The evening times., 1896-04-09
SPALDING ON BASEBALL
Ex-Twirler Tells About His Early
Experience on the Diamond.
Outline Pitching Not To BE Compared
10 Cyclonic Speed of the Men Now
Putting the Ball Over the Plate.

Before joined the Boston Red Stock
iDgs,' " said Il. q. SpaldinS recently, -
used to go up TO the bat with the cole
object in view Of hitting the ball from the
shoulder as hard as ] could, without any
!dea as TO what part Of the field it woul.i
20 to, or on the ground or in the air. All ]
thought OF was to knock it. out OF the lot, as
;hc boys say.
But soon frgEl that there was some
thlng more in batting than that. j think
J got my first idea or what batting
should be from defending my wicket IN
rrICEct. when we went tO England on that
baseball tour in 1874; at any rate, ] got
INTO the habit OF trying to place the ball
instead OF hitting a random. aud from that
time ] realized that totry and tap the bail
20 right field. over the heads OF the ill.,
fleldcrs and short of the catching reach
Of the outrielders, was about the right
capcr.
THE new method OF handling the bat,
remember, came to me all OF a sudden l
had been for some months batting very
poorly while hitting from the shoulder, a
base hit being the result in about eight or
ten times at bat, aud even less One ttay
l thought l would try something differ
ent, and getting someone TO pitch swift
balls 10 me- went in for tapping them To
right field SO that they would fall safe,
and after few trials up went my batting
OF base hits at Jump, and especially did
my hitting prove useful when runners were
on the bases, the boys beginning 10 want
me TO follow them at the bat, becaBse
hit so as to bat them around toward
home. Then it was that first practically
realized that swiftly pitched ball to the
bat which was just tappcd by the bat
IL,
would 20 to the field sha rp from the bat,
with surprising speed, besides which
could govern its direction better than is
was possible in hitting it from the shout
der as before.
Il after ward practically realized that
there was another good Point to be taken
advantage OF in place-hittinG at the bat
and that is what Father Chad wick calls
facing for position ! found by expeTi-
nent that if l wanted to hit the ball
to the right field. for instance, i must
stand at the bat in such position as
almost to face righ tshnrt instead OF the
pitcher. Bytbis neansthc natural onward
sway Of the bat would meet the ball at such
an angle as to almost invariably send il 10
right field. and this kind Of hitting insured
me n good sacrifice hit even when failed
to get base bit.
Talking of swift pitching" continued
Mr.. SpaldinC, Il used To think that we
old-time pitchers could send in pretty
speedy bail, under the rule OF the under
hand throw, but none of us ever
euualed the speed of The cyclone pitch
ing OF the present time, which comes
from the regular overland throw. Then.
too, with all cur practice. We could not
command the bali in delivery as is posi-
bic in overland throwing. There WIS
one feature or the pitching in the days
just before l became an occupant OF the
IoX which was amusing io those vino
were fully posted on the subject, ami
that WAS the easy manner in which that
noted slow pitcher of the sixties. Far
ney' Martin, fooled so-called crack bats
men of that day with his slow method
of pitching. The fact was that there
was really nothing in Martia's slow but
s,-iiIf~, strategic tossing in of the bail to
the bat
Plain. slow pitching 10 the bat can
be easily punished by mere novices. but
when the ball is i'll the hands of 4 shrewd
heddwork pitcher. who not only has thor
Ough control OF the bali on delivery to
begin with. but adds to IL the ability
TO send in dropped curved balls. and espc-
ciaIIy is we'll up in the art of pitching fer
catches, such slows become decidedly
difficult TO punish, particularly II such a
pitcher is admirably supported in tile OUT
ficld.'