The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1907-10-16
THE BASEBALL CURVE
An Old Timers Story OF the
Game That First Saw II.
1T WAS USED BY AN AMATEUR
According to This Old Professional
Player, Arthur Cummings Was the
Young Pitcher Who Was the Origi-
nator Of the In and Out Shoots.

Player, Arthur Cummings Was the
Young Pitcher Who Was the Origi
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 balls No; don't nnme any Of
the men that Won pennants and got
$4,000 n year The pioneer wasn't It
professional. but an amatcur that Is
he WAS nn amateur until his curves
made him famous
Ills name was Arthur Cummings,
and he was New York boy. II tall.
thin young fellow with hair as blond
AS 1t chorus GIRLS. How he came to
discovy curve pitching | don't know.
but 1t was generally believed after
ward that he hit Oh 1t by accident.
He tried II oul for the first time In
1857 in Il game between two scrub
teams In Washington.
he INIiplS IyNftiHl'I tlHp III 4N'N
York was then visiting Washington as
the guest of the old National club. and
the two played a series of games on
the oil White hot Toward the end of
the series some one suggested that the
young New Workers who had come
over with the Excclsiors make up n
scrub nine and play nine of Wash
IF L. Int n,
lndc
"The suggestion was adopted. and the
New York nine consisted of four or
Ave Excelsior substitutes and mum
her of other young fellows. among
them Arthur Cummings The Wash
ington nine was nude NJ In the main
of players belonging 10 the Junior Ma
tonas. the crack amateur team of
Washington
cummings was n rising young pitch
or but no one thought that there WIS
anything remarkable about him. and
tho Junior Nationals prepared 10 knock
him ont Of the box. But when the first
batsmau famed ont the Washingto
mans began TO look surprised
said this bntsman. 1 struck right out
ut NIL three balls, md every one Of
them seemed TO IuWo aside lust as 1t
got near tllc plate one Jumped out
wnrd another Inward and the third
seemed 10 rise. Maybe I'm beginning
10 see things
1T puzzled Jewell, the catcher, too.
NOT to SNEAK of Al Mills the umpire.
Jewell caught All of the balls because
II was thcp the custom for the catcher
Ia stand far back and catch on the first
bouuce but II made him dizzy
"The second batsman of the Junior
Nationals went to the bat and wal
loucd the mir three times too Al
Mills rnrup mn close ia fine ulnte to see
what vn4 yyrnna n laolsed la him ms
If Cummings were wild
eeJnst keen z,our head tb,re, he said
Ia thn third =hntsmon and xoull 90
your base ON balls.
"Thf4 third hotsmnn hod II stead,
hond md surc enooph he ref his bas,
ON hnIla ,ummiues nitcbod tho hall
ma n seemed Ia lao coming strnirh,
for the nIntn when suddenly INST n,
II was tom font ar sn avov II curved
ont nnd niss,J thn n,nto hv a fact
Minis e,llal d. hou
"rbc next hnll came straight on I'm,
tho bntsman Loniny ia hit /, and nrof,t
I'M, h, h{s exnn,j.nee e,Vunr hIs Int
f,r on, pnt ,nst,,d of curving out
M. ia, inst ON. n .e.nnd IA hmm
I, crossed tbe ,J,te on , ,evnl with
,he h,tsmnr,s owes
"rhnt scared him and no Inst stood
thnr, ,.i,hnnt u,nl.in, q noyo untl a
.rc..ssinn - via Ian. cont hin, IA
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