The Washington times., 1908-09-06

Back in 1906. when Case Patten was
credited with winning nineteen games
and losing sixteen, for a percentage OF
.543, with the Washington team which
lost ninety-five games and woa nifty
FIVE for a percentage Of .9g7, IL was
pointed out I'm The Times that the
method Of rating pitchers was utterly
absurd.
The principal point made at that time
was that any Pitcher who won more
games than his team was doing splen-
did work. and that one who won more
than half his games while the team won
a small fraction more than a third OF its
contests. had accomplished phenomenal
results. On that basis Patten was pro-
nounced the best pitcher in the Ameri-
can League in 1876. a position which is
as strong now as then.
Since The Times insisted that due
credit should be given Patten for his
grand performance in 1906, the mat
ter Of rating pitchers has been more
and more strongly impressed upon the
baseball public. Until today the vast
majority of fans utterly disregard the
silly standings OF pitchers Palmed on
on the public Criticism has not only
been directed at the gross injustice Of
not consideriT 5 a pitchers percentage
IN connection Eith the standing Of his
club. but also al the misleading and
frequently varying rules for telling
when a pitcher has won or lost
AbsuTdity Exposed.
The FaIkenberg case brought the sub
ject TO a focus in Washington. and
-fs4
the newspapers all around the big ana
little circuits have begun agitating the
question of reform. According TO the
anuquated and idiotie system in vogue
now. Falkenberg when he was sold 20
Cleveland because he was absolutely
unable to make good with Washington.
ranked highest OF all the Washington
pitchers and should have heen the most
valuable man on the team. yet il was
perfectly well known 10 every player
and fan in this city that he was the
weakest and most unreliable slabman
on Manager CantilIon's sEan
The trouble is that IN estimating d
pitcher BY his games he frequently
escapes blame for those he really loses.
For instance If his team is nve runs
ahead, and he blows up say in the sew
enth inning. and allows the opposition
TO make FIVE runs ia one InIug, and he
Is then yanked out of the box with
the score tied, his successor, who may
go in cold. is charged with the loss Of
an entire game il the other team makes
a winning run. This is done although
that sixth run may be due entirely 10
rank errors, while the man whose coarse
work IN exploding is not demerted In
any way.
Utterly Childish System.
Take another case: Say Washington
in the first three innings makes five
runs and the washington pitcher goes
good until the fourth inning, when four
runs are rolled up in a hurry and the
Washington pitcher is relived by one
who not only stops the batting rally,
but holds the other side hitless for
the remainder of the fourth and the
other i've innings The pitcher who
started on the mound and had a wn-
ming mark handed 10 him Dy Washing
toms good batting, but was so bad that
he had 10 be taken out to save the day,
is credited with a victory which he was
throwing away as fast as he could,
while the substitute gets no credit Of
any kind for FIVE innings 81 hitless
twirling
II you were TO submit such system
of computing the value OF work done
to men in any other walk of life except
the baseball business they would yell
for the police ana have You locked up
as a dangerous crank, yet that is
exactly the method employed by the
wealthy and widely-experienced men at
the head of the big baseball leagues
in trying to arrive at the comparative
worth Of their employes-the pitchers.
The consequence has been that the pub
lie has been completely deceived for
many long years. and strangely
enough the majority of the club own
ers and managers have likewise failed
20 wake up until the last year or two
What Figures Should Show.
The matter having been brought 10
the attention Of all concerned in a
forciole manner, it is possible that the
leagues may be induced to figure pitch
ers' standings on some reasonable hu-
man basis Suggestions are in order.
and it may be said right here the prob
lem is going to be one Of the hardest
that has ever confronted the baseball
theorists end matbematicians.
The object of the desired figures will
be to estimate the pitcher himself as
an asset. irrespective OF what his good
or III fortune may be in the matter Of