BASEBALL'S WEEK

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Philadelphia (5-2) cooled off after pre-game needling led to a fight on the field during batting practice between Third Baseman Richie Allen and handyman Frank Thomas. Allen threw a punch, Thomas came back with a bat to the shoulder, six players pulled them apart and the Phils lost two in a row. Thomas hit a pinch home run that night, but Allen was leading the league in hitting; Thomas was released on waivers immediately after the game. Lou Brock of ST. LOUIS (5-2) kept asking: "Will the real Cardinals please stand up?" They finally did and won five straight, including three over the Mets. For the year, St. Louis was 18-4 over New York and Pittsburgh, 20-37 against the rest of the league. St. Louis Manager Red Schoendienst, who earlier said the Braves should win, declared that PITTSBURGH (4-4) "has enough speed, power and good pitching to win the pennant." The Pirates' Don Cardwell won his sixth straight, but Vernon Law lost two in a row. All-Star Left Fielder Willie Stargell hit his 21st homer. Coach Hal Smith, who retired as a player after a 1961 heart attack, was reactivated as a catcher when Jim Pagliaroni, Del Crandall and Ozzie Virgil were injured. Smith dropped "Get Well Quick" cards into their lockers. Eddie Kranepool's three home runs and Gary Kroll's 9‚Öì innings of runless relief helped NEW YORK (4-4). Warren Spahn lost his seventh straight. CHICAGO (4-3) started to run more; Don Landrum stole four bases and the Cubs had three double steals. Larry Jackson flashed his 1964 form, pitched and won two complete games. Rookie Second Baseman Joe Morgan hit three home runs for HOUSTON (3-2). Juan Marichal of SAN FRANCISCO (3-3) shut out both the Dodgers and the Cubs. Willie Mays—bothered by a muscle pull—played right field for the first time in his career. MILWAUKEE (2-6) slumped to sixth as Bobby Bragan used 25 pitchers. "We couldn't beat our Austin farm club," moaned Bobby, LOS ANGELES (3-5) maintained a one-game lead only because CINCINNATI (3-5) matched the Dodgers loss for loss. Sandy Koufax saved them with two victories (14-3 for the season), as Don Drysdale lost his fifth stra√¨ght. The Reds' hitting was overwhelming (almost 50 runs better than the next best team), but their pitching was spotty.

Midseason pennant odds: Reds 6-5, Dodgers 8-5, Giants 5-2, Braves 4-1, Pirates 6-1, Phillies 8-1.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Birdie Tebbetts of CLEVELAND (5-2) remained unusually quiet last spring when rival managers ignored the Indians in their discussions of the pennant race. Last week, as Cleveland moved to the top of the league, Tebbetts said acidly, "Not one of them mentioned Cleveland. And not one has said anything yet." But after winning 19 of 23 games, the Indians were tied with Minnesota and were three full games ahead of third-place Chicago. Max Alvis, bedridden with spinal meningitis a year ago, lifted the club into first place on Tuesday with three hits, including a home run, had eight hits in 16 at bats over a four-game stretch and, for the season, was hitting .282 with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs. Baltimore's Brooks Robinson (.298, 5 HRs, 24 RBIs), the American League's All-Star third baseman, said, "I figured I had a chance for the second team, but I never thought I'd beat out Alvis." For the Indians, Alvis seems to be the indispensable man: when he was in the lineup last season they were 13 games over .500; when he was hospitalized they lost 25 out of 36. Manager Sam Mele of MINNESOTA (4-2) platooned with great success as the Twins fought the Indians for the lead. Part-time First Baseman Don Mincher hit two home runs against Kansas City, part-time Outfielder Sandy Valdespino saved one win with a great catch and part-time Third-Basemen Harmon Killebrew and Joe Nossek fielded flawlessly and contributed key hits. The Twins were 8-4 in extra-inning games. Last year they lost 13 of 20. Clete Boyer went 14 for 32, Mel Stottlemyre pitched 17 scoreless innings and won twice to help rally NEW YORK (5-3). Rookie Roger Re-poz, up from Toledo, homered impressively in successive games, then seemed to have trouble with low, outside pitches. The Yanks mounted their best offense of the season—16 runs—against Boston and made 21 hits, most in one game for New York since 1958. Manager Bill Rigney's job seemed shaky before Los Angeles (3-1) returned home and won three straight. Fred Newman two-hit Minnesota, and rookie Ed Sukla debuted with two perfect innings to save a win over Chicago. Washington (4-4) beat New York with only two hits, but Pete Richert twice lost to shutouts. The Senators were hitting plenty of homers, but they had the lowest batting average in the majors. Boog Powell, the Baltimore (3-4) slugger, was batting .217 and had not hit a home run since May 15, but rookie Curt Blefary, promoted to regular status, had four homers for the week and was becoming the Orioles' big hitter. Detroit (3-3) slowed down as Relievers Terry Fox, Larry Sherry and Fred Gladding went sour, though Orlando Pena won one game and saved another. Manager Al Lopez of Chicago (2-5) was hospitalized with stomach trouble after the slumping White Sox lost a doubleheader to last-place Kansas City. Lopez rejoined his team in Los Angeles, but continued failures by his once-bright pitching staff did not help his internal problems. Kansas City (2-3) drew its largest crowd in two years, 32,503—for Farmers' Night. Carl Yastrzemski of Boston (1-5) took over the league batting lead and then was benched by an injury. Center Fielder Lenny Green was hurt, too, and All-Star Second Baseman Felix Mantilla had to switch to the outfield to fill in.

Midseason pennant odds: White Sox 6-5, Indians 2-1, Twins 5-2, Orioles 4-1, Tigers 5-1, Yankees 7-1.

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PHOTO

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: MAX ALVIS