The Washington herald., 1908-02-24

Chicago, Feb. %. - Modera baseball
knows no such record as that established
by Pitcher Ed Walsh. Of the White Sox.
last season. Walsh didn't lead the Ameri-
can League in percentage OF games won;
In fact. he was down in fifteenth place.
with two Of his own teammates. White
and Smith. far ahead Of him Up the
ladder. Yet Walsh's seasons record was
the most wonderful ever made.
He pitched in fifty-sIx games. which in
Itself constitutes record. being well
over third OF the games his team
played. His fielding figures broke all
known records. as he handled 2ss chances.
ninety-six more than given any other
pitcher in that league
i Walsh is charged with eighteen defeats.
and nearly all Of them were due TO the
most fiendish hard luck a pitcher was
ever subjected to. If Walsh mad been
favored with just ordinarily bad luck in
those games al least fourteen Of them
would have been victories instead Of de-
feats. and the fans haven't forgotten that
Just four more games in the won column
would have brought the pennant 10 Chi
cago instead Of sending it to Detroit
Does Sensational Work.
Out Of the whole eighteen losses suffer
ed by Walsh in eight his team was abso-
lutely shut out So Of course. he had no
chance whatever 10 wiz, although in
most Of them he held the enemy to a
low score. Twice Big Ed" Inquired in
/ tie games and did really sensational work.
, but on account Of no hitting behind him
! couldn't land the game which his twirl-
/ ing so well merited. For instance a;
/ Boston. IN the June series. he jumped in
/ at moments notice. pitched five and
! two-thirds innings, allowed only one hit.
\ but couldnt have the good fortune 10
see 8 run counted for his side
! But the tough games that Walsh lost
were extra-inning battles. and frequently
games by margin OF one run, which the
Sox, under ordinary circumstances. would
have captured by big margin.
/ -Four games. which had to be called de-
\ feats, and which. If won would have
given the Sox the pennant. the fans will
never forget. and they viii show the hard
luck Big Ed was up against. The most
eNaspeTating trimming Walsh ever sUf-
fered was that well-remembered game OF
Sunday. June p. when Cleveland beat
him in twelve innings, TO ..
WaIsh's Hit UnavaiIinR.
/ That day the Sox twice had the bases
! full with nobody out. and couldn't get
one run out OF either opening. In the
same game Walsh himself opened an in
ming with a three-base hit. and the head
Of the batting list couldn't bring him
/ home 1t was Just hard luck. for the Sox
were hitting Joss very soundly. driving
him flom the box in the sixth inning. Bu;
/ the only little base hit that would have
ended all never came at the right time.
/ Ten days later Walsh was pitching the
1 second game OF a double-header az De-
troit White having won the first he
\ gave Detroit only three hits. only one O;
/ them out OF the diamond. and not a Tiger
! deserved TO get past first base. but costly
4 errors by Davis tossed the game of. the
/ final straw being a wide shoot that Sui
] livan failed TO stop. letting Davy Jones
/ score the winning run from third min
Ute before the game was stopped on ac-
! count Of darkness
! Other pitchers have lost tough games
OF course. but Walsh surely made a new
record in that unfortunate particular. He
didn't win one game through good luck
I 10 five he lost through bad luck. accord
| ing 10 a sizing Up Of his record
| Walsh pitched so much during The
months OF June, July. and August that
he wasn't in just his finest fettle At the
finish. and victories came harder for him
but he got his share OF them just the
same