Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-04

| Thus the success of a slow bali pitcher.
| One day when 1 was a youngster at
Colby College L had an opportunity
through the kindness of Fred Tenney to
watch Kid Nichols, then of st. Louis.
pitch against the National Leaguers at
Boston. l was surprised to see the way
that once grand pitcher worked in the
! box. Three Boston men were on the
bases in the ninth with only one man
out. The score was l to in favor OF
ST. Louis. thought there would be
curves and shoots of all kinds put up TO
the batsmen. L mad heard so much
about Nichols. The grand old star was
! the master of the situation and kept
! his offerings high, which the next two
Boston batters sent high in the air for
easy outs. leaving the bases full, and st.
| Louis was returned the victor.
Not a curve bail did Nichols pitch in
this inning. My eyes We're opened for
| the first time to the realization that great
speed and big curves do not go 10 make
up a grand pitcher. unless ne knows his
batsmen. his control and how TO use his
assortment.
| One day at Detroit during the present
season. ihere We're two Tigers on base
in the eighth inning with the score in
my ravor Two We're out when Cobo
came to the bat. The whole picture was
placed before me. If / could. retire this
, man | would no doubt win my game.
| Three drop curves and Cobb went to the
Outfield, wondering how he had missed
] the ball three times in succession. In
this case my reserve strength and re-
serve ball worked to perfection. But IT
does not necessarily follow that IT is
| always successful. In game at Cleve-
| land, La joie came to bat with a man
on first and none out. The score was
, to 0 against the Maps, and only three
men to get. | thought | would put all
the reserve strength l had on every ball
I sI,so koG
did. ! shot the first ball high and fast
at Larrys head Bling. The ball tray
eled against the left-fe1d fence at a
speed much fastef tnan it left my hand,
and Larry perched upon third before
the ball was returned to the infield. I
finally lost my game. :: to =. had
used all my strength and cunning
against the man. but he simply out
guessed me.
The headwork OF pitcher has more to
do with putting his name In the
winning column than any fan realizes.
One Mistake Pitchers Make.
1 have seen men who simply enjoy
shooting the ball by a batter 50 fast
that they can scarcely be seen. Keep
this up for several innings. and what hap
pens? The batsmen become SO accustom-
ed to this great speed that they. who, in
the previous innings, nao never seen the
ball, begin to hit it safely. The whole
SINNERS itself down to one fact. Keep
mixing them in such way that the bats
men will not look for one kind Of a bali.
Slow ones. one little slower; fast ones,
one still faster: curves with q small
break; curves with a wide break; high
ones, low ones. inside. outside; over the
plate with the first one, or cut the corner
with curve. but never put the ball in
place where the man with the club
upon his shoulder can tell where il is
coming.
1t is true that many a player calls the
turn while at bat and hits the ball hard.
Therefore 1t is the pitchers work to out
guess this man and give him just the