Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1893-08-10
PRINCE OF PITCHERS.
Caylor Awards the Crown to Big
Amos Rusie.
MANY TWIRLERS KNOCKED OUT.


ed That 1t Should Make Good Pitchers
Plentiful and Cheap, but the Plan Failed.
The unusual spectacle of three National
league clubs tied for first place for four
days was seen recently. In all my expe-
rience as a historian of the American game
have no recollection of this incident hav-
ing precedent. Three clubs have held
similar percentages for day, but not as
leaders. What makes this feature of the
National league race still more remark
able is the fact that each of the three clubs
won and lost the same number of games.
Under the percentage system clubs fire.
quently tie for position and yet differ in the
number of games won and lost The posi-
tions held by the Philadelphias, Bostons
and Brooklyns on the 28th and Goth of June
and on the succeeding days certainly made
awonderful chapter in baseball history.
The fact that of these three clubs two
were of the number which were not at the
beginning of the year considered prime
factors in the race adds to the interest
Three clubs, on the other hand, which were
considered dangerous are well down in the
list-namely, the Clevelands, Pittsburgs
and New Yorks. The last named team
seems to be almost hopelessly beaten al
ready. 1t has been particularly unfortu-
nate in pitchers. When the season opened,
1t was thought that with Rusie, Crane and
King the New Yorks were better equipped
in the pitching line than any other League
club. The out and out failure of the last
two named was singing disappointment
to the metropolitan ''cranks" Then the
club secured Baldwin, who for time
pitched great ball and then suddenly went
to pieces. He may. however, recover his
powers. His weakness may be merely tenn
porary.
This problem of pitchers is one that is
troubling nearly every club in the League
Old tried standbys under the new pitching
rules are going down hketenpins Hutch
ison, Clarkson, Stivetts, King, Crane,
Haddock, Lovett, Duryea, Ehret and Wey-
hing have suffered most. Chamberlain,
Rusie, Stratton, Terry, Young, Cuppy,
Nichols, Gleason, Carsey and McMahonare
the ''twirlers" who have done the best work
under the new conditions, and yet each one
of them has taken his medicine" at times
during the last month.
The New York, Chicago and Boston clubs
are the three which need pitching talent
most, and they stand ready to shovel out
the shekels to obtain such coveted timber.
Successful baseball pitchers are just as
much in demand now as special session of
congress. They are jewels, precious stones
members Of the Wonder family
When the new pitching rule was framed,
it was announced as the intention of the
magnates to take away that powerful i'm
portance from the pitcher which made him
SO necessary to the men who conduct base
Io1 1,,c; hot 10 4
almost his own price for his services. The
intention was no doubt good, but the plan
miscarried. A good pitcher is now q higher
priced article than ever, because he is SO
rare. Had the rule wiped out the breed
altogether the purpose Of the rule makers
would have been served, for then every
club would have been on an equal footing
and equally content. But instead of kill
ing off the dominance of the pitchers the
rule merely decimated their numbers.
While the additional five feet has much
to do with the loss of effectiveness to so
many pitchers, it is not that alone which
has virtually forced out of business stars
who last season were sought after at sal
aries of $500 and $500 month. The angle
has more to do with it than the distance
Last year the pitcher had four feet leeway
in taking his position. This year he is an
chored to a 12-inch plate. Last season he
changed from one corner of the 'box" to
the other, according to whether he was
pitching to a right field hitter or left
field hitter. This year he is compelled to
use the same angle in facing all manner Of
batsmen. That seems to be very little
matter, does it notP But just ask an in
telligent pitcher how much power that
privilege of changing his angle gave him
and see what he has to say about it. The
angle was very small, but it was enough to
handicap the batter materially.
The college clubs are using the old rules
with tho IS feet 6 inches distance and the
by 90 feet box. This fact should be borne
in mind when students of the national
game compare college games with those
played by the National league Besides
very few college batsmen could hold even
o mediocre place among the heavy hitters
of the professional League teams. In the
recent Yale-Harvard games the feats per-
formed by Carter and Highlands seem al
most marvellous. Yet men like Rusie and
Chamberlain under similar circumstances
would probably do as well if not better. In
the game at Cambridge, Highlands of Har-
ward struck out 10 of his 81 men, and Car
ter did almost as we'll for his side Had
they been placed back feet and confined
to 12-inch plate with the Bostons or Phil
adelphias to face them they would have
done good work to strike out nine men be-
tween them.
Young Hawley of the St. Louis team
struck out 81 men in one game at Fort
Smith last year. Now he can barely hold an
engagement in the National league. Rusie
In, 1901 struck out II men in single game,
which, considering all the circumstances,
was'a mostremarkable pitching feat Rusie
is,probably'the best pitcher in the country
today, and on June 26 he gave evidence Of
it in that remarkable s to 5 Thinning game
at Cincinnati. 1 call it remarkable and
willgosstill further and pronounce it the
greatest and most wonderful game of ball
ever played. Considering the pitching
handicap, it outranks all the former re-
markable extra inning games ever played,