The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1910-07-18
In Old Days Pitchers Would Go
to Extremes to Secure
Advantage.
IS MUCH Different NOW
EVEN WITH THE CHANGE IN
METHOD THE BATTER IS STILL
IN pANoER-sATTERs FEAR BE-
ING INJURED.

When Franl; Chance. manager Of the
Chicago Nationals. was struck on the
head by u ball hurled by Pitcher Gas.
per OF Cincinnati recently II recalled
the fact thar many star baseball play
ers have Ios; their effectiveness through
being lit b! thrown balls
That more batsmen are not injured
by being his by pitched balls speaks
well for the skill OF the present day
pitcher. IE the old days the pitcher
would not infrequently let one 60
straight at the batter's head In order
to drive him away from the plate
Such a proceeding is rare nowadays
Working the edges Of the plate seems
TO have proved more effective. Never.
theIess the Ore the batter faces Is dan.
gerous.
One of the worst cases Of head hit
ting was that OF Hugh Jennings. now
manager OF the Detroit club. ~ Amos
Rusie. Jennings. with baltimore then.
was noted for his Close hugging OF
the plate and his willir gless to ac-
cept a base by being hit by the pitch.
Or. Ho relied upon his quickness Of
eye TO minimize the effect Of the blow.
Rusie had wide. jumping curve ball
Jennings was willing TO turn his
shoulder. accept q DETECTING blow or
let Il hit his shirt front or the slack
- a. l..GA A.
this with pitchers Of average curve.
but Rusie's curve was TOO sharp in the
break and TOO fast for him to avoid
Jennings stood close and got one full
In the head. Hc fell dat. For four
days bis life was despaired Of. but
powerful constitution pulled him
through. though he never was the
same nervy man again at the plate.
and It was months before hs could
play. f.
Jennings. BY the way. ID an extreme
y durable person. While at Cornell
10 dived face Arst against the concrete
bottom Of an empty swimming tank.
The man II a marvel Of vitality and
energy. He sustained two shocks that
would have killed the average man,
Jet hs 10 ~ full Of energy today a. q
dynamo.
Roderick wallace. the famous indeld.
Or Of the Browns. had his batting efsi-
cheney seriously and permanently In
paired twelve years ago when he was
hit In the head by ball thrown BY
"Chick" Fraser. who wns then with
the Louisville club Wallace was
knocked DAT. and !, '''',s many days
before he went to ain. A con-
stitutiou Of iron eua'.., him to with
stand the shock. Lu, he never was
quite the same hitter afterward.
Dan Hoffman. the center fielder Of
the Browns. WAS the victim Of fear
ful blow at the hands Of Jesse Tame
bill. then with Boston. some years
aso. Hoffman was at the time deemed
the most promising Young player In
tho American league. He was having
his frst season. aud brilliant one II
was. One day he made n triple. dou-
BILE and single against Tannehill IN
three trips TO the plate. The fourth
time ap Tannehill hit him a terrific
blow over the right eye. 1t almost
killed the trained and muscular young
athlete. Hoffman lay rs II dead. and
Il was four days before he recovered
consciousness. Then his nerves were
ruined. From 10 pounds he declined
TO l?S. Ilc could not sleep or eat for
six months. and the following season
he had to get along rs best he could
with only one eye Hoffman says that
it has taken him six years to get back
his full strength. He has never beer
able to hit left handed pitchers since
the day he was hurt. Now. six years
after, Hoffman Is nc the mercy Of the
average left handed pitcher.
Johnnie Lush. the star pitcher Of the
Cardinals. was hit by Andy Coakley or
tho neck ana all but killed. His necl
has never been straight since tina,
time. and for years his health was Sc
r1ously impaired.
Roger Rresnahan was bit and severe
y hurt by Jack Taylor In 1904. Fo,
long time after this injury Bresna
han worc semi-mask that protected
the exposed side OF his head agains
the pitcher.
Hundreds Of lesser lights have beel
hit and injured to n degree less seri
ous than those mentioned. Ii all goe
60 show that baseball Is not withou
its great dangers. especially to men a
the hat Most OF the injuries on tn
Geld have come about through COLI
sions between felders. such rs the on
that cost the life Of Hub" Collins
Collins fatal collision was with Harr.
Stovey at Boston many years ago.
Batted balls injure very few play
ass. though the way men hit then
about In practice would often max
enc wonder that accidents are no
more frequent. The most notable &C
cident Of this sort was when Schrive
OF Pittsburg hit William Hart Of tn
same club on the chin with q ball ba,
ted In practice. The drive shattere
Hart's Jaw. IL was wired up agar
Hart 10 now nfty years old ana is IA,
"a high among the pitchers Of th
OOuthes0 league.
u The Stomach DaapenoaAlee
Al operation for the removal OF the stomach
= Chtcago hospital recently. promoted di
euooeoo a0o09 IL suSgoone Wheehee The stou