The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-16
PITCHER SAM LEVER
HAS GREAT RECORD
Wins $50 and Loses rs Games
During His Entire National
League Career.

Pittsburg, Dec. Samuel Leever,
for eight years pitcher Of the Pittsburg
team, is a man Of education and refine
ment. Levers first professional en-
gagement was with Richmond, Va, in
the Atlantic league, in 1897. His first
game was shut-out victory, the score
being 6 to. Q, tho do not remember
the name OF the opposing team. lie did
fine work all season and finished with
record of twenty victories and fifteen
defeats-a percentage Of ST.. y 4 ~.
The steadiness and cleverness which
has always characterized his work was
even then in evidence, and he was con-
sidered the most reliable pitcher on the
team, the others being Jack Chesbro,
Henry Schmidt, Otis Stockdale and
Stimmel, all well-known names in the
world Of baseball. Manager Jake
Wsls' who. by the way, is great
keeping Leever from being drafted and
saved him from the big league for
year.
The next season Leever was even
more effective, and in nineteen games.
won fourteen, lost four and tied one
His arm was sore a good part Of the
season., hence the small number of
games he pitched. =
His remarkable work, which included
the giving of but twenty-four bases on
balls and striking out sixty-four men,
caused him to be bought by the Pitts
He only pitched one full game for
Plttsburg in 1898, but that one was
victory. In 1899 he worked in forty
two games, winning twenty, losing
twenty one and tying one, for .48S per
cent. This was plenty good enough for
q irst-year man to hold his job, and
there were plenty of high-class perform
ers among the lot. He ranked twenty
seventh among ffty-one pitchers who
went fifteen or more games.
Began Real Work.
Next year he began his really great
work, and he annexed fifteen games,
ninth in thirty-four pitchers. Then, IN
1901, tho handicapped by sore arm part
of the time, Leever won fourteen games,
lost five, achieved the mark of .737 and
took first rank among thirty-three
pitchers. Tho Sam put fifteen games on
the right side in 1902 and lost but sew
en- for percentage of .682, he ranked
as low AS seventh among thirtynine
pitchers. The goods were still in that
arm, tho, for in twenty-four contests
passes and famed eighty-six batters.
In 1908 we come to the high mark
of Lever 3 performances, and in thir-
ty-six full games he won twenty-five,
lost seven and tied and was taken out
of four. This percentage of .781 again
gave him first rank, this time among
thirty-three pitchers. ~.
In 1904, after winning the pennant
three times, the entire Pittsburg team
slumped and Levers record suffered
along with all the others.
At that, tho, he won eighteen games
and lost eleven, for percentage Of
.621, while the team only averaged
500, showing how much better Leever
was than the corps as whole He
came into his own again in 1906 and
played in thirty three games, Of which
President Pulliam gives him credit for
twenty wins with five losses, the re-
markable figures Of 300 again giving
him first place among forty-nine slab
artists. And, now for the past season,
the professor has kept up his phenom-
email work and in thirty-six games he
is credited with twenty-five wins and
seven defeats, per cent, .759 and a
rank OF third place among forty pitch
ers, being excelled only by the cubs
premier artists, Brown and Reulbach.
Summing up this ten-year record Of
ne has won 1874 games, while "a have
centage Of .662 foft his ten Years 20 Of
professional ball. His National league
record is even better, as in the eight
years time he has won $50 and lost rs
games, making an average Of 1857,
which is not equaled by any other
pitcher in the same time.
y ! ;