Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-04
CATCHING BASE 81
RUNNERS AN ART
Few Pitchers Have Mastered This
Strategy to q Superior
Degree.
ED WALSH OF WHITE SOX
Is PEER OF THEM ALL
Chief Bender and Addie Joss Also
Are Adopts at Mailing Would.
Be Base Stealers.

d"
runners on first is an art few pitchers
nave 10 a superior degree. There are a
great many twirlers considered marks"
Wy payers. Whenever these men get
the pox there is JOY In the rivals
N"nif. because there Immediately comes
vision or many possible stolen bases
IKE FRANK Smith Of the Boston Red
SoA' LOT example. Frank. when he was
Win Noniskey. was the easiest kind OF
pfoposition Tor runners. He simply
'ouion nail men off first base. His
SLOW. awkward motions let the runner
get pacK with plenty to spare, and his
ponderous motions in throwing to the
p'a'e gave runners a big start down
10 second. But last year Smith
changed. He seemed to have learned
half balk motion that completely
puzzled base runners. And from that
time on Frank has been Improving
srauualiy until at the end Of the sea-
Glass; VIZ 'N
Jimmy Collins, at one time the great.
est third baseman who ever drew
Dreatn, Is an authority on base ball as
she is played" Hear what Jimmy says
ABOUT pitchers and the art OF mailing
Ed Walsh Of the Chicago White
Sox. said Collins. lis the hardest
pitcher l have ever played against
when IT comes to getting a lead of
nrst. Let ME tell you right now that
Walsh has the most battling motion OF
any pitcher in the country, bar none. I
myself think 1t is a clear case of balk
when Walsh winds up and then slaps
the ball over to first. But no umpires
have called him for 1t yet, except in
one or two cases. where the offense was
most palpable.
There are only a few runners, men
like Eddie Collins and Ty Cos. VIA,
dare to take more than a couple of
feet lead of first when walsh is in the
box They depend on their excessive
speed on beating the ball to first, but
sometimes even they are fooled. You
never can tell what Walsh is going to
swing at the ball. Then you know that
Walsh has pitched to the plate.
Bender Second to Walsh.
Next to Walsh place that crafty
Indian. Chief Bender of the cham
picn Athletics. You simply have to
keep your eyes on Bender all the time
while you are loafing around first base
or he will outguess you. For that matter
he often outwits you even when you are
watching him. think that's one Of the
reasons bender has developed into a
leading pitcher.
Then there Is Addie Joss Of Cleveland
"a regular pitching fox. Clark Griffith
never had anything on Addie when IL
comes to being a pitching fox. Why. I've
stood up by the bag and thought that
Joss had thrown to the plate when really
was being tagged out a. first. You
have to keep your eyes peeled on Addie
johnson of the Nationals and Donovan
of the Tigers are two more pitchers who
are hard to take lead on.
I'm the National League I consider
Mathewson Of the Giants. Brown OF the
Cubs and possibly Phillippi OF the Pirates
as being leaders In this particular phase
of the game: OF course Phillippi . grow.
ing old and has slowed UP some. but
when he was at his best nobod:' had any.
thing on him. have played against him
and know pretty well what I'm talking
about.
while we are on this subject let mo
do in catching runners of first. 1t 10
generally his part to give the signal to
the pitcher when the man Is far enough
OF first to nip the ball over. There are
signal. but the third baseman can do 1t
best. Next time you are at a game
when Walsh is pitching and there Is
runner on first just watch Harry LORDS
actions. Walsh will be standing moisten-
ing the ball and keeping one eve glued
on Lord. Suddenly Lord will shift one OF
his hands on his pants leg or will reach
up to grab at his hat. At that second
you VIII see walsh whip the Dali over
to first and frequently there's dead
runner.
Pitcher Has Hard Job.
Believe me. don't want to ha
pitcher. We infielders think We have
plenty to do just to watch our territory
and do a few chores like that. but you
could have eight Of the best players in
the world and a pitcher who was not
UP to snuff and bling ling. the other
team generally wins. The twirler has TO
keep more things in his nut than any
other player.
Not only must he know what the batter
doesn't like and then pitch those balls
to him, but he must field his position.
hold runners on base, keep the fielders
where he wants them and likely as not
have to knock out a single to win the
game. think the pitchers position about
the hardest to field because when a liner
goes that way it's generally scorcher.
More pitchers are laid out by batted balls
than all the rest Of the players on
team put together"
There is no truth in the report that