United League Baseball

"Sad Sam" All Smiles
Zoldak Unbeaten As Maroons Win 8 Straight at Home
ST. LOUIS (May 15) -- "Sad Sam" Zoldak scattered a season-high 13 hits today, but the Brooklyn native kept his hometown Suberbas in check until Del Ennis' seventh inning grand slam broke the game open. The 8-3 win was St. Louis' 8th straight win at home, and Zoldak's 8th win in 9 starts. The 31-year-old southpaw, formerly with the St. Louis Browns and the pennant-winning 1948 Cleveland Indians, is turning into the swoop pick of the UL's Initial Draft. An eighth round selection, 62nd overall, Zoldak started the season as the Maroons' third starter, but quickly became their ace after winning Pitcher of the Month with a 5-0 record and 1.94 ERA in April. "Sad" has been more hitable in May (.260 vs .191), but has somehow managed to shave his ERA to 1.87 thanks to a pair of one-run games May 4th and 10th. His league-leading ERA is three-quarters of a point better than the injured Mike Garcia of Boston, who is second with 2.62.
The Maroons count sweeps of the Beacons and Colonels, and a pair of wins over the Superbas, among their eight-game home winning streak. Their last loss at Sportsman's Park was Apr. 21, a 7-1thrashing at the hands of Brooklyn. That was their only setback in their last 15 home games.

Gus Rings His Bell
Colt Leftfielder Drives in 5 With Cycle
CHICAGO (May 10) -- Dave "Gus" Bell put on a clinic today, collecting one of each type of hit and driving in 5 runs, as the hometown Colts crushed New York 10-2. A double, a single, and a triple off Ewell Blackwell set up a seventh inning confrontation with Gotham reliever Bob Hooper with the cycle on the line. Bell's blast just cleared the ivy-covered wall in right-center, a 3-run shot, and his second of the year. Coming into his 'cycle' game, Bell was batting just .209 with 10 RBI in 30 games. Gus joins Jackie Robinson as the only players to hit for the cycle. Don Newcombe stole a base and got the win, which was Chicago's fourth in a row, equalling their season best.

Ouch, You Broke My Jaw
Detroit's Phil Masi Feels the Pain
DETROIT (May 15) -- Five days after suffering a concussion in a home plate collision with Washington's Duke Snider, Detroit Sound catcher Phil Masi was hit in the face by a Chet Nichols fastball. The incident happened in the ninth inning of New York's 5-3 win over the Sound on May 15. Masi, a 35-year-old who was Detroit's 23rd round pick, was batting .165 with 9 RBI in 39 games. He was the only catch on Detroit's active roster, and will be replaced by Bob Scheffing the four weeks it takes Masi's fractured jaw to heal.

AROUND THE HORN

23-14 9-4			ST. LOUIS · 16-3 at home, 8 straight home wins, swept BOS, LOU... 1st in runs allowed (4.3/gm), OBA (.257)... Zoldak 3-0, 1.73 in May... Kinder 1st in saves (12)... Call-up C Hobie Landrith .357, 9 RBI in 8 games... May 2: Musial 4-5, HR in 9-7 win at WAS... May 5: Hutchinson 4-hitter beats Spahn 4-1... May 7: Hutchinson shuts out Brooklyn 7-0... May 15: Ennis grand slam beats Brooklyn 8-3... May batting: Joost .196, Jethroe .227... Musial .167 (5-30) in last 8 games.
23-15 9-5			CHICAGO · 1st in HR (49-Berra 9, Thomson 8, Westlake 7), ERA (3.92), and fewest HR allowed (23)... Berra .455, 13 RBI in May... Swept Colonels in Louisville May 7-9, Reese 9-15 in series, 17-game hitting streak... May 4: Ryan GSHR in 5-4 win... May 9: Rogovin 6-hit CG, Berra 3-5, HR... May 10: Newk 6-hit CG, Bell cycle, 5 RBI... Newcombe: 1-4, 6.05 in April, 3-1, 3.94 in May... Best road record (11-7), 5-1 vs LOU, 4-1 vs WAS.
22-15 6-7			BOSTON · Lost 5 straight May 3-8, swept in St. Louis... "Ozark Ike" (Gus Zernial) 2nd in HR, 3rd in RBI; 12 RBI in last 5 games... May 3: Torgeson 0-5, ending 15-game hitting streak... May 10: Spahn 6-hit CG, 0 ER, Zernial 3 RBI in 5-1 win at Brooklyn... May 14: Zernial 3-4, hits 10th HR in 4-2 win at Louisville... May 15: Cooper 4 RBI in 11-8 win, Spahn's 7th win.... Lopat 0-3, 10.47 in May... 10-2 in one-run games.
21-15 9-3			NEW YORK · 9-1 since May 2, sweeps at Washington, vs. St. Louis... 54 runs in last 7 games (7.7/gm)... Gil Hodges 8 HR in 10 games from May 2-14... May RBIs: Wertz 14, Hodges, Williams 13... Vic Wertz grand slam in 6-2 win over St. Louis May 9...Matt Batts 4-6, 4 RBI in 16-7 win at Chicago May 11, GWRBI in 12th in 8-7 win over Detroit May 14... Call-up 2B Billy Martin batting .311 in place of injured Jackie Robinson.
18-21 5-10			DETROIT · Leads league in runs (5.4/gm), and walks (183-Kiner 31, Fain 22, Masi 22)... Ralph Kiner is hot again in May (.356-4-11), won 2nd POW May 7... May 3: Elliott 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI in 11-10 (10) loss to Chicago... May 4: Kiner first to hit 10 HR... May 5: Roberts beat Chicago's Rogovin 2-1 for fifth win, ending Sound's 4-game skid... May 7: Raschi 2-hitter... May 15: Phil Masi hit by pitch (fractured jaw, 4 weeks).
15-22 7-6			BROOKLYN · Won 3 straight series (LOU, at DET, BOS) May 3-12... Cavarretta 2nd in batting (.356), Minoso 3rd in OPS (1.009)... Only 6 homers in last 13 games... May batting: Runnels .378, 11 RBI, Minoso .370, 11 RBI... Vern Bickford 3-0, 3.70 in May, 4 RBI in 12-5 win over Detroit May 8... Jim Hearn nipped Robin Roberts 2-1 for first win May 9... Vern Stephens 3-4, Bickford CG in 8-2 win over Boston May 12.
15-22 3-10			LOUISVILLE · Lost 9 straight, including 5 at home... Last in runs scored (5.1/gm) and runs allowed (6.4/gm)... 4-5 hitters (Jensen/Kluttz) 8 RBI in 13 games... May batting: Dillinger .476, Dark .357, Lowrey .353... McDermott 0-3, 12.08 in last 3 starts... Garver 1-8, 6.90 overall... Ashburn .129 (4-31) in last 7 games... Kluttz .188 (6-32) in last 6 games.
12-25 5-8			WASHINGTON · Worst road record (3-15), but won 2 straight at Boston May 7-8 (10-3 and 19-3)... Mays 2 HR, 3 doubles, Hank Thompson 2 HR, 6 RBI in pair of wins... Mays 0-24 in last 7 games... Perkowski CG, 0 ER in 11-1 win over Detroit May 10... Garagiola loves Detroit pitching: 5 RBI May 10, 3-run HR May 12... Gromek wins twice after 2 wins in first 7 starts, 6-hit SHO of Detroit May 12, POW May 14... Goodman 1st in batting (.362).