Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-09
OFF IN
LEAGUE BATTING
Some Steps Should Be Taken
to Increase Hitting-Few
Now in the 800 Class.

E.ver since 'ba Sc ball acquired enough
popularity to be known the national
game the rule makers have worked hard
to handicap the batter and aid the pitcher.
1t is now time that steps be taken to turn
the tables. Only once were the rules re-
modelled to give the batters the advantage.
and that was in 1892. when the pitching
distance was heightened.
That change was great help 10 the
batters. and averages of 100 were as
common a. mosquitoes in a Jersey marsh.
For several years the .batters were lit.
and then the rule makers got in their
worN again and adopted the foul strike.
That neutralized the previous advantage
and then when the spit BALI was dis
cd the batter found he was lucky TO
finish a season with an average Of 20.
to say nothing of landing i'll :he 300 class.
The facts are there were not as many
500 hitters in the National League last
year there were in any previous year
in the history of that organization In
the first year OF the National there were
twelve 200 hitters. Ross Barnes of Chi
cago leading with 400. Pop" Arson.
Jim White. Jim O'Rpurke and Al Spa Id
ing We're also in the list.
The following year found only six in
the favored class. Jim White headed it.
with :95. Arson and O'ROurke were the
Only repeaters.
Arson was right UP at the top the fol-
lowing year, Dairymple leading the bunch
of twelve with average of .:.6 White
had .SOS that year. There were also twelve
300 hitters in 1879. Arson leading with
.4O7. O'Rourke and White also stuck TO
the list.
George Gore topped the list OF six o 300
ba;ters in 1890 Arson being second. There
were fifteen in this class in 1881. with
Arson at the top. with .3!r'. and eleven in
.:561. Brouthers again copied tine honcrs
in 1889 from fourteen other 300 batters,
his record being 81.
There were thirteen in the lucky class
in 1884. with Jim ORourke the premier
with $50 Roger Conner topped them i'm
1885,. when eleven men broke in. Mike
Kelley forged to the front in 1856. and
took down an average of .:;SS. There were
fourteen men in the favored class this
year.
Pop Arson could no; he denied in 1851.
when there were no less than fifty-one
hatters with average Of 800 or better, |
Ansons mark being .42l.
The season of 1888 saw the number of
strikes cut from iOur to three, and as a
result the pitchers were benefited greatly.
There were only six 200 batters this year.
being Arson. Beck,ey. Jimmy Ryan. Mike
kelleN Buck Ewing and Dan Brouthers.
They became more used to the three
strike affair in 1889 and there were six |
teen 1903 hitters led by Brouthers. with
an average of .313. Then the number of
balls allowed batsman was cut from six
to four and the 800 list would have been
large in 1890 had not the brotherhood
taken away most Of the best batsmen |
from the old league. AS it was, there |
were thirteen in the favored class, Glass |
cock leading with 1888.
The American Association carried on |
81 Il
1891. and there were but eight 300 men |
that year. Billy Hamilton topped the
squad with 1898. Dan Brouthers swatted
his way to the front of eleven Sluggers in |
1897, getting $3.50.
Gala Time for the Hitters.
Then came the gala days for the bat
ters There were 81 men VINO hit 300 in
1893. Jake Stencil was at the top with
400. and in 1894 there We're - sluggsrs.
Hugh Duffy getting the hOnors with ABS.
Jesse Burkett was the champion of 50
hitters in 1880 with an average OF .4o3.
and again i'm 1895. with 40, there being
53 on the list that year.
Their were - 300 clOuters in 1897. Willie
Keller leading with .432. There were 81 in
1898. Keller again being best man. with
$40. while Ed Deehanty led the bunch Of
80 in 1899. with mark Of .4OS. The season
of 1900 saw John Wagner ahead. with
.SSD, tnerc De1nS 81 on tne roster.
The American League made inrOads on
the National in 1901, and the list shrank
to %. Jesse Burkett again leading. with
.3S2
Clarence Beaumont of Pittsburg in
the van in 1862. there being 70 men who
managed to pass the favored mark. and
six Of them playing in less than half the
number OF scheduled games. The honor
roll dwindled to seven il 1884. to 10 in
1905. when the spit BALI followed the
foul-strike rule into the game to handi-
cap the hitters: to nine in 1906. and TO a
measly four in 1907. Wagner. Magee.
Beaumont and Leach were the only ones
over 800 last season.
The American League shows the same
shrinkage in the last few years. Sam
Dugan was the premier hitter of the
younger Organiza ton In 1900. when there
were t. men in the class. The star play
ers Of the National were in the American
the next year. and Napoleon Lajoie led
a bunch Of ~ 800 batters with an aver
age of .422. There were also the same
number the next year. Ed Delehanty lead
ing with .316. Then the foul strike and
the spit ball got in their work and the list
consisted of only IA in 1893 y in 1901 )
in 1893, IL in 1908 and in 1907.