Sport: The Sluggers

The memory of Babe Ruth's great 1927 hitting spree of 60 home runs has haunted every major league season since then.

Last week three National Leaguers—two oldsters and a comparative rookie—were hitting in a way that made amateur statisticians wonder how close they would come to Ruth's record.* Brooklyn's reliable Duke Snider, batting .315, blasted out three homers last week to keep himself on top with 38, just two ahead of Cincinnati First Baseman Ted Kluszewski, last year's home-run king.

But the most remarkable performance was put on by Newcomer Ernie Banks, the Chicago Cubs' young (24), Dallas-bred Negro shortstop, who in...