The Evening Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • 61

'SPORTS. i FINANCIAL PAGE El BALTBIORE, WEDNESDAY, SEPTE3IBER 25, 1974 PAGE EI THE EVENING SUN Suicide Bunt Secures AL Lead Birds Put 'Squeeze On Rest Of League By Doug BroTni Etchebarren bunted for a hit, yet Robinson scored and "The suicide squeeze is going to fail 50 per cent of the Among the things Oriole man the Orioles won, 54, to wrest time at least. Weaver said. So many things can go the American League East lead from the Yankees, who lost a double header to Boston. Reasons For Failure wrong.

You've got to get the sign to the third base coach, masochism sweeps over him, he invites pain by signaling for the suicide squeeze. Orioles In Lead He sipaled fot it last night against Detroit, with Brooks Robinson on third and Andy Etchebarren at the plate with the score in a 4-4 knot in eighth inning, and much to his relief it worked. l.e got to get it to the hitter. ager Earl Weaver has little time for are losing, a pen that won't work, a car that won't start and the suicide squeeze bunt. There is little he can do about the first three, but once in a when a wave of The Birds are now on top by the hitter has to answer by signal, and he has to get a pitch he can bunt." a half game, with seven to play.

Six games remain for the Yankees. Why, then, did he call for it? "Well," Weaver said after a pause, "with Brooks no threat to steal home. I knew thev wouldn't be looking for him, so it wasn't likely he would tip Boston, Fans Troublesome Bosox Cause Yanks Woe them off to the play." Etch Forgets Signal Although the play worked, there was one link missing in the chain of events usually needed to ensure success. Etchbarren didn't acknowledge the sign. "I forgot the answering signal," he said sheepishly, "although I understood Billy's signal." "He sure scared me for a minute," said third base coach Billy Hunter.

"Andy looked at me until I finished giving the New York (J) The fans threw chunks of glass, bottles, screwdrivers, nuts, bolts and rubber balls. That bothered the New York Yankees a little bit. Luis Tiant and Roger Moret threw strikes. That bothered the New York Yankees even more. Tiant and Moret proved the more dangerous, helping the Boston Red Sox to a 4-0, 4-2 doubleheader sweep last night that kicked the Yankees out of first place in the American League East.

Murcer Extremely Riled "Lets go back to Yankee Stadium," said an understandably depressed and frustrated Bobby Murcer, the Yankees' right fielder. Murcer, who has been unhappy about playing this season at Shea Stadium while Yankee Stadium is being refurbished, became un-happier after last night's double jolt before a crowd of 46,448. "I wish," said Murcer in solemn tones, "that we hadn't played a doubleheader Angry fans only added to the solemnity of the occasion for the Yankees. Numerous fights broke out in the second game and occasionally held up action. At one point, a group of park policemen belabored two rowdies with clubs while actually dragging them along the side of the field and into the Boston dugout.

"It was distracting," said Murcer. "It took my mind away from the ballgame at times." Informed that the fans periodically fired missiles onto the field, including a bottle that splattered near home plate, Murcer announced sarcastically: "Well, that's pretty good. At least they don't throw darts." Bosox Throwers Go Route Murcer's comment was a reference to a dart that hit Yankee first baseman Chris Chambliss in a series at Boston earlier in September. If the fans weren't throwing darts at Shea Stadium Tiant and Moret were. They both went the route, Tiant with a six-hitter and Moret with a seven-hitter.

signal, so I figured I hoped he got it. It ran through my mind to call but that would have ruined the whole thing, of course." Robinson's Assumption There was no fear in Robinson's mind that he might be rushing toward disaster when he broke from third on Tiger reliefer John Hiller's pitch. He assumed Etchebarren had an swered Hunter's sign. Sunpapers photo Carl D. Harris PORTRAIT OF A PRO Al Kaline dug it out like a rookie when he collected his hit here last night.

Puny Crowd Detracts From A Great Night SPORTS EDITOR "Billy had told me to be alive for the squeeze and that when he said, 'One out, the play was on. I saw Andy looking hard at him and then he said, 'One There was more to the game than a successful suicide squeeze. For example: The lead changed hands continually, Robinson tying the score for the last time in the eighth with an RBI double before he took third on Hiller's wild pitch and scored on Etch-ebarren's bunt. Kaline Passes 3000 Baltimore-born Al Kaline of the Tigers became the 12th player in the 105-year history of the majors to collect 3,000 hits, Nos. 3,000 and 3,001 against Dave McNally.

Detroit shortstop Eddie Brinkman, who never hit more than eight homers in his 11 previous major league seasons, banged No. 14 with a man on in the seventh to put the Tigers ahead, 4-3. And Oriole reliefer Bob Reynolds struck out the side in the ninth, slipping a slider past (Continued, Page E7, Col. 1) hand to see its star member become only the twelfth man in baseball history to make 3,000 hits? Where was Governor Mandel, who, like the Mayor, is pushing for a new downtown sports complex that probably would cost some Where was Bill Boucher, president of the Greater Baltimore Committee, who was so conspicuous just a few weeks ago when he was playing the role of the white knight, trying to land a World' Hockey Association franchise for Baltimore? If leaders like these and many, many others do not lend themselves to things that are supposed to be vital to our community, why should the followers bother? We are not going to remain a big league city for long with the kind of crowd we had at the IT'S ALL OVER Al Kaline relaxes in locker room after reaching his coveted goal. Stadium last night.

Kaline Glad He Passed Milestone Here By Larry Hargrove The main thing Freehan of an individual. I just knew he'd consider the Series win the biggest thrill he's ever had wanted to know was whether It was closing in on midnight Bill had been through a lot of what Kaline had gone through, as a Tiger, yet he couldn't get over that he was sitting next to a man who'll as Al Kaline and his closest my parents and my wife's parents. The only damper on the whole thing is that we didn't win the game." Biggest Thrill Freehan was in awe of the in baseball." friend on the Detroit Tiger after every game in that ser- ies, and I got so emotionally charged that I even had a few doctors worried about my health." Freehan nodded and added to those still present, "I knew that's what he'd say. Al's always been a team man ahead squad, Bill Freehan, sat in the become a baseball legend. Al considered his hit his biggest thrill in baseball.

"No," replied Kaline. "My biggest thrill was winning the Series in 1968. It's still the most emotional thing that's ever happened to me. I cried visiting locker room at Memorial Stadium. A Baseball Legend With everyone else gone, it seemed almost eerie watching Freehan interview Kaline, but he couldn't help himself.

wnoie evening and asked as Maybe, for the first time, Freehan was aware of just what Kaline has meant and will Kaline sat with a towel many questions as the few re porters who were still there. draped over his legs, and become to the game. Freehan was still wearing part "I kept kidding Al that when of his uniform. Both sipped Pirate Star Hit On Wrist he got the hit he should reach slowly from plastic cups of At 10.09 last night Bob Reynolds threw a pitch that was called a third strike against Detroit's Ron LeFlore. It ended one of the greatest nights of baseball our city has ever experienced.

What Memorial Stadium goers saw in a little more than hours included: Al Kaline, a native getting career hits Nos. 3,000 and 3,001, moving him into eleventh place on baseball's all-time hit list. It's not often that people see a ball game stopped while a player, in his home town, goes to the box seats to embrace his parents after a history-making achievement. But they saw it here last night, and the whole thing took no one by surprise. It was well advertised and promoted beforehand.

The Orioles coming from behind twice and finally winning, 5-4, and moving into first place in the American League East with a mere seven games to play. The fans at the Stadium playing the game of Scoreboard watching the board throughout the" evening for developments elsewhere in the pennant race, which last night were beautiful. Boston beat the Yanks twice to knock them out of the top spot. Throngs In AT.Y., jSt. Loo Brooks Robinson, the all-time favorite Oriole, doubling to right field in the eighth imiing to drive in the tying run, and then scoring the winning run on the most exciting play in baseball the suicide squeeze.

And Andy Etchebarren, the Orioles' all too often forgotten man, down a squeeze bunt so perfect that it went for a base hit. The people went to Thirty-third street last night to watch Al Kaline make history, but when they left they were buzzing about Brooks and Andy and the Red Sox beating the Yankees twice. But the evening had one flaw, and only one, yet that flaw in the long run may turn out to be more significant than any of the thrilling things that happened on the field. The flaw is that once more Baltimore turned out in disappointing numbers. Ball clubs involved in hot pennant races this late in the season draw big crowds without the added attraction of a popular hometown boy about to make history.

In New York last night, there were 46,448 at Shea Stadium to watch the Yanks lose those two games. It was also chilly in New York last night, by the way. In St. Louis, where the Cards were battling the Pirates, there were 37,197. Where Were Our Leaders? But in Baltimore the Orioles drew only 11,492.

If you don't know it already, be advised that this is what people around the country are talking about today. Where were the people who might have been in those 40,645 empty seats Where were the civic boosters and leaders who might have lent their presence to a memorable night in our city's sports history? Where was Mayor Schaefer on a night when a family out of the Westport neighborhood was on champagne. first base and slam his batting helmet down to the ground in ecstacy like the football players do," said Bill, "but I sort Key Hit Was Double The only sound in the room was that of the automatic Stargell Plays With, Inflicts Pain of knew he wouldn't do it." eighth-inning home run games, Cincinnati beat Hous game we play against each other means two in the stand By The Associated Pros Willie Stargell was playing hurt. But that was nothing com brought the Dodgers into a 1-1 eighth-inning tie. ings." ton, 5-1; Philadelphia downed New York, 6-3; San Diego edged San Francisco, 3-2; and, in a double-header, Chicago beat Montreal, 6-4, before the And Red Schodendienst "But it doesn't really mat pared to the pain he was inflicting on the St.

Louis Cardi ter. We've got a lot of breaks nals. but a good club makes its own dryer tumbling assorted collections of sweaty uniforms and underwear. Their teammates had left long ago. Several hours earlier Kaline had collected his hit, a slicing double which barely fell in fair territory in the fourth inning of the Orioles' 5-4 win over the Tigers.

In the interim, Kaline had spent time with family and friends in the hallway outside the locker room. He had posed for pictures, signed autographs and shaken hands with many Expos bounced back to romp "This time of the year, warned: "They've got things going for them now. They're making all the plays. But they're not out of the woods yet." breaks. That what happened to us.

That's part of success." you've just got to play with pain and forget about it. Ther break against the 11-2 in the second game. Struck On Wrist Stargell had been hit on the right wrist by a pitch in the There's no tomorrow," Pittsburgh's huge slugger said last night after his three-run homer Braves was having knuckle-bailer Phil Niekro pitching for Atlanta Congratulations By Birds Kaline laughed, then added, "If the hit had come in Detroit, I might've done something like that because it would've been more emotional forme. "I mean they're (the Detroit fans) the people who've been with me all these years (22), and I guess they'd have gotten me a little more emotionally charged." As it was, Kaline was very unemotional over the big base hit. As he reached second base he was congratulated by Bobby Grich and Mark Belan-ger, then he paused for a second and lifted his head toward the sky.

Prayer Of Thanks "I just stopped long enough sixth inning when Dave Par helped power the Pirates past He had one-hit Los Angeles ker drilled a two-run pinch-sin the Cards in more ways than gle to give the Pirates what before Cey homered. Then, in John Curtis stymied Pittsburgh on three hits before singles by Rennie Stennett and Manny Sanguillen got the Bucs going in the sixth. Stargell was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Stennet scored on Richie Zisk's grounder, walks to Bob Robertson and Richie Hebner shoved the Pir one. relatives and well-wishers. the 10th, Steve Yeager doubled with two out, the Dodgers Half-Game Lead His 24th homer of the year loaded the bases on two walks proved to be the winning run.

By the seventh inning, though, the pain was the furthest thing from Willie's mind. "I wasn't even thinking about not only contributed mightily and Yeager dashed home when to the Bucs' 7-3 victory, but it ates on top 2-1 before Parker it hurting," he said. catcher Johnny Oates couldn handle one of Niekro's fluttering pitches. Reds, Astros, 1 helped vault them over St. Louis and into a one-half game lead in the National League "All Big Games" Southern High Grad For the first time all evening he was getting a chance to unwind and reflect on the big event which had taken place hours before.

The horde of reporters who had swamped him earlier was gone. It was a time when he could really appreciate his accomplishment. "If I couldn't get the hit in "I'm not one to do much got his hit. Dodgers, Braves, 1 In the seventh, Stennett and Al Olivpr sinplpH hefnre Star. East.

philosophizing insofar as what Johnny Bench signaled for a In the West Division. Los hit-and-run play, then did both, to say a little prayer of thanks to God for allowing me to play baseball long enough to accom Angeles's comfortable lead got this means," Stargell said of the victory. "I figure we're in first place but that doesn't gell unloaded his booming homer to left-center field off plish what I have," said Al. Rich Folkers. mean too much.

There an even cozier as the Dodgers beat Atlanta 2-1 in 10 innings. They remained five games Detroit, I'm glad it came in With that, Kaline stood up breaking a tie with a triple in a three-run fifth inning to help the Reds defeat Houston and keep alive Cincinnati's flicker, ing pennant hopes. Joe Morgan walked before Baltimore," said Al, who was raised in Westport and played and looked at Freehan. ahead of Cincinnati and re other game tomorrow night." Both managers agreed. "The games are all big out The Dodgers can clinch a tie for the West Division crown in their last home game tonight.

"It would be great to do it at high school ball at Southern. duced their pennant-clinching "C'mon Bill, let's get a shower and go get something to eat." magic number to three. "It was really nice being able toget the hit in front of there now," said Pittsburgh's Danny Murtaugh. "Every home," said Ron Cey, whose (Continued, Page 7, Col. In other National League.