BEARDEN SLAMS SOX, TRIBE PREVAIL, 8-5.
Cleveland, May 22 - The Cleveland Indians staked a one game lead atop the American League on a mighty blow from an atypical source. Twenty seven year old rookie Gene Bearden is more known for his knuckleball, but Bearden slipped a fast one by Jack Kramer with a grand slam clout over Municipal Stadium's center field wall in the fourth inning. Bearden's heroics were even more stunning as the blow was struck in the hurler's fifth major league at-bat. Vern Stephens cut into the Tribe lead with his sixth round-tripper of the season. Cleveland skipper Lou Boudreau rapped out three safeties to raise his mark to a major league leading .398 and to run his consecutive hit streak to 15 games, the longest this season by any player.

                     1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 -  R   H   E
Boston               2  0  0  0  0  1  2  0  0 -  5   8   1
Cleveland            0  0  0  4  0  3  0  1  x -  8  15   2


Boston                AB  R  H BI  Avg  Cleveland             AB  R  H BI  Avg
D DiMaggio CF          5  0  0  0 .259  T Tucker CF            5  1  3  0 .363
B Hitchcock 3B         3  2  0  0 .250  L Doby RF              3  2  1  0 .312
T Williams LF          4  0  0  0 .365  L Boudreau SS          4  1  3  1 .398
V Stephens SS          5  3  3  3 .272  E Robinson 1B          5  0  2  2 .313
B Doerr 2B             3  0  1  1 .343  J Gordon 2B            5  1  2  1 .283
S Mele RF              4  0  1  0 .284  K Keltner 3B           4  0  1  0 .240
M Batts C              3  0  1  1 .421  D Mitchell LF          5  1  2  0 .278
J Jones 1B             4  0  2  0 .196  J Hegan C              3  1  0  0 .226
J Kramer P             2  0  0  0 .091  G Bearden P            4  1  1  4 .143
 E Johnson P           1  0  0  0 .286
                      -- -- -- --                             -- -- -- --
Totals                34  5  8  5       Totals                38  8 15  8


Boston                     IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO BFP  HB   D   T  HR   ERA
J Kramer (L 1-3)          5.2  10   7   7   3   0  30   0   0   0   1  5.50
E Johnson                 2.1   5   1   1   1   1  13   0   1   0   0  5.14
Totals                    8.0  15   8   8   4   1  43   0   1   0   1

Cleveland                  IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO BFP  HB   D   T  HR   ERA
G Bearden (W 1-0)         9.0   8   5   5   5   4  40   0   3   0   1  4.62
Totals                    9.0   8   5   5   5   4  40   0   3   0   1


Left On Base: Boston 8, Cleveland 11
Double Plays: Boston 0, Cleveland 1
Doubles: L Doby (5); V Stephens (4); B Doerr (7); S Mele (6)
Triples: none
Home Runs: V Stephens (6); G Bearden (1)
RBIs: L Boudreau (19); V Stephens 3(27); E Robinson 2(23); B Doerr (27);
     J Gordon (26); M Batts (5); G Bearden 4(4)
Stolen Bases: T Tucker (7)
Caught Stealing: none
Hit by Pitch: none
Ground into Double Play: V Stephens (7)

Notes:
L Boudreau has hit in 15 straight games, his longest of the season

CARDINALS STREAK INTO FIRST ON EASTERN SWING
Boston, May 22- The St. Louis Cardinals ride a four game win streak through Brooklyn and Boston to recapture the perch in the senior circuit. Stan Musial continued his fine play with a two hit effort driving in a pair. Red Schoendienst doubled twice, including one in the eighth which put him in scoring position in front of Dusak's tie-breaking single off Hub starter Johnny Sain. Murray Dickson surrendered a pair of round-trippers off the bats of Russell and Salkeld which gave Boston a temporary lead in the sixth. Ted Wilks relieved Dickson in the eighth securing the starter's fourth victory in five decisions. In defeat, Jeff Heath, acquired from the St. Louis Browns in the off-season, extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Team MVP last season, Bob Elliott may be emerging from an embarrassing early season slump as his batting average stood at a paltry .120 on May 18 when NL President Ford Frick handed him the 1947 MVP Award in ceremonies prior to the game vs. Pittsburgh. Elliott followed Russell's homer in the fourth with a single which brought his average to .138.

                     1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 -  R   H   E
St. Louis            2  0  1  0  0  0  1  1  0 -  5  12   0
Boston               0  0  0  0  2  2  0  0  0 -  4  10   2


St. Louis             AB  R  H BI  Avg  Boston                AB  R  H BI  Avg
R Schoendienst 2B      5  2  2  0 .224  T Holmes RF            5  0  0  0 .316
E Dusak CF             4  1  2  1 .250  A Dark SS              5  0  1  0 .333
S Musial LF            5  1  2  2 .333  J Russell CF           4  1  2  1 .188
E Slaughter RF         5  0  1  0 .253  B Elliott 3B           4  1  1  0 .138
N Jones 1B             5  0  2  2 .316  J Heath LF             3  0  1  0 .365
D Lang 3B              4  0  0  0 .286  E Torgeson 1B          3  1  1  0 .245
M Marion SS            5  1  2  0 .191  B Salkeld C            3  1  1  3 .310
D Rice C               2  0  0  0 .113  C Ryan 2B              3  0  1  0 .167
M Dickson P            3  0  1  0 .211  J Sain P               2  0  1  0 .158
 R Northey PH          0  0  0  0 .286   F McCormick pH        1  0  1  0 .200
 T Wilks P             0  0  0  0 .500   B Sturgeon PR         0  0  0  0 .286
                      -- -- -- --                             -- -- -- --
Totals                38  5 12  5       Totals                33  4 10  4


St. Louis                  IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO BFP  HB   D   T  HR   ERA
M Dickson (W 4-2)         7.0   8   4   4   3   4  32   0   0   0   2  4.18
T Wilks (Sv 4)            2.0   2   0   0   0   0   6   0   0   0   0  0.71
Totals                    9.0  10   4   4   3   4  38   0   0   0   2

Boston                     IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO BFP  HB   D   T  HR   ERA
J Sain (L 2-5)            9.0  12   5   5   2   4  43   1   3   0   0  4.18
Totals                    9.0  12   5   5   2   4  43   1   3   0   0


Left On Base: St. Louis 11, Boston 7
Double Plays: St. Louis 1, Boston 1
Doubles: R Schoendienst 2(5); S Musial (10)
Triples: none
Home Runs: J Russell (3); B Salkeld (5)
RBIs: E Dusak (7); S Musial 2(19); J Russell (8); N Jones 2(18);
     B Salkeld 3(11)
Stolen Bases: none
Caught Stealing: E Torgeson (2)
Hit by Pitch: D Rice (2)
Ground into Double Play: R Schoendienst (2)

Notes:
J Heath has hit in 12 straight games, his longest of the season

In other action...

• Detroit's Art Houtteman evened his record at 2-2 with a 5-1 victory over the Mackmen. With the Boston setback, the win lifted Detroit into second place one game behind the Tribe. Hoot Evers belted a two-run shot, his second of the season, off Athletics starter Phil Marchildon (3-2) to highlight the Bengal offense.
• Defending World Champion Yankees are tied with the Browns in sixth place with an 11-15 mark. The Pale Hose trip the Bombers in extra frames, 4-3. Taffy Wright doubled home Luke Appling for the fatal blow in the tenth after a dramatic two-run rally by Bucky Harris' troops in the ninth. Rookie Cliff Mapes pinch-hit double with two outs in the ninth knotted the game at three apiece.
• May 20 presented decision day for the 16 major league clubs. Rosters were reduced to a 25 player limit. St. Louis sold pitcher Nelson Potter to Philadelphia, and the Athletics optioned pitcher Alex Kellner to Savannah. Washington sold outfielder Leon Culberson who played for the the pennant-winning Red Sox club two seasons ago to Kansas City.
• Boston sent Tex Hughson who has been bothered by a sore flipper to Austin of the Big State League. This move permits his recall by Boston on short notice should his arm respond. Hughson won 23 games in 1946, followed by a 12-10 mark last season. The arm injury has limited Hughson to less than three innings this season.

In other action...

• After Pittsburgh rookie Bob Chesnes pitched a 10-2 victory over the Phillies for his first major-league win in his debut as a starter, May 13, he had seven teeth removed the next day. The aching molars are believed responsible for the pains in Chesnes' pitching arm. The sensation of the Pacific Coast League last season, when he won 22 games for San Francisco, Chesnes, formerly an overhand pitcher, has been throwing sidearm this year because of the pain in his flipper. Bob's next important appointment is with a clergyman, May 23, when he is to married to Rose Wilson of Culver City, California, whom he met last year.
• Ewell Blackwell returned to action on May 20 to close out the Reds' 9-7 victory at the Polo Grounds. The Whip pulled a muscle in his pitching shoulder, May 7. Blackwell won 19 games for Cincinnati last season, but is 1-2 in seven appearances this season. It is expected that Blackwell will return to the rotation.
• Following a diagnosis that Bert Haas, third baseman for the Phillies, suffered a skull fracture instead of a concussion, when hit by a line drive from Eddie Miller's bat during batting practice in St. Louis, the infielder underwent an operation at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, May 20. The injury was described as an orbital fracture, which means the part of the skull that protects the frontal sinus was damaged. His right eye was discolored, and there was a depression about a quarter inch deep over the eye. The operation was said not to be serious, but would keep him from playing for at least two more weeks.