The record-union., 1891-10-03
FIRST GLASS BALL PLAYING.
The Kind That Should Draw Old Time
Audiences.
Sacramento is SquareIy Out for the
Pennant, and the Boys Say
They'll Have 1t.

If the Sacramento Baseball Club keeps
UP its present work, it will not be long
before terror will strike deep into the
camps of the Gardeners and Metropoli-
tans. The two leading clubs might just
IS well Conclude to throw up the sponge
II the Senatorial aggregation keeps peg
sing away at the ball and fielding as it
Las been doing in the last two weeks.
The all-round playing of the team has
been something marvellous. The field
ing positions were never played as they
are being played at present. great
change has taken place, and to-day the
Sacramento club ranks far above any of
its competitors as a fielding team, and is
batting so handily that it is formidable
Toe to conquer.
The nine has thirty-four more games to
play, and a continuance of such playingas
IL has been doing lately means nothing
more nor less than that the pennant must
land here at the end of the season.
1t is to be hoped, however, that the
praises which the players must receive
Tor their excellent work will not have the
effect of disturbing their equilibri or
causing their hats to suddenly become
too small for their heads. All that is
needed is an earnest endeavOr on the part
determination to play ball to the best of
his ability.
A person would wonder, from merely
Glancing at the score, how it was that the
SacramentOs made twelve hits and the
san FranciScoS only one less and vet the
score was 8 to 3. Unless one had seen the
game, or read a description 1T, he could
hardly understand how such a state of
affairs could exist.
Yesterdays contest explained wherein
lIotfman's success as a pitcher resides.
lie Is not pitcher who depends for his
effectiveness on his ability to strike out
latter. lie does not try TO do so, for if he
cid the chances are his arm would fail
Linn in short order. His real aim is (as
anyone who has watched him can see) to
prevent punching of hits and to keep
On the ground those that are made. This
was what he did yesterday, and it ac-
counts for the fact that, although the Wis
ling team made eleven clean hits, among
them being three-bagger and double,
only three runs were scored.
The grand fielding work of his team
must have made Hoffman think that he
could not lose the game, even if he
wanted to. The way Spies guarded that
important position at the plate, and the
manner in which each player in the out
and infields played his respective place,
was sufficient to inspire unlimited conf
Gence in any pitcher
Spies did himself credit in his bacllstoD
position. He was as lively and spry as a
cat, and when he had occasion to throw
the ball it went like shot.
McGuirk played first base and handled
seven chances without erring.
Reitz's work captured the audience
however, ana McClOSkey could not eX-
Iress in words what he thought of the
little second-basenlan's ability. ''He
gets to meH' is all Mae could say. Reitz
was gwen eight chances, and how he did
andie themi He would make an assist
when nobody thought he had an opDor-
tdnity to do so.
In the third inning the San Franciscos
lad man on third base and one on first.
he latter started for second when the
tall was pitched, and Spies shot it down
u ReltZ. At that moment the runner on
taird made a dash for home, but back
came the bail as though it had been shot
from j cannon, and Spies touched the
runner out amid cheering from the peo-
Tle present.
Again, in the fifth inning, Clark gained
the initial by making Il hit and SWEET
came to the bat. He drove the ball with
lightning speed straight at Rcitz. 1t took
false bound, however, and shot out over
Els head into the out field. Away it
rolled toward the back fence, and Clark
trotted around the bases. When he cot
to third, however, he found that Good
enough had fieded the ball and was lin
ing it in to Reitz. He made break for
IN from Reitz's hand with such force that
Clark was surprised when Spies touched
Linn out
Hassamer and Reynolds played almost
perfectly, and Roberts, GoOdenough and
IlcHale gathered in seven fV-balIs
Roberts had brought ont q new bat, and
lie is probably infatuated with it now 4
lOmeruu, a twO-baSe hit and a single
We're what the new bat did for him.
The only fault that q critical observer
could have found with any Of the plays of
the home team was III the third inning
4 ball had been knocked high into the air,
and w&s descending near Hoffman. Reitz
Reynolds or HaSsamer could have caught
easily, but Hoffman. who is unreliable
On high fiys, was allowed to try the
chance. He muffed it. If McGuirk is
Captain OF the team, he ought to have let
Eeitz accept the chance.
As regards the playing of the San Fran
ciScOS, little III the way Of praise can be
said. The team did not play ball as it
should have done, although some of the
individual players did good work
Levy came up as manager, Mr.. Harris
Iaving gone TO Portland and he not only
bOodooed'' himself, but also the entire
team. He probably never played poorer
game during his baseball career than he
cid yesterday. He could neither catch a
fy-ball nor stop a ground-hit, and his
playing made Cobb angry-so angry and
weary, III fact, that he tossed the bali over
the plate several times during the prog
less of the game. Hoffman, who was bat
ting, tried TO take advantage OF Cobb on
enc occasion, when he got sullen and was
cropping ''teasers" over the plate, but
"Old Hotf" couldn't even touch the ball
then, and he gently waited.
smith, Cartwright. SWEET and Sharp
played good ball, considering some hard
chances they had.
McDOnald's umpiring was not as per-
feet nor as satisfactory as it might have
leen. Maybe he had an off, day, too.
too. Following is the score:
SACRAMENTO. Alb. K. Ell. s.B. P.o. a. +.
Coodenough, {. f.. 5 o o 3 0
l5asSamer, $. s......... 3 !
N-nLtnLEk- lst b. - D