Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-19

interesting Remarks of Mug
sy" McGraW on Arrang-
ing the Line-Up.

NEW YORK. June 1s.-In these days
when base ball is more popular than
ever, for the good and sufficient reason
that II is more scientific. and interesting.
the arrangement of the batting order
plays big part in the science of the at
tack The subject gives the manager
much thought in the spring when he is
shaping up his individuals. trying to
bring about an interdependence OF adj
tustment, so as to get the best results.
The batting ability of each hitter must
be considered. his base running ability,
his skill in hitting to certain fields and
his sharpness of eye in waiting.
What the different men can do must
be considered separately and as a whole,
and then they are grouped In the batting
order with relation to one anOthers gifts
and the whole team. Primarily the idea
is to bunch the good hitters as much as
possible, for consecutive hitting is way
Of getting runs as effective as it is ee-
mentary. The plan takes on more
subtle aspect when individual peculiarities
are reckoned with. The job has meta
physical side. Temperament is an infiu-
ence, as we'll as mechanical ability.
Some players are SO constituted that
another, do better ahead of a certain
batter, for instance, than behind him.
Take a batter who doesn't want to be
hampered much with orders and who
planning. and he'll do better at the bat
and on the bases ahead of q man who
likes to work with his successor than
behind him.
Last. year Bridwell batted behind Dew
lin in the Giants lineup, but this year
he is batting ahead of him. For that
matter. he is hitting better than Devlin.
but John McGraw explained the other
day that another reason for the change
was temperament. Bridwell doesn't like
to be interfered with at the bat. McGra W
says, and Devlin couldn't run with him
as he wanted to. McGraw also said some
other things about a batting order as fol-
lows:
"The lead-off man should be good at
getting on. He must have good eye. be
fast and hard man to pitch to. In pick
ing the second man you want to look for
one who Is fast enough not to be doubled
to right fieid In order to send the first
man around TO third base on the hit. The
third and fourth men are hard hitters, and
the fourth man is the cleanup hitter.
Then with the others the thing to do is to
get the good hitters and good base rum
ners together to get the most runs posi-
BILE"
lis Seymour as good a cleanup hitter
as Murray"
"No, / don't know that he is, but the
reason Murray comes ahead of Seymour
is that he is better base runner and can
do more ahead of than behind Seymour.
A study of the batting o; iers of the big
league teams will show that the same
ideas hold for all. The lead-off men are
almost without exception fast, good wait
ers and hard to pitch to. Among them
may be mentioned Bescher. Burch, Evers,
Higgins. Devore. d. Jones. Bates. Milan,
u hi 10, tyA1 ovS<J n,.a
a lot of left handlers among the second
men, men who can hit to right, such as
Wolter. who hits to both fields; Doyle.
Sheckard. Clarke. Lelivelt, Ellis. Daubert
and Niles. Or IL they aren't left-handed
hitters they are fast and hard to double.
Then come your hard hitters and clean
up hitters such as Murray, Chase, La
porte. Chance. Mitchell. Gessler. Cobb.
to third place recently. with Byrne going
to fourth: Dougherty. Lewis, Wheat,
Hummel. LajOie. Collins and Davis.
The New York American League club
has player this year that 1t has been
trying ever since its existence to get, a
reliable left-handed pitcher. For seven
years the Highlanders went along without
this essential to success. OF course If a
team had corps of right handlers made
up of Mathewsons, Fords, Mullins, Ben
ders, losses. Johnsons, Overalls or
Washes il could dispense with a left
handler, but 1t doesn't do to feed oppo-
nents right handlers all the time. The
club that has a left handler whose work
measures up to the northpaws will come
much nearer winning the pennant. Nc
well regulated ball family can afford to
be without one.
In its first year. 1903, the Highland
club had for left handler Jesse Tame
hill, but he didn't fill the bill. A young
ster then was dug up, big Ambrose Putt
mann, who was with the club couple
| of seasons He was speedy and promis-
ing, was Putnam, and pitched several
very effective games, but he wasn't
steady, not the man sought for. Doc
| Newton came next and was with the club
| of and on for several seasons. Newton
wasn't q Waddell or Plank, and the