Evening star., 1907-07-21
DISCOVERY OF
CURVED PITCHING
How Accident and Patient 2rac-
tice Made Arthur Cumminus
of New York Famous.

III theSe days or spit balls and the other
names applied TO the various curves thar
our slab artists dish up 10 the opposing.
teams 1T is little known that curve pitching
was accidentally discovered by a pitcher
while officiating in game he was pitching
on the White Lot" was-the old fans re.
mark as he squared himself at the editors
desk last night. And it might be well to
remark right here that the umpire. Mi
Mills of the Union Club of New York. came
near being mobbed in that game. as being
a catcher OF note. he was close up and
called the batSmen out on strikes on balls
they declared were wild and wide of tho
, plate"
In the year 1896 the famous Excelsior
| club of New York visited this city to play
a game with the Nationals. and with them
were number of other New Workers. who
were also ball tossers but who came along
for the pleasure of the trip. While enjoying
the hospitality of the Nationals proposal
was made by the National Juniors to play
a picked team from the visitors. and the
challenge was quickly accepted
The game was played in the morning OF
the day set for the contest with the senior
teams. and the visitors put in the field q.
very strong aggregation. made up of players
from the Atlantcs. Stars and Eckfords.
many of whom in seasons later became
stars In the teams of Gotham
discovery OIL tue SuIHc
The gentlemen of New York sent into the
| pitchers box a young man named Arthur
| Cummings, who was slated as substitute
| for the EXcelsiors. and he discovered in this
contest that it was possible to curve tho
| ball. At the outset of the contest he
started in to shoot them over. but finding
| that the Junior boys of the Nationals were
batting him freely. he changed his delivery
| to a slow. tantalizing one. and 1t was while
| he was dlshing up these SLOW baiters he
| discovered that the ball curved after leav-
ing him.
The discovery was startling and that
| night while seated at dinner I'm Wizards
! Hotel, he impaired his theory of il to Asa
| Brainerd who was then the pitcher OF tho
Excelsiors but Brainerd laughed TO scorn
| any such feat as an impossibilty.
| On returning TO New York he made pub
| lie his discovery. but little credence
| given 1t. and 1t is a matter of history that
| his first public exhibition was "A rank
| failure. On this occasion he invited a
number Of scientific gentlemen, prominent
| new spapermen and a host Of ball players
| to see the trial. but the failure was So
| abject that all turned the laugh on Cum
| mings. He claimed that he was anxious
| to do too much and that he pitched too
swift a ball to demonstrate the curve.
| Then he went 10 work cautiously to dem-
| onstrate the thory.
| Taking his catcher into his confidence
| Cummings began to practice quietly, ana
| after several months OF outdoor and indoor
|
| which astoniShed the base ball and scen-
| tific world. He had joined the Stars of
| Brooklyn and it was his mastery work in
| the box that lifted this young team up
| the rounds of the championship ladder
| and brought it fame and honor all over
the country.
At first Cummings mastered only the
"out shoot" but before the first season
was over he had begun work on the inner
| shoot" During his career pitcher he
| struck out more OF his opponents than any
pitcher that ever filled the position. and he
| lived to see his discovery adopted wherever
| the game was played.
Local Boys Protest.
As has been said. the game in which the
curve was discovered was hard-fought
one between the picked men OF New York
| and the Junior Nationals OF this city, and
| had it not been for the fact that Cum
mings used his slow curve ball in the third.
| fourth and fifth innings the local boys
| would have won. 1t was the decision on
| strikes that caused the trouble. for the
| batsmen of the home team could not see
| how such wide balls could be fairly de-
| clared strikes.
| 1t was the first case of 'inSurrection' OF
any team against umpire recorded In
Washington, but the Juniors We're not
| backward in informing the gentleman just
what their opinion Of him was and they
We're kept from doing harm to his person
only by the Intervention of Arthur Cor
man, Billy Williams. Harry Mclean and
! George Fox.