United League of American Base B

Bloody Day in Brooklyn
Kaline, Yaz Out for a Year
BROOKLYN (May 3) -- Two big name outfielders suffered major injuries in a costly game for both the visiting Washington Monuments and the hosting Superbas. Brooklyn CF Al Kaline broke his elbow when he smacked against the wall making a diving catch off the bat of Carl Yastrzemski. Four innings later, Yaz himself was hurt when he tripled and slid awkwardly into third base. The diagnosis after the game was a fractured knee. Old-Timers at Frank Thomas Memorial Stadium could not recall the last time two such gruesome incidents occurred in the same game. Both players will likely be out of action for a full year.
The loss of Yaz is particularly damaging to the Monuments. Yaz, 25, was putting together a breakout year, batting .378-7-19 in 30 games. A Riverhead, N.Y. native, Yastrzemski was the second overall pick in the 1961 draft, and is the highest rated prospect in the Washington farm system. The injury occurred two days after CF Willie Mays returned to the lineup after two weeks on the DL due to a strained leg ligament. The Monuments are 4-7 without Yaz and dropped into fourth place behind Boston.
The next day in Dallas, Texans CF Roberto Clemente broke his wrist on a similar diving catch in the sixth inning of a game against Los Angeles. Clemente, however, will miss only six weeks.

Griffs Crush Spiders 20-6
8 Homers, 23 Hits, Hershberger 5-5
SAN FRANCISCO (May 6) -- In the biggest blowout of the season, and perhaps in years, Detroit demolished San Francisco 20-6 in front of 5,734 at Seals Stadium today. #5 starter Al Jackson allowed a home run, two doubles, and two singles in the first inning, and the rout was on.
   CF Mike Hershberger was 5-for-5 with 2 homers and 6 runs. The 25-year-old Massillon, Ohio native has hit over .300 in each of his first two seasons, and raised his season average to .336 with the five-hit performance. Denis Menke was 4-for-6 with a home run and double and 4 RBI in the contest, which lasted nearly four hours. Joe Cunningham, Willie Held, Dick Allen, Lou Clinton, and Leon "Daddy Wags" Wagner also homered in the game. Detroit scored in every inning but the third, but scored half of its 20 runs in the last three innings, against Rollie Sheldon (13.09 ERA), Bob Locke (11.57), and Don McMahon (15.75).
   Bob Gibson improve to 2-3 with the easiest win of his four-year career.

Pierce Winding Down?
CHICAGO (May 16) -- The illustrious career of Billy Pierce may be winding down, if the early season stats are any indication. The 37-year-old southpaw is the league's all-time win and strikeout leader, but after an impressive 1964 campaign, in which the Michigander won 24 games with a 2.90 ERA, Piercy has lost his touch and is finally showing his age.
   Pierce is 3-5, 6.08 in 8 starts, of which only two were quality starts (compare with 71% last year and 66% the year before). He came into 1965 with 274 career wins and, with two years left on his contract, had high hopes of becoming the UL's first 300-game winner. But after allowing 8 and 9 runs in two of his first three starts, Pierce has only recovered partially, having allowed 4+ runs in his last four starts (three losses and a win), and his hopes of reaching #300 diminish with every loss.
   Uncharacteristically, Pierce has been allowing runs in bunches. For example, Pierce pitched five shutout innings against St. Louis May 1, but let in five runs in the sixth and ended up losing 8-4. And in his last start May 12, five of his six innings were scoreless, but the Spiders posted a five-spot in the third inning and won the game 5-4.
   Pierce pitched 10 seasons in St. Louis, winning a championship in 1951 and a Cy Young Award in 1954 (24-6, 2.42, 343 K), and was named UL Pitcher of the Decade in 1961. From 1954-56 he tossed three consecutive 300+ strikeout seasons.
After a year in Cleveland, he joined the Colts in 1962 at the age of 34. In four seasons he has compiled a 70-41 record and 3.08 ERA in 125 starts. Overall, he is 277-156 with a 3.18 ERA and 3,567 strikeouts in 4,193 innings. The closest pitcher on the all-time win chart is Johnny Antonelli, who has 32 fewer wins.