[Big Six]

Boston Globe, August 18, 1938

YANKEES, TIGERS WIN WHILE SOX FALL TO NATS
Two Games Separate Top Three Teams In AL Race

BOSTON--The Red Sox had lots to think about on their long train ride to Detroit last night. They could contemplate the pasting they took from the Washington Senators, who chased Bucky Walters from the hill with a four-run second inning and punished three relievers for five runs in the eighth en route to a 9-4 victory.

They could consider the implications of the three-game series they are about to play with the Tigers, whose 8-4 triumph over Cleveland brought them to within a game of the first-place Red Sox.

Or, they could ponder the recent charge of the New York Yankees, who have won 15 of their last 17 contests, and have lined up immediately behind the Tigers in the American League standings.

With outstanding young players like Joe DiMaggio and Joe Gordon joining vets like Dixie Walker, Larry Bettencourt, and Dale Alexander in their lineup, the Yankees have established themselves as a formidable challenger to the Tigers and Red Sox, long considered the junior circuit's elite.

Freshman pitcher Spud Chandler might not be a youngster; at age 31, he is considerably older than most rookies. Nevertheless, Chandler has teamed with holdovers Mace Brown, Rufus Smith, and Lon Warneke to give the Yanks a potent quartet of starting pitchers.

As usual, the Tigers' batting order features a dangerous hitter in every slot. Hank Greenberg, Rudy York, and Willie Wells have each clubbed at least seventeen homers. Charlie Gehringer has driven in 84 runs. And, Jo-Jo Moore leads the league in hitting with a .355 mark.

The Red Sox will, therefore, depend heavily on their pitching staff to keep the potent offenses of the Yankees and Tigers in check. Jim Weaver has pitched extremely well since his acquisition last month, while Walters--his poor outing yesterday notwithstanding--has been solid all year long. Carl Hubbell and Ray Brown, on the other hand, have been little better than .500 pitchers this season, and their struggles give manager Bill Carrigan cause for concern.

Help might come from the Minneapolis farm, where righthander Mike O'Farrell has posted a 12-7 mark with an earned run average below three runs a game. O'Farrell, who struggled with his control during a brief stay in Boston last September, has thrown strikes much more efficiently this year and, from all reports, seems ready to contribute at the big league level...