Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-05-18
BAsEBALIcpITCHINGs.

The following article from Harpers
 Weekly on baseball pitching can be stud
 jed effectively by our Tucson team. Hitherto they have, with one notable exception, downed all competitors end if they care to continue the record they
 must work for only by such means can they hope to hold ihs banner of victory. At the present time when the nun Der of balls which can be "wEsted" by the pitcher without mourning the penalty of
 a ''base on balis" is so limited, thor
 ough command of the ball becomes 8 most important consideration. This ac-
 curacy can be attained only by hard am
 constant practice. Without it DO pitcher
 can hope To become successful, DO mat
 ter how effective may be his delivery.
 Ills sharp curves and puzzilng Grops
 will deceiye the hatsmaD, but his lack Of
 control over the ball will more than otf-
 set his other advantages, and while the
 base hts made ''off ot'' he delivery may
 be few, the bases on balls will be many,
 d may operate just as etfectually Tn
 losing the game as the base hits made
 off pitcher who would generally be
 chased as much less effective. No
 pitcher should be satisfied with himself
 until he has attained sufficient skill to
 deliver the ball, not only over the plate,
 but over the inner or the outer side Of
 IL, Rs the position of the b8tsman may
 render proper, or, in other words, to "cut
 the corners" Many batsmen have
 tendency to take their position as near
 the plate as possible, or, ln other words,
 to crowd" it. To such batter ball
 delivered over the inner corner of the
 plate may be most effective one, be- cause if he lets it alone It will be called
 a strike, and if hs strikes at It he IS not
 likely to bit it effectuslly, owing to the
 cramped position be must be in when he swings his bat. The opposite will of
 course bold good in the case of the bats
 man who stands well away from the
 plate. In this case a ball delivered over
 the outer corEer of the plate is the one
 most calculated to be effective. In both of these cases l em epeaking of the delivery of a ''good bslP'-that is, one which if not struck at would be called 8 strike" It may be that the pitcher has wasted" several balls on the bats men, and he dare not pitch any more
 vide ones for fear of base on balls. It is at this time that control over tn ball becomes most necessary. The bat ter is LOW expecting ball over the plate. One that cuts the middle of the plate would probably suit him best, while one over the inner or outer corner, as the case may be, if not struck at would be called a strike, and if struck at might be missed, or result in an easy "out." Erntt, the old Harvard pitcher who was 90 instrumental in winning the cham pionship against Yale for the four successIve years that he pitched on the team, was a most conspicuous example of the effectiveness that comes from command of the ball. He pitched be- fore the day of the drop-curve. He was speedy, to be sure, but his 'curves" were not very marked or deep, and his principal effectiveness consisted in hIs remarkable control of the ball, his ability to pitch ball over the outer or inner corner of the plste; ''good ball" tech nically, but in reality very bad ball for the particular batsm8n. He had DO re- cord as ''strike out" pitcher, and he wasted very few balls.