The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1910-09-08
Fine Points Of the Game.

Almost any spectators at a major
league game will tell you: "Oh, un.
derstand baseball" yet in every game
hundreds of moves are made and OF.
ders issued and obeyed, each with ex.
act purpose and scientific intent. that
not one in a thousand OF the onlook-
ers sees or recognizes. The game has
made such wonderful advances scien-
tifcally and the generalship and team
work has become so involved and com.
plicated, that the lover of the game,
even one who attends scores of games
each season, rarely sees or under.
stands its fine points or knows how,
or why, a play is made, even after it
is sueesssfully completed. .ssca~>..,
Do you remember the now famous
game between the New York and Chi
cago teams when the season ended
with the teams tied, and they played
of one game at the Polo grounds to
decide the championship of the Ma.
tional league? Who lost that game?
II was ICY" Seymour, but perhaps not
dozen of the 10000 persons who wit
messed the struggle know he did. New
York had the game won until the third
inning, in which Tinker was Chicago's
first batter During the entire season
Tinker had been hitting Mathewson
hard, and the psychologist effect OF
past performances has much to do
with pitching and batting. Mathewson
feared Tinker, and he signaled Sey.
mour to play deep in center field. He
was afraid that long drive by Tinker
might turn the tide of battle. Seymour
saw the signal, but disregarded 1t,
having an idea that Tinker would hit
low line fly, so he crept few steps
closer to the infield, instead OF moving
back. Matty dropped his famous
fade away" over the plate, and Tink-
er drove long, high, line fly TO left
center. Seymour made a desperate
effort to reach the ball, but fell few
feet short, and the ball rolled to the
crowd in the outfield for a three-base
hit, and started rally that gave Chi
cago the victory. If Seymour had
played deep field, as he was COM
manded to do, the probabilities are
that New York would have won the
pennant.
Each man in a major league must
know not only the strength but the
weakness OF every opponent, and the
array of facts and information con-
cerning players that each pitcher can
muster up is amazing to the layman.
Late in 1908 Boston presented a new
outfielder who never had played In a
major league before, and no one on
the Chicago club knew him or ever
had seen him play ball. yet they were
perfectly familiar with him, his pc
culiarities, batting habits, and dispo-
sition. On the way TO the grounds
Brown and Reulbach, one of whom
was to pitch, went minutely over that
new man, analyzing his position at
bat, the way he swung at a ball, the
kind Of ball he could hit, and what he
could not, and exactly how fast he
could reach first base. Steinfeldt was
warned that the man was dangerous
and a tricky bunter and that he al
ways bunted toward third. When the
pitchers got through discussing the
newcomer. Killing and Chance analyzed
him as a base runner
81 think" Killing remarked, I'VE can
catch that fellow couple OF time II
he gets on bases today, If he reaches
second I'll pull OFF that delayed throw
Let Joe cover and Johnny stall"
In the third inning of the game the
unfortunate youngster reached sec
ond base on hit and a sacrifice. On
the first ball pitched to the next bat
ter he raced up toward third. Killing
motioned as II to throw, Tinker GOV
cred second base like a fash, and
Evers stood still. The recruit at frs
made jump toward second base
then seeing King had not thrown. he
slowed down. Tinker, walking bacl
past him, remarked: WED have
caught you that time, old pal II the
Jew had thrown" For Just one fata
trfce the youngster turned his face Il
retort to Tinker's remark, and in tina
instant King threw. Evers met th'
ball at second base, jabbed It agains
the runner. and before he knew wha