The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-11-06
Spit Ball Nay RevOlutiOnIze Baseball


the middlewefght championship.
Spit Ball Nay Revolutionize Baseball
Harry White. of the Chicago White
Stockings, was the sensation OF the
year in the baseball world. He sue
ceeded in making a new pitching rec
. lord for the American League and pos
sibly for the world. In five consecu-
tive games of nine innings each he kept
his opponents from scoring a single
run, giving him forty-f1ve innings OF
shutouts. This beats anything ever
before performed in a big league and
the only other record made is ques-
Iticnable.
White has pitched better ball than
any other twirlel- in the country his
admirers declare. Seven straight games
he won and six of these were white
washes for his opponents The last
| five in a row were shutouts. He has
won fifteen of twenty-three games he
has taken part in this year.
| Such work in a league of the ealiner
| of the American eclipses anything thai
may have been done in the minors
Chesbro and McGinnity have long rec
ords of consecutive victories this sea-
son, but neither can come anywhere
near the feat the Washington dentist
has just performed.
A new factor in successful pitching
is what is called a spit ball, a newly
discovered delivery which is bound ia
revolutionize baseball fully as much as
the curve ball did years ago, says Tim
Murnane. This ball, said to be dis
covered by one Striclxlett while play
ing with the California League last
season, has made double-score ball
games out of the question. Jack Ches-
bro, of the New York Highianders has
worked it to the best advantage for
his club for over three months. Ches-
bro was wise enough to tell the players
it was giving him a sore arm. but now
the pitchers have discovered that it is
simply pitching a medium fast straight
ball, and in no way likely to lame the
arm as curve pitching would
The batsmen of the American League
say that it is utterly impossible to hit
the ball square, as it breaks in so
many different ways just as it reaches
the plate. The ball is sent about waist
high, and usually shoots or drops
Clever pitchers are fast getting con-
troll so that by the time next season
comes round every first-class pitcher
n the business Will be throwing spit
ball to the batsmen.
The players claim that 1T will ruin
the batting, and, unless the foul strike
rule is eliminated, runs will be very
scarce next season.
The ball is pitched with the first two
fingers held stiff. after rubbing the
fingers across the lips to get the prop
err moisture. Lew Criger says that
the constant shooting of the ball bangs
a catcher's hands all up, and when
throwing to bases the catcher is likely
to make wild throw as the result or
the slippery spot on the ball.
The idea is to keep the mitt In front
of the face while going through the
preliminary motion. Now and then the
pitcher viii pitch a fast one or curve,
but FIVE out OF six balls used by Ches-
bro is the spit bali. and all the jobs the
other clubs put up to doctor the ball
so that the other fellows can kill the
effect has not disturbed the great New
York pitchers faith in the Few discov-
cry
By doing away with the foul strike
bunting will be increased % per cent,
the players figure out int this way Off
setting the late invention. The public
will never stand for light stick work,
for the feeders would have little chance
to display their fielding qualities, and
the public are the ones to be pleased.
There is something for the magnates
to ponder over.