The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-03-01

the right direction and speaks vel, lot
his ability as a player and pas nase-pau. ssn
eral. The aggregation VIII be N mas, IasI
company, Wheeling being IN tns unni 10
Southern Association next lonly to the ne,
National and American League he VIII
leave Richmond next month.
The following pertinent facts may prove
Of interest to the local base ball ioVins
public for how many are aware tllht Wy
largest score on record was MADE at bul
falo In 1869. when the N1agaras deleat
ed the Columbians by a score OF Ivy .e ~ ~
The mitt was first used for. catchlns
behind the bat by a player In Fall River
Mass; In 1875. III
Tho old American Association 1lrst
adopted the efTgiving !batsnnn y
base for being struck by a pltoned pail
The battling record for the season was
broken IN 1894, when no less than "a
players hattcd over 900.
| That Jim ORourke Of bridgeport,
| Conn, holds the record for lonsest serves Y,
m fine ball fold, starting out In 1872 with
the Mnnshelds, OF Mlddletown. Conn, and
having had continuous service ever. since!
+, That the first game Of ball was played
| 1T the Elysinn Fields, Hoboken. NJ ~
lime IA, 1886, the Knickerbockers and
! New York. both OF New York. being tho
contestants IL, 54 ras;a ~
That in 1875 Boston won every game
played on tho home GROUNDS, an n. los. NV NV
eight games during the season?
That the Boston National League CLUB
is the only club In existence organized
before 1872? =,
THAT Bobby Lowe, at that time with
4 BOSTON, made four home runs ~ sue
, cesson off Pitcher Chamberlain Mt Bos-
ton In 1894?
, That Lajoie was the first major Lacquer
4 ia go through an entire season With q
batting average Of 400 or more?
. That Thayer, OF Harvard, Invented the
! base ball mask In 1876, getting the idea
, from fencing maskf
That teams from Hartford and New
Bedford played three games OF nine In
o hlngs each inst three different cities In
: one tlay--N.e, Bedford. Taunton and Pro-
I vidence--July 4. 1875?
i That William a. Cummings, OF Ware,
t Mass, was the first pitcher to use a
i curve in delivering tho ball to the bat
ter? Y
n Taking the official averages OF the Ma
: tional League for 1901 and Of tho Amer
r lean League for 1902 MS a basis. 1t Will
$ he found that tho foul strike rule did
t not play such an important part in the
y work of the swat artists. The dope on
thirty players. who were In National COM
pany last year, and In American society
uuTlnS the past stdSoIl, SIlpW tollcSt'Ne
? gains Of 4S3 points and losses OF 522 IN
' the aggregate. Fourteen players In
: creased their batting averages over the
: 1901 mark, and I'VE pitchers, who are re-
. cognzed as the erratlcs OF the sticking
!, brigade piled up 800 Of the 472,'leavinA
: 14S points dividend to be distributed
. among the other nine. Ed. Deehanty
:, who was second in the National League
!. In 1901. captured the smuggling honors y
the American. Such old-time good hust
lers as Tom DAILY. George Davis Ed Nc
; ; Farlnnd Elmer Flick. Bobby Wallace
:, Deacon Mcclure and Topsy IIartsel can
Q not make any claim that the return Z
= the old rule Of straight strikes--no foul
y to count--perceptibly cleared their bat
5 ting eyes, for that squad lost a skunk Q
> S62 points. One pitcher. Jack Townsend
9 monopolized nearly one-thlrd OF the to
tai gain, No student Of the dope VIII
}, gazed at this winters layout could pu
II up much OF an argument against the foul
Q strike rule as factor In the shrinkag
:. OF batting averages. There are the fig
!, ures for the two seasons; e
ILL.,