Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-30
LEADING ASEBALLPITCHERS
Winning Percentages for Twenty
Five or More Games Since 1871.
AL sPALDNG HAS THE RECORD
Rndbourne and CIarlrson, with sew
enty-rwO Games Each, Have Not
Been surpassed-Leaders the
Giants Have Furnished.

Looking back over the pitchers records
since base ball became an organised sport
for professionals II will be found that only
thirty boxmen have hung up the highest
percentage of victories IL they pitched in
more than twenty-five games. 1t was In
1871 that Dick Mcbride Of the PhiIadelphia
Athletics established a per cent OF .75s for
twenty-five games and led the profession.
Since then the leading pitchers have taken
part IN a greater number OF contests. the
record in this respect being held by those
famous twirlers, Charley Radbourne of
the 1884 Providence team and John @.
Clarkson Of the 1889 Bostons, each OF whom
pitched seventy-two games for percentages
OF .SSS and .T96. respectively. A. @. Spald-
ing still holds the highest winning percent
age. .S99, hung up in 1876 when he was a
member Of the Boston team.
Following the mark set by Mcbride in
Sn' Spalding led all pitchers for the next
five years. He was with the Bostons in
1872, 1873, 1874 and 1876, after which he be-
came a member Of the Chicagos in 1916.
During 1872 Spalding pitched forty-seven
games for a percentage of $50. In 1878 he
took part in sixty games for .729. In 1874
his record was sixty games and III. In
1879 he twirled sixty-three games with q
percentage of .s9s and in 1876 he played In
sixty games for .7S3. Thomas Bond sup
planted Spalding as the National leagues
star pitcher In 1877 and 1878. Bond was a
member of the Bostons and had the noted
Charley Snyder behind the bat. His record
In 1871 was forty-nine games and a per
centage Of .646 yhile in 1877 it was fifty
nine games and .esS.
John M. Ward was the leagues crack
twirler in 1873. He pitched sixty-five games
Tor Providence that year and his winning
percentage was .702. Providence won the
championship and Ward was chiefly re-
sponsible for the honor. Larry Corooran
snort in statue. but with a great arm.
helped Chicago to win the pennant in 1850
ana 1881. His side partner I'm the box was
Fred Goldsmith and together they made
monkeys Of the other teams in the league.
Corcoran led all the pitchers in those two
years with fifty-six games and .7pS In 1880
ana forty-five games and .667 in 1881. Gold
smith carried off the honors in 1882. when
the Chicagos won the pennant for the third
CONSECUTIVE time, for he pitched forty
Ihree games with a percentage Of .655.
Grasshopper Jim Whitney, a California
phenomenon pitched sixty-two games for
the champion Bostons in 1888 and had a
- 1000 nllQeY was more
than six feet tai, as lean as a bean mole
out a powerful man physically. He had
terrific speed and with the walk TN de-
hVer' In vogue in those lays made life
miserable for his catchers. Radbourne
proved a veritable horse for work in 1894
when he pitched seventy-two games for a
percentage of 1913 and practically won the
pennant for Providence. The previous
"ear saw R%adbourne hang up a record Of
thirty-seven consecutive games in the box.
tw~enty-eight being victories. Radbourne
was one Of the first pitchers to use
Change of pace" He had perfect con-
troll yof sthe bail land mixed up the fast
and slow ones in a most perpiexing man
ner. He had plenty Of speed, when he
wanted to use II, but he believed in saving
his arm by making the men behind him
do their share of the work. Headwor
IN TACT, was his best quality, for he never
became ratified and OF many occasions he
purposely handed out bases on balls to
prevent star batsman from leading off in a
subsequent inning Radbourn had a won
derful co-worker in Charley Sweeney,
whose record of twenty-one strike outs in a
game played against the Bostons in 1883
still remains unequalled.
John Clarkson doomed up as a star
pitcher with the Chiesgos in 1885. He
pitched seventy games. winning .745 per
cent of them, and showed superb science.
Clarkson was another student OF strategy.
He was not a big man physically, but he
had a head filled with brains and he knew
how to pitch. He was wise to the weak
points of a. the batsmen and was about
the coolest proposition imaginable when
under fire. Clarkson, a native of Cam
bridge, Mass, was delighted when the
Chicago club sold his release to Boston in
1883 for $4,000, and he promptly showed his
appreciation of the deal by pitching seven
ty-two games for a percentage Of 1876. The
Giants nosed the Bostons out of the PEN
nant that year, but it was not the fault
of Clarkson. who practically pitched his
arm off in a game attempt to keep the
Hub team in front.
When Detroit won the National league
championship In 1886 the Wolverines star
pitcher was Lady" Baldwin, a left handler.
BALDWIN received this nickname because OF
his quiet habits. but he was an iron man
In the box and had nerves of steel. He
pitched fifty-six games and won rs per
cent of them in impressive style, the De-
trolls playing with supreme confidence be-
hind him at all times.
HARAodbh NhS ullauelpnldS ulu not Cdp-
ture the pennant in 1887. they had the lead
ing pitcher in Charley Ferguson, who Of
ficiated in thirty-five games for a per-
centage Of csc. Ferguson was not only a
fine twirler, but also a splendid general
player and batsman, and when he died the
base ball sharps said that it would be
many years before the game could produce
his equal.
Tim Keefe In the Giants was the cham
pion pitcher in 1855. He took part in fifty
games with a winning percentage Of .745
But he received much assistance from
Smiling Mickey Welch, who had a record
of forty-seven games and .577. Keefe was
an artist Like Radbourne and Clarkson,
he knew what a good slow ball meant
and he worked 1t with glittering success.
Yet he had tremendous speed and perfect
control. One OF his fast shoots nearly
killed John Burdock in Boston that year,
which caused Sir Timothy to bride his
speed in a measure the rest of the cam
paign. Keefe had a star catcher in Buck
Ewing, considered by many veteran critics
the best backstop that ever donned a mask.
They worked together like clockwork and
science was never lacking.
Tom Lovett OF the Brooklyns led the
pitchers In 1880, the Brotherhood year. when
the National league was a wreck. This
did not mean that Lovett was not a first
class boxman, however. for he had a
percentage of .72S for fortv-tWo games.