Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-11-13
THE BASEBALL CURVE
An Old Timers Story of the
Game That First Saw II.
1T WAS USED BY AN AMATEUR


Player, Arthur Cummings Was the
Young Pitcher Who Was the Oriai-
nstor of the In and Out Shoots.
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 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 New York boy, a tail,
thin young fellow with hair as blond
as chorus girls. How he came to
discover curve pitching 1 don't know.
but IL was generally believed after
ward that he hit on it by accident.
He tried 1t out for the first time in
1867 in game between two scrub
teams IN Washington.
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 Workers. who had come
! over with the Excelsiors make up n
scrub nine and play nine OF Wash
ington boys rs sort Of comic inter-
/ lude
/ The suggestion was adopted. and the
/ New York nine consisted OF four or
five Excelsior substitutes and n num-
Der Of other young fellows, among
them Arthur Cummings. The Wash
ington nine was made up In the main
OF players belonging 10 the Junior Ma
uonals. the crack amateur team OF
Washington
Cummings was rising young pitch
er. 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 Washingto-
mans began to look surprised
It's the darndest thing ever saw.
said this batsman. L struck right out
at all three balls. and every one OF
them seemed to jump aside just as II
Got near the plate. One jumped out
ward. another inward, and the THIRD
seemed to rise. Maybe I'm beginning
TO see things
1T puzzled Jewell. the catcher. too
not to speak Of Al Mills. the umpire
Jewell caught all OF the balls becaus,
IL was then the custom for the catcher
. TO stand far back and catch on the frs
bounce, but It made him dizzy.
THE second batsman Of the Junior
Nationals went 20 the bat and wal
loped the air three times too. \
Mills came up close TO the plate to Sc,
what was wrong. 1t looked TO him n
e II Cummings were wild.
Just keep your head there he sal,
I 10 the third batsman. and you'll &c
n your base on balls
c This third batsman had 4 stead
: hand, and. sure enough. he got his has
: on balls. Cummings pitched the bal
= and il seemed TO be coming Straigh
{ for the plate. when suddenly. lust n
}. 1t was ten feet or so away. it curve
s out and missed the plate by q foot
o Mills called n ball
The next ball came straight on. bu
Y the batsman. hoping TO hit 1t and profit
n Ing by his experience. swung his ba
e FAR out. But. instead OF curving on
n like the last one. il seemed TO JUMP
i 1t crossed the plate on q level wit
G the batsm0n's eyes.
That scared him, and he Just stoo
b there without making 4 move until
S succession OF Wild balls sent him I
L first base. The fourth batSman struc
: out so easily that it was pathetic.
n We'll, sir, Cummings began 10 q
:, more control over the ball after tha
. first inning. and Mills had 10 adm
n that ii was coming over the plate: bu
y except by accident, not single JuniC
o National bntsman could touch IT,
s jumped; il sank; il wabbled from sid
: TO side. Mills rubbed his eyes and woI
{ dered how the thing was done. Gun
' mings merely smiled
g "In the fifth inning one of the y:
4 tonals by dumb luck landed on II
! sphere and drove il into the next cour
Il ~. There were two men on bases &
J. the time, and this home run brougl
/; them home. That gave the Nationa,
q three runs. SO Ear rs l know. the
II made no other runs in the whole gam,
n After it was all over the whol
\ town buzzed about Cummings Quee
j pitching. AS for him. he was as sileu
y as the grave.
J. How DO you make the ball curve
q asked hundred persons.
: Does il curve? Cummings yvoul
\ say, innocent-like
And then he would shut UP and b,
come clam.
when he got back TO New York b
q was signed by the champion Athletic
: and became their star pitcher. Othc
!. | pitchers watched him and got on /
the trick, but 1t was three years befor
anybody did il as we'll as he. Durin
those three years his team kept I'll
; championship.
sand that, SO TAR rs I know. IS III
story OF the origin of the curve ball.
Baltimore Sun.
: The Funny Part.