Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-11-15
THE BASEBALL CURVE.
An Old Timers Story of the Game
Who First Saw lt.

Who First Saw IL.
Speaking about the early history OF
baseball the other day, an old time
professional player said there were
many things not known generally.
There is, for instance, the matter
Of curve pitching. Who pitched the
first curved ball? No; don't name any
of the men that won pennants and got
$4,000 a year. The pioneer wasn't a
professional but an amateur-that Is,
he was an amateur until his curves
made him famous.
His name was Arthur Cummings,
and he was a New York boy, a tall,
thin young fellow with hair as blond
as a chorus girls. How he came to
discover curve pitching I don't know,
but 1t was generally believed after
ward that he hit on 1t by accident.
He tried it out for the first time In
1867 in a game between two scrub
teams in Washington.
1.-The famous Excelsior club of New
York was then visiting Washington as
the guest Of the old National club, and
the two played series Of games on
the old White lot. Toward the end OF
the series some one suggested that the
young New Yorkers who had come
over from the Excelsiors make up a
scrub nine and play nine of Wash
ington boys as a sort Of comic inter-
lude.
1.-The suggestion was adopted, and
the New York nine consisted Of four
or five Excelsior substitutes and a
number Of other young fellows, among
them Arthur Cummings. The Wash
ington nine was made up in the main
of players belonging to the Junior Ma
tionals, the crack amateur team OF
Washington.
Cummings was a rising young
pitcher, but no one thought that there
was anything remarkable about him,
and the Junior Nationals prepared to
knock him out Of the box. But when
the first batsman famed out the
Washingtonians began to look sur
prised.
Its the darndest thing ever saw
said this batsman. I struck right out
at all three balls. and every one or
them seemed to jump aside just as 1t
got near the plate. One jumped out
ward, another inward, and the third
seemed to RISE Maybe I'm beginning
to see things
"It puzzled Jewell, the catcher, too,
not to speak of AL Mills, the umpire.
Jewell caught ali Of the balls because
It was then the custom for the catcher
to stand far back and catch on the
first bounce, but 1t made him dizzy.
THE second batsman Of the Junior
Nationals went to the bat and wal
loped the air three times too. AL Mills
came up close to the plate to see what
was wrong. 1t looked to him as II
Cummings were wild.
Just keep your head there he said
to the third batsman, and you'll get
your base on balls
"This third batsman had a steady
hand, and, sure enough, he got his
base on balls. Cummings pitched the
ball, and it seemed to be coming
straight for the plate, when suddenly,
lust as it was ten feet or so away, 1t
curved out and missed the plate by a
foot. Mills called ball.
"The next ball came straight on, but
the batsman, hoping to hit 1t and pro-
fting by his experience. swung his bat
far out. But, instead Of curving out
like the last one, 1t seemed to jump.
It crossed the plate on level with
the batsman's eyes.
THAT scared him. and he just stood
there without making a move until
succession of wild balls sent him to
first base. The fourth batsman struck
out so easily that it was pathetic.
"Well, sir, Cummings began to get
more control over the ball after that
first inning, and Mills had to admit
that it was coming over the plate; but
except by accident, not single Junior
National batsman could touch 1t. 1t
Jumped; It sank; 1t wabbled from side
to side. Mills rubbed his eyes and
wondered how the thing was done.
Cummings merely smiled.
"In the fifth inning one Of the Ma
rionals by dumb luck landed on the
sphere and drove 1t into the next coun-
ty. There were two men on bases at
the time, and the home run brought
them home. That gave the Nationals
made no other runs in the whole game.
After it was all over the whole
town buzzed about Cummings queer
pitching. AS for him, he was as silent
as the grave.
"How do you make the ball curve|
asked a hundred persons.
"Does it curve? Cummings would
say, innocent-like.
And then he would shut up and be-
come a clam.
when he got back to New York he
was signed by the champion Athletics
and became their star pitcher. Other
pitchers watched him and got on to
the trick, but it was three years before
anybody did it as we'll as he. During
those three years his team kept the
championship.
"And that, so far as I know, is the
story Of the origin Of the curve BALL"
Baltimore Sun.
De~>