Spahnie Gets Hot
Struggling Boston Lefty Finds His Groove
BOSTON (Sept. 1) -- Boston ace Warren Spahn won seven in a row, and went 6-1 with a 2.56 ERA in August to win his first Pitcher of the Month Award. The award was the first monthly or weekly award for a Boston player all year, and the first monthly award since Gus Zernial took home the BoM in April 1952. The 31-year-old southpaw won seven straight starts from July 30 to Aug. 25, before losing 4-1 to Ted Gray and Detroit on Aug. 30. The string included a 4-hit shutout on Aug. 16 and raised Spahn's record from 10-10 to 17-10.
   Spahn, the Beacons first ever pick in the Initial Draft, has been a disappointment with the Fenway Nine. The former Brave southpaw was 18-18 in 1951, despite the seventh best ERA in the league (3.86), and suffered a dismal 1952 (13-16, 4.65), despite raising his strikeouts and lowering his walks. He was nearly demoted to AAA Philadelphia after starting this season 1-4 with a 8.44 ERA in April. But since May 15, when he started a five-game winning streak, Spahn has compiled a 16-6 record and 3.32 ERA. He now stands just two wins shy of his 50th UL win, and three shy of his first 20-win season.
   The Beacons' response to Spahn's hot streak has been, at best, tepid. The club compiled a 14-15 record in August, and was 8-14 in games not started by Spahn. Ed Lopat single-handedly counterbalanced Spahn's contribution. Lopat, at 34, is showing his age. The veteran righthander was 0-7, 8.50 in 7 August starts, falling to 6-11, 5.88 on the year. The righthander won 17 games a year ago, but increasingly looks like a liability going into the fourth season of a five-year, $5 million contract. Vern Bickford (8-14, 5.85) also had a rough month, going 0-3, 7.36 in four starts. Offensively, the club is still lagging, ranking sixth in run production, a situation not helped by Earl Torgeson's August slump (.212, 14 RBI in 25 games). The club sits seven games out of fifth place, and will battle Detroit, whom it leads by one game, for sixth place going into the homestretch.
   On a positive note, 20-year-old Mickey Mantle (.306-27-96) is having a breakout year , already setting career marks in home runs and RBI, and Gus Zernial (.249-24-73) is poised for his third straight 30-HR year.

Doby Hits for Cycle
LOUISVILLE (Aug. 31) -- New York centerfielder Larry Doby hit for the cycle today, collecting four hits in seven at-bats in the Gothams' 19-5 drubbing of Louisville at Parkway Field. Doby, the first Negro player in the American League, joined the Gothams on the eve of the 1952 season, in the unpopular trade that sent Gil Hodges to crosstown rivals Brooklyn. But Doby has been a key contributor for New York, driving in 89 runs and scoring 102 last year. In 1953, Doby has raised his average 30 points to .279, and his slugging by 75 (.516). He ranks second in runs (92) and walks (83), third in OBP (.402), and seventh in slugging (.516).
   The Gothams are in the thick of a four-team race for second place, two games back of Chicago. The quartet of Irv Noren (.294-13-68), Jackie Robinson (.302-22-80), Vic Wertz (.261-16-81), and Larry Doby (.279-21-74) has anchored the league's top offense. New manager Jeremy "Weims" Weimer intends to renew Jackie Robinson's contract, and hopes the return of Ted Williams from Korea gives the club the push it needs to be a contender in '54.

Kiner Hits 100th Homer, Fuels Sound
DETROIT (Sept. 1) -- Detroit's Ralph Kiner hit 11 home runs, including the 100th of his United League career, and drove in 29 runs in 27 games to pick up his second BoM and third PoW of the year. His landmark 100th homer came on Aug. 10, and by month's end, Kiner was assured of his third successive 35-HR season.
   Detroit was 8-6 in the fortnight, including five straight wins, to climb within one game of sixth place Boston. Bob Porterfield threw a one-hit shutout and Bob Rush threw a 3-hit shutout in successive wins over Chicago on Aug. 27-28.

AROUND THE HORN