2 2 1 .351 Coffman p 0 0 0 0 .276 Fischer p 1 1 0 1 .081 McAfee p 2 0 1 2 .286 Rowe p 0 0 0 0 .252 Campbell ph 1 1 1 3 .268 Doljack ph 1 0 0 0 .213 Knott p 0 0 0 0 .079 Auker p 0 0 0 0 .127 Grube ph 1 1 1 0 .266 Clifton ph 1 0 0 0 .000 Wells p 2 0 0 0 .111 Phillips,R p 0 0 0 0 .000 47 20 25 20 43 15 18 14 Tigers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Fischer 3.0 12 10 10 2 1 73 46 5.27 Rowe 2.0 5 4 4 2 0 59 32 3.46 Auker BS 4, L 13-8 2.0 7 6 6 3 2 66 35 4.80 Phillips,R 1.0 1 0 0 2 0 25 11 3.48 8.0 25 20 20 9 3 223 124 Browns INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Coffman 1.0 7 6 5 2 0 36 20 3.16 McAfee 3.0 5 5 5 2 0 53 30 4.53 Knott BS 2, W 10-8 2.0 5 4 3 0 0 34 23 4.50 Wells S 2 3.0 1 0 0 1 0 28 20 5.13 9.0 18 15 13 5 0 151 93 Det: Doljack batted for Rowe in the 6th Clifton batted for Auker in the 8th Walker,G batted for Goslin in the 9th SLA: Campbell batted for McAfee in the 4th Grube batted for Knott in the 6th E-Fox, Gehringer, Rogell, Clift, Hemsley 2. 2B-Gehringer(47), Greenberg 2(44), Garms(15), Grube(6). 3B-Pepper(7). HR-Greenberg(13), Clift(15), Burns(9), Melillo(3), Campbell(9). RBI-Fox 2(55), White(54), Gehringer 3(148), Greenberg 3(128), Owen 2(102), Goslin(114), Hayworth(18), Fischer(3), Clift 3(66), Garms 2(26), Burns 3(88), Bejma 4(40), Melillo 3(52), McAfee 2(6), Campbell 3(77). SB-Goslin(4). CS-Bejma. K-Clift, Bejma, Wells. BB-White, Greenberg, Owen, Rogell, Hayworth, Clift, Burns 2, Pepper, Bejma, Hemsley 2, Strange 2. SH-Fischer 2. HBP-Hayworth. HB-Knott. WP-Knott. GWRBI: Garms Temperature: 67, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 8 MPH. Attendance: 1,506 Game Time: 3:17