European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 15, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday june 15, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary 50 years on reds again give Ball to Vancier Meer the phone Call last week to Johnny Vander Cor s Home in Tampa ra., did t fall on deaf cars it just did t fall on Johnny s cars. No Johnny s not Home said Lois Vander Maer his wife of4s years. He s gone fishing is Uherc any Way to reach him no hat 1 know of. He s somewhere in the Okic when will he be Back i Don l know she said. It depends on the m sure there have been other Calls for him after All this is the 50th anniversary mister this phone has been ringing off the Wall All week. That s Why he went fishing. Of he just got tired of answering the same questions Over and Over again. He said he d just had it. After 50 years what else can he say about it regardless Vander Meer will be Back from fishing at least by wednesday night for he has agreed la throw out the first bail Tor the astros reds game in Cincinnati. Wednesday. June 15, Marks the 50th anniversary of Vander Maer s second no hitter in arow. Five pitchers have pitched two no hitters in the same season. But Only one Man has pitched two straight no hitters and within a space of five Day Sand that was a 23-year-old left hander for the reds in 1938 named Vander Mccur. Lois Vander Mccur was asked what do they ask him they ask How he did what docs he say he says All you have to do is read last year s paper. 1 gave the same interview " did you know Johnny then How did you hear about that second no hitter i did t hear about what do you mean i was there. With his parents who had come up from Midland Park new what was it like that night it was very else what else is there it was very exciting and you did t know if he was going to do it or not. No reason then to go into detail about what went on during that second no hitter and the near Carni Val atmosphere that surrounded it. Vander Maer had pitched a 3-0 no Hitler against the Boston bees in Cincinnati on saturday june ii Ira Berkow and then came to Brooklyn to pitch what would be the first night game in the history of ebbets Field. The capacity crowd of 38,748 filled the Park quickly not to see Vander Mccur but to see this curiosity the first night game in Brooklyn which would be played under 615 floodlights. The game was delayed about a half hour with Vander Maer unhappily haying to warm up three limes. In Celebration of the lights Jesse Owens gave a running exhibition and a bomb exploded behind second base to signal inc playing of the National and him by a uniformed band. Few surely gave any though to the possibility of a second straight no Hitler. But there he was pitching hit toss Ball into the sixth inning the seventh the eighth and now inc ninth. With one out in the ninth and the reds ahead 6 0, Vander Mccur walked babe pm cups cookie lava Getto and Doit Camilli to Load the bases. He later said that i was t tired but that he was just bearing Down too hard. The a Cal Batter Ernie Kay hit a grounder to third and the third baseman. Lew Riggs threw Home for inc Force out. Now Leo Durocher came to the plate. And Vander Mccur was telling himself to go with his Best pitch the fastball. Durocher lined the first pitch foul into the right Field stands. Then on a 2-2 pitch Durocher hit a Lazy Fly to Center Field which Harry Craft caught for the final out. Four Days later he Pilch cd two hit less innings before giving up a hit in inc third to Debs Garms of the braves. The closest anyone has come to duplicating Vander Maer s feat of Back to Back no hitters was the reds Ewell Blackwell in 1947, who Afler pitching one no hitter had one out in the ninth inning against the dodgers Tor his second straight no hitter when twas broken up with a single to Center by Eddie Stan by. Vander Maer was still a member of the reds then and said he was on the Steps or the dugout ready to run out and congratulate Blackwell. Bui he had also said that every Lime somebody pitches a no Hitler he kind of holds his breath to see up Limo Johnny Vander Meer has u grip on history if they la pitch another in their second Start. He had also said that in was one of those records that could be tied Bui probably could never be Bro Ken. Vander Maer never quite equated those two Day sin 193b no one else has either though he did Pilch in the majors for a total of 13 seasons. Refinished with an 119-121 record. He won is games in Bis Best season. He led the league in times and threw 30 shutouts. Vander Mccur is now 73, and retired from his Job As a Field manager for a Beer company. Lois Vander Meer met Johnny when he was Pitcher for her Hometown team the Scranton min ers. What did you like about him she was asked. Everything. He was quiet and unassuming and had Good morals still has and he had Blond curly hair and the nicest he still has those dimples certainly but and there was a Little laugh he May not have All of that curly he s the same the same. Why should he be any different Sierra warms to task by Denneil. Freeman Arlington Texas a Ruben Sierra s idol is the late Roberto Csc Mcc. In games like he had sunday night Sierra even looks like the former Pitts Burgh pirates Star inc greatest player puerto Rico Ever produced. The switch Hilling Sierra hit a Dave Stewart fastball deep into inc right Field stands to give the Texas rangers a 3-2 Victory Over the Oakland a was Sierra s 10th Homer of the sea son and his third the last four games. If Sierra could Only pay All of his Ball games in the simmering summer. Once the weather warms up Ruben warms up said rangers manager Bobby Valentine. He s starting to put up the kind of numbers he put up last Sierra signed As a free agent by Texas in 1982, had 169 hits 109 runs batted in and 30 homers last year. He became Only the sixth player in major league history to Post so Many homers and Bis before he turned 22. He hit .263. And this was after he got off 10 a bad Start in the cold and Damp Spring when he Only had five hits in his first 36 at bats. I got off to a bad Start again this year but 1 Haie to blame it on the weather Sierra said. I m just being More Selec Tive at the plate. Before i was swinging at bad pitches and getting behind on the count. I m staying Back and using my hands More. I guess i do always get hot when the weather gels Sierra definitely is on one of his highs. He has Hil safely in 24 of 27 games and has 27 Bis in the last 18 games. Ii seems thai when Ruben gets going the whole team gets going Valentine said. Sierra still resides in Rio Piedras and like Many puerto rican youngsters grew up imitating Cleminte s swing. I be been told a Hundred times i swing like he did Sierra said. I just Hope some Day i can have the same re sults he the rangers right fielder has a tremendous Arm and is one of the fastest players on the scored 97 runs last year fourth highest total in club history. Sierra also had two inside the Park homers attest ing to his great Speed. He also stole 16 has in All he can hit run and Field said rangers general manager Tom Grieve. When he puts in Alt together he can be very exciting. He can just rangers Ruben Sierra.27 Bis. In 18 games dominate a currently Sierra and the rangers Trail american league Western division leading Oakland by 10 games. If the rangers could Only Start playing games in june. No regrets Mcrae says Kansas City to. A Hal Mcrae says he has no regrets about turn ing Down the Job As manager of the Kan Sas City royals when it was offered to him late last season. The longtime royals Star who retired after last season says he s perfectly Happy at Home in Florida with a 9-to-s Job us minor league hitting instructor forthe Pittsburgh pirates. Mcrae who saw Only limited action last season when he also served As the team s batting coach could have taken Over he reins in August when Bill Gardner was fired. But he said no because the team would t offer him the Long term con tract he wanted. Mcrae said he thinks often about the Chance he had to become a manager. But i always come up with the same answer he said. So i fee 1 made the right decision. I Don t think any situation is a great Opportunity if you can t have fun at what you re doing and can t concentrate on the things you should be concentrating on As opposed to concentrating on saving your Job with every
