The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-04
CAYLOR COMMENTS ON RECENT
SURPRISES IN BASE BALL
MATTERS.
PITCHERS DOING GREAT WORK.
NEW PHASES OF THE CHAMPION
'7ai SHIP RACE IN THE NAIioSlAiRH9955
LEAGUE.
NARROWING DOWN TO -FOUR CLUBS.
Visiting Australians Being Royalty
Entertained, But They Can't
Play Ball.


NEW YORK, July Record break
ing has been a rather frequent occur
renee in the National league recently.
There were three such events within
one week. First the New Workers
shut out the CIevelands on two sue
cessive days. Then they beat the
Baltimores on the latter's grounds
twice in one day. Finally, the Bostons
made their victorious run of successive
victories seventeen. Each of these
feats created considerable comment
wherever base ball is talked about.
The failure of the Cleveland team to
get run against the Giants in eight
cen successive innings is something
which 1 believe has not occurred to
any other club in the National league
for years. Rusie shut out the Chica-
COS in 1895 twice in one series, but
game interviewed between the two run
less games. To Meekin and young
Seymour belongs the credit of the dOu-
bic whitewash of Tebeau's men. The
latter pitcher, by the way, is attracting
a great deal of attention and seems
to be the coming left handler. Arson
has so tabled him, and when Arson
grants supreme praise to any player
not on his own staff his words are
based upon a veterans strong convic-
lions. Seymour is not twenty years
old, but is six feet tall and has mus
cles of iron knit. His former weak
ness was lack of control and what
is called an inclination to go "up in
the air." Good coaching has rid him OF
both faults to a large degree, and he
is improving rapidly in both respects.
His speed is something marvellous.
On this point all batsmen who face
him agree.
The double defeat of the Baltimores
by the New Yorks at Baltimore on
June q aroused enthusiasts in all parts
of the country and at once put an eX-
ira phase to the championship race.
Here is a team which is all but invinc-
ible on its own grounds, which hal
won thirty-three games and lost but
ten during the season, succumbing
twice in one afternoon to a visiting ri
val in the presence of 5000 supporters.
It was something which had not hap
pened to the Baltimores since the city
has had a championship team.
To the great pitching Of Rusie and
Meekin was due much of the honor
grand work of these two men in the
latter part of 1894 has not been forgot
ten, but was brought forward and
talked over by reason Of the Baltimore
double achievement. 1t served notice
on the public that, barring accident,
these two notable pitchers are going
to duplicate their deeds of three sea-
sons ago. Then they had practically
no assistance, and they pulled their
team up from ninth position on June
20 to second position when the race
ended This time the team is in fourth
place, and they have the aid Of Sey'
mour, Sullivan and Clarke.
Such are the circumstances which
cut a new phase to the championship
races within one weeks time and set
critics, as well as close students of
form" to asking the question, Why
are not the New YOrkS a dangerous
factor to other aspirants for pennant
honors? The playing of the Giants
improved so materially with the I'M
proved work of the pitchers that the
query was but natural. Whatever
superiority the New Yorks may have
lies in their pitching department, and.
after all that is the sureSt element
of strength in the game. Any club
whose pitchers can, day after day,
hold opponents down to from two to
five runs, needs not much of a bat
part of the victory. But the New
Yorks this year are very strong as
batsmen. If Rusie, Meekin and Sey-
mour continue in their June form, and
no serious accident happens to the
rest of the nine, the New Yorks may
be safely set down as one of the
teams which will be contending for
pennant hOnorS when the home stretch
is reached in September.
The Bostons' feat of winning seven
teen successive games l believe is the
National league record in that respect.
1t certainly is the record for the last
seven years. The Philadelphia, under
Harry Wright's management. boosted
of Sixteen straight" but that honor
was taken from them by the Bostons
at Brooklyn on June 81, when by the
Baltimore's double defeat on the same
day Selee's men took first place for
a day, only to lose it twenty-four
hours later.
The situation when the two leaders
met in Boston for their first series,
June "a 25 and 26, has seldom been
duplicated in a base ball champion
ship. With the two leaders as nearly
a tie as was possible, those three
games took on an interest which is
almost unprecedented. There was
scarcely a hamlet or village IN the
union where some interested persons
each of those games. 1t was a time
when ball players nerves were put
to the full test, when courage and
faith were half the battle. And the
end is not yet. True this series gave
enc club a Slight advantage, but when
the long season ahead is considered it
becomes plain that only the skirmish-
ing has been done. The real fighting
is to come 1t may result like some
horse races, where the two favorites'
kill themselves off by running a de-
stroying neck and neck race in front
and then let a second or third choice
come up and win at the end. 1t be-
gins to look like a narrowing down to
four clubs, with but small chances for
the Cincinnatis on account of their
long series of games on the road at
the close.
The visiting Australian ball players
are not making professional impress
sion on this continent, but they GER
tainly have no reason to complain Of