The Daily Record

Duke Snider Going Like House On Fire

By CARL LUNDQUIST
UP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (UP)

Duke Snider, the center fielder of those window-breaking Brooklyn Dodgers, was the latest of them to rate serious consideration today for "most valuable player" honors.

The California Duke, who is playing at the peak of his career, probably will wind up with his top major league marks in four departments and he has an outside chance of improving on two others.

Sunday, as he hit two homers and drove in seven runs with five hits in Brooklyn's 10-4 and 9-7 triumphs over the Pirates, he closed in on his best previous marks practically all-around.

His two homers gave him a total of 31, which equals the number he hit in 1950. He scored three runs Sunday, giving him a total of 101 and making him the only player in the majors past the century mark. He needs only nine more to top his best previous total of 109—also in the 1950 season. He has 97 runs-batted-in, needing only 11 more to top his 107 total in 1950. He boosted his batting average to .312, which is still nine points under his .321 peak in that same hot year of 1950. And he has 148 hits, needing 35 more to equal the 1950 of 199.

BROOKS NINE AHEAD

The Brooks moved nine full games ahead of Milwaukee, which ran its winning streak to eight games by beating the Cubs, 10-2, on Warren Spahn's four-hit 17th victory before losing 7-2 in a darkness-halted, seven-inning finale.

Johnny Klippstein held the Braves to six hits.

YANKS BLANK A's

In the American League, the Yankees blanked the Athletics, 4-0, on Vic Raschi's six hit job for his 26th victory against only five defeats over the Pennsylvania patsies. However the Yankees lost ground to Chicago which defeated Detroit 2-1 and 11-6 and now trails by 8 1/2 games. Hank Bauer hit a homer and the Yankees scored two other runs on errors.

Bob Boyd tripled home the winning run for Chicago in the ninth inning of the opener to top off Sandy Consuegra's fine five-hit pitching. In the second game Virgil Trucks gained his 17th victory despite a shaky start in which he gave four runs on six hits, three walks and two wild pitches in the first two innings. Chicago made 16 hits, Al Carrasquel setting the pace by driving in three runs on a double and two singles.

Al Rosen took over the American League lead in homers with 33, in runs-batted-in with 116, and in batting with a .326 mark as he hit a three-run homer and drove in another run with a single in the second game as Cleveland topped the Browns 3-1 and 9-0. Early Wynn gained his 14th victory with a seven-hitter in the opener and Art Houtteman pitched a four-hitter to win the second game.

After Ted Williams tied the score at 4-4 with his fifth homer since returning from Korea in the seventh inning, rookie Karl Olson doubled home the winning run in the ninth in a 5-4 Red Sox victory over Washington.

Earl Torgeson drove in three