The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1909-02-25
HANS WAGNER THE
BEST RUN BATTER
PlTTSBURG STAR LEADS MAJOR
LEAGUES IN DRIVING TALES
ACROSS THE PLATE.
COBB OF DETROIT is SECOND
"Flying Dutchman" Hammered Home
1906 of 5e5 Runs Credited TO His
Team-Donlin Second in National
Men Who Made Home-Run Hits with
All the Bases Full.

Hans Wagner of the Pirates not only
had the highest batting average of any
major league player last season, but
he led the stickers of the two organi.
cations in driving runs across the
plate, according to figures compiled by
a baseball statistician. The Flying
Dutchman hammered home 100 of the
5S5 runs credited to the Pittsburg team
last season. Ninety-three TALES were
sent over the plate by Hans on safe
ties. six on long flies, and seven on In.
field outs.
Mike Donlin of the New York Giants
ranked next to Wagner in the National
league in driving in runs. The New
Yorker hit in 100 of them. Cy Sey.
mour had 90 to his credit, Hans Lobert
rs, and Kit Bransfield &C. Harry Stein.
feldt, whit 6S, led the Cubs, but John.
ny King had 1t on the Texan when the
difference in the games played by the
pair is considered Steinfeldt was in
$50 battles to Kings 1876, yet drove in
only three more runs.
In the American league the top
notch artist at driving in counts was
Ty Cobb. The Tiger, by means of hits
and outs, put his team in possession of
lO1 tallies during 1908. Other players
with good records were Sam Crawford,
So; Lajoie. so; Ferris, "a; Hinchman
and Rossman, each 49, John Anderson,
with 81, leads the White SoX
Only once last season did a major
league player equal the 1907 top notch
record of driving in six TALES in one
fracas. This individual was Honus
Wagner, the date of his performance
June FL, and the place Chicago. The
Pirates won this game IL TO 6, Wagner
scoring three runs and being RESPONSE
BILE for two-thirds of the counts gar.
nered by his mates In the first inning
the Dutchman lit on Lundgren for
four-bagger, Fred Clarke being on first.
In the fifth Wagner poled a double
that counted Moeller and Leach, Lund
gren still being the pitcher, and in tho
eighth, with Brown fiinging, he soaked
another twob Dagger, Moeller and Clarke
registering.
The stunt of batting in quintet of
Italics in game was performed seven
times-on four occasions in the Ma.
tional league and thrice in the Ameri
can-and the men who turned the trick
were Camel, on May III James Kane
ON May 81; Hummel on July Is; King
on September II; Hinchman on July
Is; Cobb on July II, and Murphy on
August 20.
Instances where batter batted in
four TALES in a combat were plentiful
The American league had 90 such per-
formances recorded against the Ma.
tionals 23. Ty Cobb was in his ele-
ment when it came 10 driving in four
runs in a game. He turned the trick
six times, his best performance in this
respect being on May in Detroit
against the White SoX, Frank Smith
pitching The Tigers won, to 2, Cobb
retiring from the fray in the third in
ming at the insistence of that pictur-
esque arbitrator, silk" OLaughlin.
The players who drove in four runs in
single games We're:
American league-Cobb, six times
Murphy and Wallace, twice each; Bir-
mingham. Crawford, H. Davis, Ferris.
Freeman, Ganley, Goode, Hartzel,
Hinchman, Hoffman. F. Jones. McCon.
nell. Rossman, Schaefer, l.. Tannehill.
White, Williams and Young, one each.
National league - Doolin, three
times; Bransfield, Ritchey, Seymour,
Steinfeldt and Wagner, twice each;
Abbatocchio Hoffman, King, Lobert.
McGann, Mclean. Mowery, Schultz,
Sweeney and Tinker, once each
Johnny King was the only player in
the two big organizations who twice
slammed out four-bagger when all
the cushions had tenants, The Cub
made his first rap of this kind on June
6 in Boston, and his second on Septem.
Der IL in St Louis. The maltreated
boXmen were respectively Irving
Young and Johnny Lush, both portsid-
ers.
John CAMEL and Kit Bransfield, in
the National, and Herman Schaefer,
Hobe Ferris and Dan Murphy. in the
American, each ripped off four baggers
with the bases congested.