United League Baseball

Musial Out for Season
Triple Crown Bid Cut Short
Kinder Joins Crowded St. Louis DL
JULY 31 (ST. LOUIS) -- With Cy Young winner Sam Zoldak and fireballer Bob Feller already on the DL, St. Louis got more bad news, as their two biggest bats and All-Star closer all fell to the injury bug. The biggest blow was to slugging first baseman Stan "The Man" Musial, whose MVP-type campaign was cut short by a broken wrist July 30 that will essentially wipe out his season. Musial, who is posting Triple Crown numbers (.333-23-80, 4th, 2nd, 2nd in the league), was hit by a Murry Dickson fastball in a 6-4 loss at Wrigley Field. Musial stepped up his MVP bid with a red-hot July, in which he hit .414 with 8 homers, 31 RBI, and a .778 slugging percentage. The injury came just three days after catcher Roy Campanella (.244-14-51) pulled a hip muscle (1-2 weeks) running the bases, and just five days after All-Star closer Ellis Kinder was hit by a line drive (fractured hand, 4 weeks).
St. Louis' title defense went south on May 29, when Zoldak was lost for the season with a torn elbow ligament. Feller's injury was less serious, but still erased five weeks. The loss of Musial and Kinder will press Don "Butch" Kolloway (.231-1-11 in 29 games) into a starter role, and setup man Andy "Swede" Hansen (7-3, 4.87) into the closer job.
GM Timothy J. Smith had already written off any chance of repeating after the Feller injury, and now considers a .500 finish to be a lofty aspiration. The Maroons currently sit in third place at 52-48. "If nothing else, our 1953 draft picks just got better," he lamented over an ice-cold Shaeffer's.

Williams Unfazed by Imminent Reinlistment
THE BRONX (July 31) -- Gothams left fielder Ted Williams is apparently nonplussed by his future reinlistment with the U.S. Navy. The "Splendid Splinter" was one of 17 United League ballplayers drafted into military service in 1953, as the U.N. action in Korea enters its third year. In an exclusive interview with "UL News," Williams said that he was determined to go out with a bang and overcome his slow start. Williams (.317-17-58) hit .367 in July, with a league best .786 SLG and 1.242 OPS. Williams leads the league with 76 runs, 30 of which were tallied this month.
Williams' surge led New York to a 9-5 record in late July, including a six-game win streak from July 20-26. Other July heroes include Irv Noren (.488), Jim Busby (.403), and Vic Wertz (23 RBI). Ace Early Wynn (8-10, 6.45), a 19-game winner a year ago, continues to struggle, though he did post back-to-back wins July 20 and 26 for the first time since early May. Ewell "The Whip" Blackwell (13-4, 3.89) has lost some of his luster with a 4.46 ERA in July, but still boasts the staff's best record and ERA.

BANG AND FIZZLE

61-38 - 9-4	WASHINGTON BANG: Entire rotation (Gromek, Miller, Jansen, Koslo) is in top 6 in ERA, top 10 in wins, innings, quality starts. Starters have completed 46 of 99 starts... Duke Snider is earning every penny of his $5 million contract. The 'Silver Fox' (.258-20-69) leads Washington in HR and RBI for a second year (.307-37-115 last year). FIZZLE: $4 million man Harry Perkowski fell out of the rotation after a rough 1951 (12-11, 5.27), and has pitched only 13 relief innings... Hank Thompson's production is way down from last year. His average is down 50 pts to .224 and his SLG more than 100 pts to .369.
53-46 8 5-9	DETROIT BANG: Ferris "Burrhead" Fain (.329-6-56) leads the Sound in batting, had two 6-hit games, and has nearly matched his 1951 production (.296-6-56) in just 94 games... Despite big drops in average (-74) and OPS (-147), Ralph Kiner (.231-21-59) still leads the team in HR, RBI, R, and BB. FIZZLE: Vic Raschi ($2m), who nearly won 20 games last year (18-14, 4.69), is heading toward 20 losses this year (7-14, 6.26), with the second worst ERA and OBA (.305) in the league.
52-48 9.5 7-8	ST. LOUIS BANG: With Stan gone and Roy slumping, 16th round (Initial) pick Willie "Puddin Head" Jones (.311-18-64) is poised to be the Maroons' HR and RBI champ. He has already surpassed his 1951 production (.330-13-64). FIZZLE: The high hopes for #1 Reentry pick Steve Ridzik (0-4, 10.04) have proven unfounded thus far... OF Pat Mullin, who was 3rd in HR and RBI last year (.275-18-74), had just 6 RBI and a .213 average in 50 games before being sent down to Indianapolis (AAA).
51-49 10.5 11-3	BROOKLYN BANG: RF Gene Woodling (.329-16-80) is on pace for a 120-RBI year, and leads the BROs in hits, runs, RBIs, doubles, and OBP... Last summer's Campy trade is looking better all the time. While Roy struggles out west, Fred Hutchinson is posting Youngesque numbers (16-4, 2.59) FIZZLE: Starter Curt Simmons, the first overall pick in this year's Reentry Draft, has disappointed (8-10, 4.72, .310 OBA)... 1B Phil Cavarretta ($1.75m) drove in 80 runs last year, but is batting .175 with 14 RBI in 73 games this year.
49-50 12 4-9	BOSTON BANG: C Clyde McCullough (.272-9-59) is 35 and on his third UL team in two years. One would expect him to be feeling the effects of aging, but he is on pace for a 90 RBI season, and only Zernial and Mantle have more HR and RBI. FIZZLE: Another rough year for
48-52 13.5 9-5	NEW YORK · xx BANG: xx FIZZLE: xx
44-56 17.5 8-7	LOUISVILLE · xx BANG: xx FIZZLE: xx
40-59 21 3-11	CHICAGO · xx BANG: xx FIZZLE: 63-103 since last July 16...
DAY-BY-DAY
Tuesday, July 16 WAS 14, STL 8 (13) - H Thompson 2 HR, Goodman 4-4; Wyrostek 6-7, Musial 5-6 BRO 4, CHI 0 - Hutchinson 5-hit SHO, Woodling 2-3, 2 R, Stephens 2-4, 2 RBI NYG 5, BOS 4 (10) - Robinson 4-6, SB, GWRBI, Yost 2 RBI; Zernial 14g HS DET 3, LOU 1 (10) - Fain 2-run 1B in 10th, Raschi 9.0, 1 R; Branca 7.0, 3 H, 1 R
Wednesday, July 17 WAS 2, STL 0 - Miller 3-hit SHO, 7 K, RBI, Gordon RBI; Minner 6-hit CG loss BRO 6, CHI 5 - Hitchcock GWPHRBI in 3-run 9th, Jackson, Hodges HR; Westlake 3-4 NYG 5, BOS 4 - Doby GWRBI, Noren 2-2, HR, Robinson 2 RBI; Torgeson 4-4, 3 RBI DET 8, LOU 7 - Atwell 3-5, GWRBI, Irvin 3-4, 2 R, Fain 3-5, Priddy HR, 3 RBI
Thursday, July 18 STL 6, NYG 2 - Pierce 6-hit CG, 2 RBI, Coan 2-5, HR, 3 RBI; Blackwell 2-3 BRO 6, CHI 0 - Brissie 8.0, 5 H, 0 R, Souchock 4-5, 3B, HR, 3 RBI; McCormick 2-2 DET 14, LOU 7 - Kiner HR, 6 RBI, Elliott 3-5, 4 RBI, Fain 3-4, 3 R; Valo 4-4, 3 R
Friday, July 19 BRO 6, DET 5 - Doerr 2-2, GWHR in 9th, Hodges 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; Priddy 2 RBI CHI 6, LOU 1 - Newcombe 7-hit CG, 6 K, Seminick, Thomson HR, Berra 3-4 WAS 8, BOS 5 - Snider GSHR in 7th, Slaughter 3-4; Zernial 16g HS STL 12, NYG 11 (11) - W Jones GWHR, Musial, Campy HR; Batts 4-6, Ted 2 HR
Saturday, July 20 BRO 7, DET 5 - Woodling 2 HR, Hodges 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, Amoros HR; Elliott 2 RBI LOU 10 , CHI 2 - Branca 8.0, 2 R, Dark 3-3, 3 RBI, SB, Jensen 2-run 3B; Rosen HR BOS 6, WAS 4 - Torgeson 3-5, Zernial 3-4, 17g HS, Lemon 3-4; Klu, H Thompson HR NYG 5, STL 4 - Wertz HR, 3 RBI, Batts HR, 2 RBI, Doby 4 W; W Jones HR, 3 RBI
Sunday, July 21 BRO 4, DET 3 - Hutchinson 8.0, 2 R, Jackson 4-4, HR, Stephens 2 HR; Irvin 2-5 CHI 9, LOU 3 - Dickson 9-hit CG, Lockman 3-5, 2 RBI, E Robinson 2 2B, Reese 2 RBI WAS 4, BOS 0 - Koslo 6-hit SHO, Gordon 2-run 2B in 3rd; Lopat 5-hit CG loss NYG 8, STL 4 - Fornieles 9-hit CG, Doby 4 W, RBI, Thomas 3 RBI; Musial 2-4, HR
Monday, July 22 STL 8, LOU 5 - W Jones, Wyrostek HR, Ennis 2 RBI; Houtteman 7g LS, Jensen 2 RBI
Tuesday, July 23 BRO 7, BOS 3 - R-berger 4-hit CG, Woodling 3-3, 2 HR, 5 RBI; McCullough HR, 2 RBI NYG 4, CHI 2 - Loes 8.2, 2 R, 6 K, Robinson 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; E Robinson 2-4, HR WAS 13, DET 3 - Miller 5-hit CG, 10 K, Snider 4 RBI, 3 R, Klu 4 RBI, Enos, Mays 3 H LOU 9, STL 8 - Dark 4-5, 6 RBI, GWHR, Jensen 13g HS; Musial, W Jones 4 H, HR
Wednesday, July 24 BOS 5, BRO 1 - Hiller 3-hit CG, Dillinger, Mantle 3-5, 2 RBI; Westrum PHHR NYG 10, CHI 5 - Blackwell, Busby 3 RBI, Williams 3-5; Reese, Thomson 3 H, HR WAS 8, DET 2 - Gromek 3-3, 3 RBI, Lollar 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, Michaels 3-4, 3 R LOU 6, STL 1 - Branca 8.0, 1 R, Jensen 2-4, 2 RBI, 14g HS, Valo 2-4, 2 R
Thursday, July 25 WAS 2, CHI 1 - Jansen 8.2, 7 H, 1 R, Lollar, Gordon solo HRs; E Robinson 3-4, R STL 4, BRO 3 - Gorman 8.0, 2 R, Kinder inj, Coan 2-4, 2 R; Jackson 2-4, HR NYG 10, DET 6 - Wertz 2 HR, 4 RBI, Robinson HR, 3 RBI, Ted 2-3, HR; Metkovich 3-5 LOU 7, BOS 2 - Jensen HR, 5 RBI, 15g HS, Valo 3-3, 2 2B, 2 W; Kuenn 3-4, HR
Friday, July 26 WAS 9, CHI 6 - Goodman, Slaughter 3-5, Mays HR, Lollar 2 RBI; Berra 2 HR, 5 RBI STL 3, BRO 2 - Maglie 8.0, 2 R, Joost 2-4, HR, Red 2-4, SB; Reiser, Stephens 2 H NYG 15, DET 9 - 20 H, Williams 3-4, HR, 4 R, Busby 4-5, SB, Wynn, Wertz 3 RBI LOU 6, BOS 4 - Lowrey 3-4, 3 RBI, Jensen 3-5, Bauer 2-5, 2 RBI, Kluttz 2-4, 2 R
Saturday, July 27 WAS 7, CHI 0 - Miller 2-hit SHO, McDougald HR, 2 RBI, Mays 2 RBI BRO 5, STL 1 - Hutchinson 6-hit CG, Westrum HR, 4 RBI; Minner 8.0, 0 ER, 9 K DET 4, NYG 3 - Kiner 4-4, HR, 3 RBI, Fain 2 R; Boudreau 2 RBI, Yost 2-4 LOU 4, BOS 3 - Mizell W, 2 RBI, Collins 2-4, 2 R, Jensen 17g HS; Torgeson HR, 2 R
Sunday, July 28 BRO 5, WAS 3 - R-berger 8.0, 2 R, Hodges 3B, 2 RBI, Woodling 2-3, Doerr 2-4 STL 5, CHI 1 - Pierce 6-hit CG, W Jones HR, 2B, 3 RBI, B Young 3-5, 3 R NYG 6, LOU 2 - Loes CG, 2 R, 10 K, SB, Williams HR, 4 RBI; Sauer 3-5 DET 6, BOS 4 - Irvin 3-5, HR, 3 R, Kell, Atwell 2 RBI, Kiner 2-2, 3 W; Dillinger 4-4
Monday, July 29 BRO 6, WAS 3 - Brissie 8.0, 1 R, Jackson HR, 2 RBI, Amoros 2 RBI; Michaels 2-4, HR STL 11, CHI 8 - Musial HR, 3 RBI, Ennis 3 RBI, Wyrostek 3-5, 2 RBI; Westlake 3 RBI LOU 6, NYG 4 - Kluttz 3-4, 2 R, Easter HR, 2 RBI, Valo HR, 2 R; Wertz 2 RBI BOS 7, DET 2 - Lemon CG, 2 R, Dillinger 4-5, D DiMaggio 3-4, 3B, Torgeson HR
Tuesday, July 30 BRO 3, WAS 2 - Hearn 8.0, 2 R, Souchock 2-4, HR; Mays 2-4, 3B, Garagiola 2-4 CHI 6, STL 4 - Fondy 3-3, Rosen HR, 2 RBI, Logan 2 RBI; Musial inj, Lipon 2 RBI LOU 6, NYG 5 - Fox GW 2-run 2B in 9th, Collins 2 RBI; Doby 3-4, HR, Boudreau HR BOS 8, DET 5 - Dillinger 2-5, 3 RBI, Lopat 2 RBI; Irvin 3-5, HR, 2 RBI, DiMaggio 2 RBI