The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-11-26
THE BASEBALL CURVE
An Old Timers Story of the Game
Who First Saw It.

Hialiy tHlilSS Hot Known generally.
"There is, for instance, the matter
Of curve pitching. Who pitched The
lirst carve ball! No; don't name
any of the men that won pennants
and got $4,000 Year. The pioneer
wasn% a professional, but an amateur
that is, he was an amateur until his
curves made him famous.
ellis name was Arthur CUMMINGS,
and he was New York boy, tall.
thin young fellow with hair as blond
IL; Il chorus girls. How he came TO
discover curve pitching | don't
know, but ii was generally believed
aftcrward that he hit on it by acci-
dent. He tried it out for the first
time in 1867 in a game between two,
scrub teams in Washington.
"'rhe famous Excelsior club of
New York was then visiting Wash
in@ton as the guest Of the old Nation
al club, and the two played Il series
of games on the old White lot. To-
ward the end of tic series some one
suggested that the young New York
ers who had come over from the Ex-
celsiors make up scrub nine and
play Il nine Of Washington boys as
sort of comic intcrludc.
"rhc 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
Washington nine was made up in the
main Of players belonging TO the
Junior Nationals, the crack amateur
team Of Washington.
'Cummn"S vas a risin" Young
pitcher. but no one thought that thr"a
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 WashinGt GtonianS began to look
surprised.
"'It's the darndest thing ever
saw said this batsman. & struck
right out at all three balls, and every
one of them seemed TO jump aside
just as it cor near the plate. One
jumped outward, another inward,
and the third seemed to rise. Maybe
/ IN beginning to see things
"It 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 it made
him dizzy.
"Thc second batSman of the Ju2-
ior Nationals went to the bat and
wallopcd the air three times too. Al
Mills came up close to the plate to
SEQ what was wrong. 1t looked to
nim as if Cummings were wild.
'Just keep your head THERE he
said 10 the third batsman. 'and You
will GET your base on balls.
"ThiS third bat~man had a steady
hand, and. sure enough, he got his
base on balls. Cummings pitched the
ball. and If seemed to be coming
straight for the plate. when sudden
". Just as it was ten feet or so away
it curved out and missed lhe plate by
a foot; Mills called a ball.
'"'T'hc next ball came straight on
but the batsman, hoping to hit if
and profiting by his experience
swung his bat far out But, instead
Of curving out like the last one, il
seemed to jump. 1t crossed the plate
on a level with the batsman's eyes.
"That scared him, and ne just
stood there without making move
until a succession Of wild balls sent
him to first base. The fourth bats
man struck out so easily that it was
pathetic.
"Wcll, sir, Cummings began to ge'
more control over the ball after tha
first inning. and Mills had to admit
that it was coming over the plate
bur except by accident, not single
Junior National batsman could
touch it. 1t jumped; it sank; i
wabblcd from side 10 side. Mill:
rubbed his eyes and wondered how
the thin" was done. Cummings mere
~ smiled.
''In thc fifth innin" one Of the Ma
tionals by dumb luck landed on The
sphere and drove ii into the Hex
county. There were two men on