Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1909-02-25
HANS WAGNER THE
BEST RUN BATTER
PiTTSBURG STAR LEADS MAJOR
LEAGUES IN DRIVING TALES
ACROSS THE PLATE.
COBB OF DETROIT IS SECOND
"FIying Dutchman" Hammered Home
1oe Of 5s5 Runs Credited to His
Team-DonIin Second in National
Men Who Made Momentum 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
baseball statistician. The Flying
Dutchman hammered home LOG of the
585 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 SO to his credit, Hans Lobert
rs, and Kit Bransfield rs. Harry Stein
feldt, whit 6S, led the Cubs, but John
ny King had it on the Texan when the
difference in the games played by the
pair is considered. Steinfeldt was in
$50 battles to Kings 1875, 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
101 TALES during 1908. Other players
with good records were Sam Crawford
So; Lajoie, so; Ferris, "A; Hinchman
and Rossman, each 70. 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 81, and the place Chicago. The
Pirates won this game IL to g. Wagner
scoring three runs and being RESPONSE
bic for two-thirds of the counts gar
nered by his mates. In the first inning
the Dutchman lit on Lundgren for a
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 the
eighth, with Brown flinging, he soaked
another two-bagger, Moeller and Clarke
registering.
The stunt of batting in quintet of
TALES 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 II; James Kane,
on May 81; Hummel on July Is; King
on September IL; Hinchman on July
Is; Cobb on July II. and Murphy on
| August 20.
Instances where a batter batted in
four tallies in combat were plentiful.
| The American league had 2S such per-
formances recorded against the Ma
tional's %. Ty Cobb was in his ele-
ment when it came TO 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" O'Laughlin.
The players who drove in four runs in
single games were:
American league-Cobb. six times;
Murphy and Wallace, twice each; Bir'
mingham, Crawford, II. Davis Ferris,
Freeman, Ganley, Goode. Hartzel,
Hinchman, Hoffman, F. Jones, Neon
nell Rossman, Schaefer, L. Tannehill
White, Williams and Young, one each.
National league Doolin, three
times; Bransfeld, Ritchey, Seymour,
Steinfeldt AID Wixler, 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 a 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 II 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.