Читать книгу No Money, No Beer, No Pennants. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Great Depression онлайн

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The next day featured a matchup of the two recently traded pitchers, George Uhle and Ken Holloway. Uhle showed his old team a thing or two by beating the Indians 15–3. The only difficulty he had was giving up another tremendous home run to Earl Averill. The Tigers drove Holloway from the mound by scoring seven runs in the first two innings. Manager Peckinpaugh went to the bullpen early, calling for Wes Ferrell to relieve. In his first significant action as an Indian, Ferrell pitched a strong four and two-thirds innings. He did not allow a run, giving up only three hits. Gordon Cobbledick marveled at what he saw. He wrote in his column, “The big kid has a terrific fastball and a fine curve together with excellent control. Moreover he uses his head when he’s out there in the box.” Manager Peckinpaugh indicated Ferrell would soon get his chance to join the starting rotation.

Even though the season was just two days old, Cleveland fans were starting to notice Averill and Ferrell. One was pounding out line drives all over League Park while the other showed some exceptional pitching. The new players brought instant excitement to the field, which was surely good for business. With these young stars in the lineup, the Indians really had a chance to win their share of games. Over the course of the season, the American League would feel their impact.