Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1908-12-29
SPIRIT O. JEFFERSON
THE BASEBALL CURVE
An Old Timers Story of the
Game That First Saw 1t.
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.
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 a New York boy, tall,
thin young fellow with hair as blond
as a chorus girls. How he came to
discover curve pitching I don't know,
but 1t was generally believed after
ward that he hit on it by accident.
He tried it out for the first time in
| 1867 in a game between two scrub
teams in Washington
1.-THE famous Excelsior club of New
York was then visiting Washington as
the guest of the old National club, and
the two played a 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 a
scrub nine and play a 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 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.
"'It's 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 1t
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 it made him dizzy.
1.-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 looked to him as
If Cummings were wild.
"sJust keep your head there he said
to the third batsman, and you'll get
your base ON balls
"This third batsman had 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 a foo<.
Mills called ball.
1.-THE next ball came straight on, but
the batsman, hoping to hit it and profit
ing by his experience, swung his b&
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 he just stood
there without making move until
succession of wild balls sent him to
first base. The fourth batsman struck
out so easily that it was pathetic.
swell, sir, Cummings began to get
more control over the ball after that
first inning. and Mills had to admit
that it was coming over the plate; but,
except by accident, not single Junior
National batsman could touch It, 1t
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 it 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 it 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 a hundred persons.
Does it curve? Cummings would
say, innocent-like
'.And then he would shut up and be-
come clam.
when he got back to New York be
was signed by the champion Athletics
and became their star pitcher. Other
pitchers watched him and got on to
the trick, but 1t was three years before
anybody did 1t as well as he During
those three years his team kept the
championship.
''And that, so far as know, is the
story of the origin of the curve ball. -