Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1907-10-29
SPIRIT or JEFF ERSgN.
THE BASEBALL CURVE
An Old Timers Story Of the
Game That First Saw 1t.
IT WAS USED BY AN AMATEUR

- ssHS SSA-S - osu 'unN 6Oss
according TO This Old Professional
Player, Arthur Cummings Was the
| Young Pitcher Who Was the orisi-
| nator 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 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 New York boy, tall,
thin young fellow with hair as blond
as a chorus girls. How he came to
discover curve pitching don't know,
but it was generally believed after
ward that he hit on it by accident
He tried 1t out for the first time in
1867 in a game between two scrub
teams in Washington.
/ sThe 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
fhn cax.;oo some, enc cx,rxooofo7 That <y,n
young New Workers who had come
over with the Excelsiors make up a
scrub nine and play nine of Wash
ington boys as sort of comic inter-
| lude
The suggestion was adopted, and the
New York nine consisted of four or
five Excelsior substitutes and a num-
Der 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 O rising young pitch
err, 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.
Its the darndest thing ever saw
said this batsman 4 struck right out
at all three balls, and every one Of
them seemed to jump aside Just as it
got near the plate. One jumped out
ward, another inward, and the third
seemed to rise. Maybe I'm beginning
to see things
ut puzzled Jewell, the catcher, too
not to speak of Al Mills. the umpire
Jewell caught all 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 locked to him as
If 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, just as
1t was ten feet or so away, it curved
out and missed the plate by foot.
Mills called ball.
The next ball came straight on, but
the batsman, hoping to hit 1t and profit |
ing by his experience, swung his Bat |
far out. But, instead Of curving out
like the last one 1t seemed to jump.
1t crossed the plate on level with
the batsman's eyes.
THAT scared him, and he just stood |
there without making move until a |
succession Of wild balls sent him to |
first base. The fourth batsman struck |
out SO easily that 1t was pathetic.
We'll, sir, Cummings began to get |
more control over the ball after that |
first inning, and Mills had to admit |
that 1t was coming over. the plate; but,
except by accident, not single Junior |
National batsman could touch 1T. It'll
jumped; 1t sank; 1t wabbled from side |
to side. Mills rubbed his eyes and won
dered how the thing was done. Cum
mings merely smiled
in the fifth inning one of the Ma
tionals 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 this home run brought
them home. That gave the Nationals
three runs. So far as know, they
made no other runs In the whole game
After 1t 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 curvey
asked hundred persons.
Does 1t curveT Cummings would
say, innocent-like.
1And then be would shut up and be-
come 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 1t ais well as he During
those three years his team Kept the
championship. Il
sand that % far as / know Is TIA 4