Midseason Form

The New York Yankees' Outfielder Joe DiMaggio, usually as closemouthed as a Russian diplomat, took a preliminary sniff of the Fourth of July weather last week and made his pick. "It will be a finish fight between the Red Sox and us," said Joe. Then, with a look at the American League leaders: "The White Sox will make trouble right to the end, but they are not going to win, because when [Manager] Paul Richards will need his pitching most it will sag."

By week's end DiMaggio's predictions were beginning to look pretty good. Since the middle of the month, stout Yankee pitching by Ed Lopat (10-3), Vic Raschi (12-4) and Allie Reynolds (8-4) had whittled the White Sox lead from 4 1/2 games to half a game; and a resurgence of the power-packed Red Sox (team batting average: .284), which won them ten of their last 16 games, rocketed Boston from a dismal seven games below first place to 3 1/2 below. Heading for the midseason turning point this week, the Chicago pitching gave way, as Joe predicted, against the pushover St. Louis Browns, while the Yankees jumped into first place by taking a crucial three-game series from the Red Sox, 2-1.

In the National League, the race was beginning to look like a walkaway. The Brooklyn Dodgers, who have led the league since the middle of May, were still far out in front. Backed by three members of the 1951 All-Star team--First Baseman Gil Hodges, Second Baseman Jackie Robinson and Catcher Roy Campanella--the Dodgers have not been less than 4 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Giants for a fortnight. Even when the Dodgers are in a slump (they won only two of seven games last week), the rest of the league has obligingly protected the Brooklyn lead by knocking each other out of the running.

Only diehard Giant fans still think there is much hope of catching the Dodgers, but last week, in a do-or-die series, the Giants served notice that they cannot be counted out quite yet. In the first game the Giants finally beat Brooklyn Pitcher Preacher Roe (after he had won ten straight), 4-0. The Dodgers exploded in the second, 10-4. In the rubber game, Giant Outfielder Monte Irvin drove in four runs with two homers, beat the Dodgers almost singlehanded, 5-4.

The old baseball adage which has it that the July 4th league leaders will play in the World Series has come true in three of the last four seasons. In the National League, baseball fans figure it will probably hold true again. In the American League's three-way battle, a coin flip still looked as good as an adage.

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