The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-29
CHESBRO EXPLAINS SPIT BALL.
CRACK PITCHER UNFOLDS ITS
SECRET AT LAST.
says tho Thumb and Not Saliva Is Respon-
slbie for the Effectiveness Of This New
Delivery. which All the BoNmcn VIII
Probably Employ In Future Games.


four championship games OF which torty one
were victories. which Is the best record ever
made in the box since the organization Of
the National League in 1875 Chesbro.
incidentally, startled the baseball world
/ by introducing what is popularity known
IA the spit ball which he used contnu-
ously, with such success that every pitcher
In the country will probably try It this year.
Many players have attempted 70 explain
the mysteries OF this peculiar delivery. but
few of them have been able to make II so
clear that layman could understand it
When Chesbro was asked to enlighten the
students Of baseball last fail, he merely
laughed and said
THAT spit ball i secret. ltlbelongs to
me-. but DO not expect to be able to keep
it long
Somebody took the trouble TO visit the
great pitcher the other day at his home
/ near North Adams, Mass, in order TO find
| out whether Happy Jack" was still in
! clined TO keep his much talked Of secret
and this time Chesbro was willing 10 talk
/ freely. He said among other things that
/ thirty Of his forty-one victories we're prac-
ticaly due to the effectiveness of the spit
ball From the moment this bail was dis
covered it was generally believed that It
shot down on reaching the batsman be-
cause of the saliva on il. But Chesbro
says that nothing could be further from the
truth
The wetting " the ball. according TO the
pitchers story, is done simply and solely
in order TINT the hall may slip of the INDEX
and middle fingers tirst and the thumb last.
In the ordinary delivery the ball leaves
the fingers last md the thumb first. for
from the fingers is secured the power to
curve the ball FROM the thumb however,
Chesbro was able to score phenomenal
success with a ball that was entirely
new. II il not necessary to wet the ball,
IA some pitchers have supposed In fact,
CHESHIRE declares that be moietened the
sphere Just enough TO remove friction.
1t was Jacks thumb and not the use OF
saliva that really caused the weak hitting Of
the American League big stckers last year.
and IT was also his thumb that was response
bile for the wild pitch that lost the Ameri-
can League championship. la talking of
the new delivery. Cheshire said:
THE 5o-called spit ball has come TO stay
and it is easily the most effective ball that can
possibly be used. II II easy TO pitch 1t unce
Won have acquired the secret. have
never vet read an explanation Of 1t that
wCs anywhere near correct l have 50
mastered the apt bali that ! can make
il drop two inches or foot and a half.
as | see III II was only in the first few
weeks Of last season that the New York
catchers hurt their fingers when used the
ball Toward the close OF the season |
signalled Just how far the ball would drop.
also whether it would drop straight or 10
the outside of the home plate.
The ball cannot be pitched so that II
will drop toward right handed batsman.
1t can only be made 10 drop straight or TO
the outside. OF course with a left hand
batsman It can be made TO drop toward
him. The thumb alone directs the course
of the spit ball The saliva on the ball
does not make 1t drop. in fact II does not
affect the ball at all The ball is moistened
simply to make IL leave the fingers first and
the thumb last. All curved and fast balls
leave the thumb first and the fingers last
but the method Of delivering the spit bali
il lust the opposite. Capt. Arson. who has
shown an inclination to beittle the spit ball,
could not hit it in n hundred years. and
would be willing to bet that he could not
even catch it.
The ball is not hard on the arm at all
pitched ffty-four games last year. and
my wing never bothered me for a moment.
Speed must be used to make the bali eff
fectiye. al least ! have always used speed,
and the exertion Is no greater than that Of
IAtCDlUR u lENt SlIulEli bdlls " lNu lFiItti
control il il possible to make the ball drop
half dozen feet in front Of the plate
but that II not necessary. Gibson OF the
Boston Americans had better control Of the
ball than any pitcher | saw use IL last sea-
son Dineen used the ball in his last game
against us that gave the peDnRnt to Boston.
In the last thirty games ! pitched probably
did not use any other ball more than half
a dozen times. ! used the spit BALI when
/ made that fatal wild pitch. simply put
a little too much force into the ball. the
same as any pitcher does when he makes
wild pitch with a curve or fast one. Ia adj
dition Dineen had been wetting the ball
and 1t was bit too slippery.
-Bitsrnen will run up on the spit ball I
J llst as they do to meet curve. You have I
simply got to figure ont when they are
going to step up and meet it, 50 that you
can make the ball drop accordingly OF |
course II the hatsman knows whore the
ball Is going 10 drop he will be able TO
kill il the same rs he would if he knew
that YOU intended 10 pitch an outourve.
Il have refrained from telling how the
ball was picked until nov The use OF
il gave me a great advantage last season
IL il now up TO the other pitchers to master
it. Strcklett was the first pitcher | ever
saw use it. That was down at Nav Orleans
last spring. ! saw Stricklett throw one.
and quickly said:
That is something Mr. Cheshire that
you must acquirer Then watched Strlct-
lott closely and noticed how he wet his
fingers | did the same, and soon dis
covered that the thumb did thu trick
CHESHIRE Is enjoying himsalf as few ball
players do in the winter months. He ia
the owner OF large farm and has also pur-
chased several small farms in the Berk-
shire Hills which he rents. He owns two
of the fastest horses in western Massaohu-
It's. one Of which was given 10 him by
Frank J. Farrell for his great pitching last
year. Chesbro has named Mr.. Farrelps
horse 4Spitbal' and the animal can trot in
9I6 Happy jack gets up very morning
At q o'clock, feeds his horses does the usual
chores and then breakfasts II the weather
IS good he goes hunting or sleighing. In
the evening he goes down 10 the village to
get his mail and talk baseball with his
'ownsman. who all swear by him At
, clock he is In bed and sleeping soundly.
Tho great pitcher weighs 200 pounds now.
out he will get at least twenty pounds of
lefore reporting to Manager Griffith for
iuty. He will begin hi- duties as baseball
coach at Harvard on Feb, H. and will re-
main at Cambridge for at least six weeks
He is confident of another successful cam
oaign in the box with the New York Ameri-
,ans.