Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-02-04
PITCHED 70 CANES;
WON IS Of THEM.
And This Great Record Was Made
In Twenty Consecutive
Days.
CHARLEY RADBOURNE The MAN.
lie Possessed Iron Nerve, lndomitable
Pluck and Great Courage He Won
The Championship,


The remarkable pitching Of Jack
Chesbro of the New York Americans
during the season OF 1904 established
record IN point Of games pitched and
won, but old timers who remember
Charlie Radbourne still insist that the
star twirler OF the Providence Grays,
who won the championship " the Ma
tlonal league 20 years ago, was the
greatest box man that ever faced the
home plate. Radbourne was a man OF
iron nerve. indomitable pluck and great
courage. He was also a close student
Of baseball and scientific plaHr lie
was not a marvel In point of strength,
but he had a head filed with gray
matter which he never failed to use.
The Providence team, which was
crack combination In those days was
made up OF such players as Joe Stuart
Jack Farrell, John Montgomery Ward,
Gross Nava, Cliff Carroll Jerry Denny,
Paul Hines, Paul Radford and Charley
Sweeney. In Sweeney ana Radmourne
the Providence team had the best
pitchers IN the league, but they were
different In habits and temperament,
for Sweeney was a bullheaded chap,
fond Of swift going companions while
RadbOurne was Just the opposite. The
Providence team was coming down the
home stretch in the race for the pen
nant, and had p games to play, II was
a close fight with the Bostons, and the
ChicagOs were also closing with n great
squirt yet, with Sweeney and Rad
bourne alternating In the box, the
Providence team looked to have the
best chance.
With p games left to play therefore
sweeney came to the grounds one day
IN no condition to pitch. But he In
sisted upon going into the box, and no.
body had the nerve to refuse him. His
curves were easy and he had so little
speed that the opposing team was soon
busy pounding the ball all over the lot,
Sweeney was black with rage when
Capt. Start suggested that he take a
seat on the bench,
"Tll pitch this game out" said he,
cor there'll be trouble
So Sweeney kept on and the other
team raced around bases In a steady
stream, With the crowd Yelling In de-
risiOn, Manager Frank Bancroft and
capt Start decided to take the bull by
the horns. They peremptorlv ordered
Sweeney out OF the box. A free fight
was imminent. but ne the other play
ors backed up the mnnag and captnm
sweeney finally walked 10 the bench
with the angry rem1rk:
That's the last game Of bah I'll ever
pitch for this club"
Ana sweeney true to his word. never
came back after he left the field. TIL
team was I'm n predlcament then, for
Raibourne, who finished the game was
the only twirler left II seemed too
much 10 ask him TO pitch In all Of the
reminding games, but Manager Ban
croft hit upon a plan that worked
like q charm Radbourne had a reserve
clause I'm his contract and was certainly
talking Of the slavery OF the ball play
err.
lie was a sort Of anarchist and was
never happy unless scoring the mag
mates for their so-called oppressive
measures, Bancroft, therefore, told
the president of the club that II he
would cut the reserve clause out OF
Radbournes contract he thought the
pitcher would consent to ofIiciate IN
each Of the remaining games, Receiv-
Ing permission to make such a PROPOSE
ton, Bancroft asked Radbourne II he
would consent.
81 do my best" was the reply, and
Radbourne began his task by pitching
magnificent game against the Bos-
tons, who We're shut out a clean as a
whistle out Of the 20 games In which
he pitched without days rest is
were victories. The great pitcher had
speed, curves and control but he also
used Change Of pace" and was one Of
the first to adopt this scientific deliv-
cry. He was not a believer In strlk-
outs, but pitched for his nelders
You win find bah players today who
declare that Amos Rusie was the great
est pitcher that ever wore toe plate.
ttstt al 90 i,I.
speed never could touch Rusie I'm thus
respect when Amos signed with the
New Works I'm 1900 he was nothing but
a big country boy, who possessed the
strength Of a young giant, and had
terrihs speed There was only one man
who ever caught him successfully IN his
early career and that was Richard
Buckley, who, though gray-headed in
tho service, knew how to coach the
youngstcr TO the queens taste.
Rusie learned quickly ana soon de.
velopcd an assortment Of curves that
has never been equaled. Better stll,
he had almost perfect control Of them,
so much so that he frequently curved
the bah over the plate for the third
strike, when he was In the hole with
three balls and two strikes called on
him Rusie pitched steadily using
speed a great part Of the Time for
eight years.
Keefe introduced him 10 the slow
bah IN 1898. and the big Hoosier soon
got the hang Of the beauty, but he al
ways liked TO use his cannon-ball de-
livery with the wide, sweeping curve
that made every batsman In the pro-
fesson fear him A glance at his rec
ord win show that the poor games
Rusle pitched In his career can b.
counted on ones fingers.
Cy Young Of the Boston Americans,
Is another pitching wonder. The vet
eran has been hard nj work for doz-
ON years, but can stll speed them over
with his arm Of steel Charley Nichols
Of st. Louis, who pitched some excellent
games last season, began his National
league career simultaneously with Rus
&C., as Frank Sclee took him 10 Boston
from Kansas city In 1899, Chesbro, Me-
Ginntv and Mathewson are all COM
parutivcly young men In the business
who viii not be ready for the shelf
for some time TO come But not one
Of these crack twirlers has ever APP
preached the record Of Radhoume.
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