The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-01-04
4 BASEBALL WONDER,
''Old Hoss' Radbourne, Greatest
of All Pitchers.
THE HERCULES OF THE GAME

His Marvellous Feat Of Pluck. Strength
and Endurance That Won the PEN
nant For Providence In 1884 Rec
ord In Games Won.
Pitchers may come and pitchers may
60, but the name of "Old Hoss- Rad
bourne goes on forever. l have talked
to many great ball players who have
lamented to me the fact that baseball
fame IL so ephemeral that 1t was not
worth the gaining. and. while no doubt
this is In great measure true. there
Il one pitcher who has LETT . name
that promises to roll on for many.
many years.
Each year hundreds OF pitchers claim
attention Of the world. and each year
they are promptly forgotten. But iii
nois produced man who. although
now years deceased, has a brighter
name than any of the great multitude.
In the great campaign Of 1854. when
the Providence club. then a member OF
the National league. was lighting n bit
ter game with Philadelphia. catastrc-
phe occurred that seemingly would
disrupt its chances Of winning the PEN
liant. A player named Sweeney. who
was pitching. was ordered to 90 into
right field to change places with ''Cy-
clone" Miller. At that time 1t was not
permissible to take a pitcher out OF the
game. Whereupon Sweeney promptly
walked out Of the game. leaving the
team with only eight men and with
one pitcher. Charles Radbourne.
Two men tried to cover the 0eld.
with the result that Providence was
completely showed under. A meeting
OF the directors was held to decide
whether or not the club should be dis
banded. Certainly professional team
was never in sorrier plight.
Radbourne was approached and the
proposition put to him. II can win II
al right" said he quietly and in q
matter Of fact tone.
And then followed the most remark.
able battle for a pennant that the
world has ever seen. Radbourne es.
tabllshed a record that has never beeu
S4uOlCus VIC tu0k ~At NV WuCu luVAV
expensive contests will have been
blissfully forgotten. OF twenty-scveu
consecutive games Radbourne won
twenty-six. In four games with Bos
ton he had three shutouts. only ono
run was scored and only seventeeH
hits were made. This defeat was SUI
fered at the hands Of Buffalo by Z
score Of 2 to o. and even then only
five hits were made OF him, Showing
that the defeat was not due to poo
pitching. Needless to say. Providence
won the pennapt, or. rather. Rad
bourne won the pennant.
But the great player had to pay TIN
f! price. No arm could stand the awfn
strain without great agony. Morning
after morning when Radbourne aros>
he could not lift his arm as high a
his waist. He had to brush his hal
| with his left hand. But he did no
| give up the game. He would slip on
to the park about two hours befor
the rest Of the team put in an up
| pearance and would begin the excru
ciating process Of limbering up. II,
would pitch the ball only q few fee
when he would first 90 out. but b.
would keep on trying time after time
rubbing his arm with his left hand
Sometimes his face would be draw,
| up into contortions, but never q wOr,
Of complaint left his lips
Half an hour before the game wa
to begin the players would slip out Z
see how "Old Hoss" was getting alons
They would sit silently on the bench
waiting for his arm to get into condi
ton. When he was able to throw
from second to home base q rousin
cheer would go up, for they knew
that meant the winning Of the gem
1 for them.
/ Radbourne claimed for his HON
Bloomington. Ill. After his great ses
| son with Providence managers all owe
the country were upon his heels. Fla
tering offers poured I'm, and he was nc
! under contract with Providence for Ia
next season either. When the COMES
was over the late Ned Allen, presis!es
of the team that season. sent for IIat
bourne. He laid the release befol
him and close beside it q blank COZ
tract. RadbOurne looked ut them bot
for several minutes and then slowl
took up . pen and filled the blank os
for q sum only $1,000 higher than 3
had been getting and tore up the n
lease. Allen almost fell on his nee
and wept for Joy.
Rsdbourne's last year in baseball M
with Cincinnati In 1891. but it was
sad year. 1t seems q pity that the e,
- A>n -
end 80 sadly. That year his wor
showed great deterioration, for tho ~
full strain made In 1884 was beginnin
to tell on his arm. At the end Of th
season he. was too proud to 60 int