The sun., 1909-02-07
RECORDSOFRAMOUS BATTBRS
FEtTS WITH THE STICK FOR
CONSECUTIVE SEASONS.
Anson Has the Longest IAst OF 900 Aver.
ages In . Row-Jcsse Bnrketts Fine
NOrk-Wasner, keeicr and Others
Men Who Have Reached 400 Mark.

rule went into effect, which was 1901
In the National League and 1908 In the
American League. Two things that have
made batting more difficult in recent
years are the foul strike rule and the
spit ball, and before their day there were
changes in the rules. such as reducing
the number Of balls, that had their effect.
So the day OF the 400 hitter Ia past, un-
less present conditions of batting and
pitching are changed.
Big league batsmen who have laid
against the ball for record Of 400 or
better for q seasons work are compare
lively scarce for all time, Since 1871
there have been twenty-nine Of them as
follows. National League Qwice),
Brouthers. Barnes (threa times. Burkett
! three tmes), Fred Clarke, Ed Delohanty
twice Charles Ferguson. keeler. Mey erie
Stencil, Turner, Duffy. Thompson (twice)
Jim White and George Wright. Ameri-
can Association Burch, Burns
(Batimore), Carruthers. Esterbrook, ID.
MACK, Tip 0'Neill, Orr, Radford, Ianls
Robinson. Denny Lyons and Stovey
! Ctwicel. American League lajoie. Union
Association Dunlap.
league harness are Clarke, Iaioie and
Keeler. Had Hans Wagner and Ty Cobb
been playing when 100 batting was posI
sible there isn't any doubt that they
would have reached that figure they
{ together with one or two others, such
as Sam Crawford and Mike Donlin. Ross
Barnes and Jesse Burkett are the only
! two players who ever hatted 400 three
. times and the only Two who ever did 30
| in two consecutive sea sons.
! There is this much 10 be said OF the
! modern battcls, they have longer sched-
ulCs to 80 against than ne old timers
had, and tina. irili,ntrs against their hi
ting in view OF tho more difficult cond'
tiois. Whether the fact of the pitcher
| brinr frrther bac; than hc VsI 10 be
is u help to tho tattcrS ia a mootcd ques-
lion. rhore arr thcs, who Bay it make
the pitching ha"dcr to gauge aud thcs,
who say i. max, il ssier.
In point Ct -tnaral percentage among
the Ciaat tattn,s Of the past and present
who's recorGs are available Brrket;. the
iittlo thick 81 chap who swatted left
handed and rs,i TO be SAGA terror TO
boxmcn. tops all the rsst A study Of his
record and that of other sticScis who did
wonders al years of consecutive hard
hitting ,s worthy Of study. From 1873 to
1907 Burkstt baited steadily in th' 800
class nine Il 1he yca-s in the National
Lea que and one in the American. Here
are is figures in he order in which he
rlaia ;hem: .372. .3ji. .i23, 40 .3s3, $40,
4g2. 800. $50 AMI .3GC. GHu-'al 2veragr,
.37i.
or tho plo-c's who have foGr.s loG since
1870 old Pop ans 5n mas made the greatest
record for ha-I consecutive hittlng.
Whatever the condi'ilrs wc-c the old
man kept pace with them. BurSeu was
n left handed hitter, while Ans, hit right
banded. Tho noted Chicago leader could
ciout them all in his day. and h faced
me classy pitchers too From 1875 to
1890 inch sivc he never hit below $50.
and In 1925, 1894. 1895. IS 0 an 1897 he also
hatted 800 verify - wonderful record.
For fifteen consecutive years ne thumped
tho leather for 900 or more, and nobody
els, has such long stretch Of carms,
swattinC to his credit. though Wagner
NAV get there Arson 3 tif cen veal record
includes the following rcrc,ntac =: .3i2,
.a35. .S2e. io7, .23s, 390, 31c. .317 .S37, $40,
al. Al. .3'3. .3u. .3ii, General average,
352.
Wagner, n RIG h handler has been hitting
in the $50 class steadily since 1897, and for
twelve straight years has not cone below
that MARI. His nearest approach 20
.IO1 was in 1900. when he hatted $50.
His figures are as follows: .Su, 80. $50,
$50. .352. 800, .Sjj, $40, 1888, $50, $50 .3jt
General average. .3is. Dan Brouthers
was some slugger He hit over 800 for
fonrie cen straight seasons 1881 TO 1904
inclusive and made tho following per-
centages: .3ls. .387 .S7i. 1925, $50. $40,
40. .3o6. .373 .3s5 $40, ,335, .34s, .StI.
General average. $50. Brouthers was
a left handed batsman.
Others with notable records in CON
sccutive 800 batting are:
Hamilton left handler .sol .s?i. ,3's.
$50. .ao5 .7ss, aaa .3G3, .7ii, .367, .3O8, ,33?.
Twelve consecutive years. General aver
age. .352
Delehanty. right handler .Sl2 $40. 100.
500. .Sai. az, .3si ,iOS, .3io. .si7 so.
Eleven consecutive years. General aver
age. .3G6.
George Davis left handler .37a. rs.
$40, .si5, 3jS, 800 ,3iS. .a2i. .ao9. Nine
consecutive years. General average. .3S6
NcGraw, left handler -.a.S. $40. .37i.
35g. 1920. asi, 800, .337. ~. Sine con
secuiive years. General avrrl ;e $50,
J. Koney. right handler .al?, .asI. .27o.
$40. .ssg. ScS $40, 3Is. .3oH, All. .3iG.
Eleven consecutive years. General aver
age $40.
Keelcr. left handler S32 .7G7. 3al. .3a,.
az. .a79. a7o. 800 ,Sia. .3i2, alS, .3i3. .ao?.
500. Fourteen consecutive years, Gen
eral average. .S57.
Dufy, right handler 81. .3:S. aiO
.sO2, .a7s, .t3s. 3j2 .ao?. 3li, $40. Icn con- .
secutiye years. General aveTge. .3lO.
I.aioie. right handler .363, S?s. 500
$40. l?2, .sea, .355, .3sl. .32s, ass. Ten con-
secutiye years, Genera average, ,,o?.
OF these twelve players six-Anson. !
Wag ner, Delehanty. Kelley. Duffy and ,
Iajoie we're or are right handed batters,
40 there il no choice in that regard
or all the men who have batted 400 |
in their time. Tip O'Neill oi the old st.
Louis Browns made the highest one years ,
percentage. His batting average for
1857 was i02. which is only eight points
short of 500 and represents exceedingly !
close TO a base hit for every two times
up. OF course O'Neill had the benefit
OF rules which aren in force now. but they
we're anything but ordinary pitchers that
were in the American Association tina,
wear. Some Of the tvirlers who faced
him were Guy Hecker. Tony Mullane,
Seward Kilroy, DAILY, Ramsey, Terfy,