Norwich bulletin., 1909-09-03
HOW CHASE BROKE IN.
Halls Entry the Most Spectacular on
Record-6oy Wonder from the Start.

Baseball of the sensational kind has
been the diet fed to New York fans by
Hal Chase, the first base idol Of the
bleachers, but probably no event OF
his career was ever more spectacular
than the way he first broke into pro-
fessional ranks from the bush league.
This first days work of Chases is told
In Outing for September. showing how
Chase stamped himself as a ball player
of the first calibre, when he took his
place the first time for Los Angeles
on the initial bag, replacing Captain
Dillon, who had been drafted BY
Brooklyn. The fans were in an uproar
when the raw recruit from the Santa
Clara. prune orchards appeared on the
bag and Chase's first days work is de-
scribed as follows;
1T would be hard to imagine a more
unfortunate first appearance The
game opened with a rush. The first
batter smashed a ground ball at the
Los Angeles shortstop and tore down
the line for first Mechanically the
shortstop raced over. dropped his glove
in front of the ball. and faced about
to make the throw. Instead of Dillon
there was the bush league kid" on the
bag.
The base runner was a fast man: in
the twlinkling of an eye the thing had
been done-the panic was working.
Instead of the perfect line peg" 20
first, the shortstop threw fully eight
feet outside the bag and correspond
ingly high, shooting the ball with the
speed of a bullet. 1t would have been
vicious throw for Highlander to
care for, even though on his glove
side; the bush league boy was a left
handler and wore the glove Of his right.
The ball was coming to his bare hand
and coming WITH such speed that there
was little chance to hold IL, even IL a
man cared to risk injury by reaching
for a wide ball with his bare hand.
With the fraction OF second TO de-
eide what to do. the country boy
whirled with his back to the diamond,
hooked the spikes of his left shoe in
the bag, and thrust out long right
arm for a backhand catch. The run
ner was beaten a stride on a circus
catch which few big-leaguers would
care to attempt.
After the cheering. the bleacherites
decided that II had been a blind back
hand stab or a lucky accident. Tween
ty minutes later every man inside the
grounds knew that he was seeing first
base played as no youngster had ever
played il before. The infield still in
a state OF panic. threw the ball high.
wide. and OH both sides OF him. but
the fiat pancake glove was always
there when II arrived.
The boy covered the ground with
great loose jointed strides. dug mp i'm
possible ground balls beyond the
reach of an ordinary fielding first base
man. picked line drives out OF the air,
nipped hunts ten feet from the plate
caught advancing runners, and capped
the climax by starting and finishing a
double play thought to be possible
with only one first baseman in Amer
lea. Fred Tenney Of the Nationals.
There was but one verdict at the end
of the game; the boy was the greatest
first baseman ever seen on the Pacific
coast. He found his place in a single
afternoon.
Joining the New York Americans the
next year. he was the sensation OF the
season. and remains today the premier
first baseman of the country and the
star OF baseball melodrama. When a
ball is hit down to Hal Chase. you see
the bleachers come up as one man.
The fans never know what he Is going
to do with the ball when he gets II.
but they do know there will be no
fumbling or booting. but a light
ming play directed at the one spot
where the most damage can be done.
Chase Is the personification OF base
ball instinct and the most popular first
baseman the country has ever seen.