Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-24

Never before, probably, in the history
of base ball has the value OF good
pitching to a team been demonstrated
las thoroughly as in the two major
league races this season. Good bat
tiers, fielders and base runners are es-
sential assets ola successful team, but
let the pitching be inferior and the
good work of the others will likely go
for naught.
One of the best examples of what
good pitching corps means to team
is furnished with the Cardinals. Man.
ager Bresnahan is the owner Of one of
the best scoring machines in sthe coun-
try. It's seldom that the team is held
to a shutout Or one or two runs. The
average is more nearly in. the nelghpor-
hood of three, four and five.
Still, the team hasn't been winning
nearly a majority of it's games. Simply
because the pitchers have been unable
to hold down the opposition. If Bres-
nahan were fortunate enough to. have
three fairly good boxmen as members
of. his team it wouldn't seem unreason-
able to claim a first division berth for
the Cardinals.
But there isn't single member of his
twirling corps that can be ranked with
the stars of the twirling world. he
has been especially unfortunate in nav.
ing every member of his tw1rllnS stan
collapse at the same time.
But the St. Louis club is not the only
one that is suffering for lack of good
pitching Take the Detroit Tigers. for
instance. Before the season opened
and for awhile after the race had
started Jennings Bengal tribe was
picked to win it's fourth successive pen
nant. The claim was made on the pc
lief that Hughey's s1abmen would per
form up to their 1909 standard. The
Tigers are the same old sun makers,
but the pitchers have failed, and from
present indications it seems that the
detroit crowd will be lucky to finish
two-three.
The Detroit team never really boast
ed of a high-class set of slabmen Bill
Donovan and George Mullin have been
mainly responsible for the three Tiger
victories in a pitching way. Donovan was
the big noise the first year the team
landed on top.
He backed up in 1908. but Jennings
was fortunate In having Mullln ROUND TO
form after several years of just fair sue
cess. MuHin was also the main reason
the Tigers won their third pennant a
year ago. With just fair twfrimg
corps the Tiger batters saw toll that the
| runs made by the OppoSitiou "cio uSadhs
overcome.
! Now that same fair pitching staff has
| further. slipped and the result is that
| Jennings team has not only to fight
against weak pitching odds, but much OF
| the DASH spirit and fight of the players
| is lost, as well.
The same thing goes for the Pirates of
Piftsburz. the worlds champions. Fred
Clarke was considered lucky In landing
| the Smoketown team in front in 1909. He
beat the barrier having his team in ex-
excellent shape at the start of the cam
paiRn. while the Cubs of Chicago were
slow in getting started because of the
failure of several of Chances pitchers to
nerform I'D to their standard. Then
! Clarke had a good set of fingers the
remainder of the season. With the big
| lead gained at the start, they were plenty
| nowerful enough to keep the Pirates
ahead of the rapidly coming Cubs.
y
Still that same pitching corps would
probably have lost the big base ball show
to the Tigers last October had it not
| been for Babe Adams. He filed in at
| the right time. when Camnitz was ILL.,,
Willis not in shape and the others knock
ed out. Adams won three, of the four
3ames picked up by the Pirates. He
| proved a sensation and was picked to DO
| wonders this year. But he also proved a
| morning glory" So
| Adams hasn't been returned a winner
| as regularly as was expected. Leifield
pitches we'll only in spots. Howard Cam