Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-25
GREAT BATTING RECORDS.
Sustained Hitting Done by Lajoie,
Keller, Wagner and Clarke

The respective leaders in batting in the
National and American leagues this year
were Seymour and Lajoie. 1t was no spas
nIodic outbreak of hard hitting that lande.l
these two men a the top. By right of sus-
tanned ability covering stretch of years in
professional base ball. they are entitled to
rank at the top. They are two of small,
group of batsmen who year after year have
hit the bail at 300 clip, that group includ-
ing. in addition to the two men named
keeler Fred Clarke Wagner Beaumont
Elmer Flick, Joe Kelley, Mike Donlin. Jesse
Burkett and Jake Reckley. OF this list
Clarke, Burkett, Beckley and Kelley failed
to reach the 300 mark this year, but pre-
ytous long records of hard and consistent
hitting entitle them 10 place among the
small band of exceptional hitters named.
Should there ever come time when the
official base ball records contain not only
averages, year by year. but grand aver
ages, the name of La joie the best bat
ter of modern times, will be found at the
top. Close to him will be found the names
OF Edward Delehanty, now dead, and VIII
lie Keller. These names the records Will
show to be as illustrious In the annals or
year in and year out hitting as that of
Adrian c. Arson was in his day.
Imagine what sustained batting ability
1t requires to have a grand average cover
ing period of ten years of $40 That Is
Latoie's record for the last ten years and
In that time his lowest average was .32S
Once he went high as .422.' The grand
batting average of Delehanty for the pc
Rod OF 1896 to 1893 inclusive was ,3G3
while Keeler's grand average for the last
ten years is .361- In 1897 Keeler's average
was .432, which Is the best made by any
batsnan In either big league in the last
ten years A Lilliput in size, Keller is
Brobdngnagian with the willow
OF players now in the game, Clarke, La
joie, Keeler, Beckley, Kelly and Burkett
have grand averages over 800 per cent for
the last ten years Those who in the last
ten years never have hit below 300 are La
Joie and Keller In the last nine years in
the National League John Peter Wagner
has not hit below 800. The lowest he ever
went was .S05 in 1898 and the highest 1863
in 1900. His grand average Is .347. and that
Ks singing EN- for keeps John McCiraW In
the last seven years that he played did not
bat below 300 and has the fine grand aver
age for that period of .343. Like Keller, he
hit to any field, was always ready to hit
mixed EN- up, and was really skillfuI
bat sman.
Batters who in the last ten years have hit
better than 400 are Clarke. Lajoie, Keller
Delehanty and Burkett. Burkett Is the only
once who twice has gone over 400, in 1886
and in 1899. He always will rank as a fine
batsman, though he has slumped in recent
years Following is list of batters. and
their records, who for the last ten years. or
part of that time, have wonderful contin-
uous records with the stick whose luster
tlS NIOuttIS the pest pitching
skill in the base ball arena has not been
able to dim:
seymour-1ses. .27s 1899. s37; 1901, soa: 1902,
$40; 1893; $40; 1904, .3l2; 1908, .s77. Grand
Magnetism. s44; 1928. 300: 1899, a5s; 1900.
$50; 1901, .3o2 1902 .329: 1903, 1856; 1904, $40
1908. 1868 Grand average, .3iT.
Donlin-tS39. .329; 1900 .32T; 1901, $40; 1907,
.2ei; 1905 ;35l; 1904, 800; 1905, 1856. Grand
Beaumont-isso. $50; 1900 .2s2: 1901. .32s;
1902. 351 1908, .34l; 1904. .301; 1905, 32s Grand
Ciarke-isoe. s27: 1897. .4os; 1898, $40; 1899,
.34s; 1900. ISL 1901 .3l6; 1902, .321; 1908 35l !;
1904. 1906: 1905 800. Grand average, .32T.
Isjoie-1S96, BPS: 1897 1858; 1895 BPS: 1899
.319; 1900, 346; 1901 40: 1902, 800: 1908 1855
1904, .3si: 1906, .329. Grand average $40
Flick-1S9s. -319; 1892 .343: 1900 .37s: 1901
1876; 1902. 30; 1908, 800; 1904 1903; 1905, .3O6
Keeler~isss' ss2; 1897. .4se; 1898. 80; 1899.
1915; 1900, .S6a; 1901. 1855 1902 342; 1903 BIS:
1901, .34S; 1905. BOZ Grand average sfI
Beckley-1s96, .26s; 1897 .S25; 1898 299; 1893.
1888; 1900. .343; 1901 300; 1902 331 1903 3;,7 .
1904. .32o; 1893, .2s6. Grand average 3I4
Delehanty-1ssS 394 1897. 37T; 1898, a34 /;
1899 -4Os; 1900. $40: 1901 1857; 1902 .37G: 1908
.33S. Grand average. 1853.
McGraw-1s96, 1856: 1897, 1876; 1898, 334: 1899
$50; 1900. .302: 1901, 1852. Grand average 9i3
Kelley-1S96. .S7o 1897. .3s9; 1895 BPS; 1929,
.329; 1900, BIS; 1891. 300: 1902 1927; 1905 ZIG:
1904 2sl: 1905, PIT. Grand average 32l
Burkett-lsa6, 40; 1897, 1888; 1895 3i5: 1899
.402; 1900. 800; 1901, .3S2 1902 .SO6; 1903 FOG
1904 .2T3; 1905, .257 Grand average 341