The Washington herald., 1910-12-25
Rx GEORGE II. DEWITT.

EDITOR WHO'S WHO II BASEBALL"
When the merits ~ PLAYERS are 10 b.
considered, it is very plain that the
points upon which records are based
as deciding the leading player in his
department, do not take in all The quail
ties that go TO make up the best or the
greatest in a position. II the leaders
Of pitchers for each year be taken since
1876. are they 20 be regarded as the
greatest Of an pitchers? or 20 put the
question in another way. Does the great
est pitcher OF a season always score
the most points? How many can Doe
found outside Of the club town 20 agree
that Cdmnitz was the greatest pitcher
IN the National League ia 1902 Yet
the records say that ne was.
To illustrate forcibly that there are
qualities that go 10 make up a great
pitcher that The score book does not
record take the case OF Nick Altrock
when. in the FIRST game that he pitched
for Boston, against Chicago, in 1915.
eight runs were made of him in the
FIRST inning Yet Comiskey bought him
from Boston and kept him for six years
II he had been put mp for sale on his
score book record that day he would
not have brought the waiver price Yet
ne had something that score cards and
official records do not show. and il Was
for those qualities that Comlskey bought
him. Though no claim Is made that Al
trock was ever ore OF the worlds great
est pitchers, he is a hrst-rate eXplana-
ton Of why he popular estimate Of
pitchers great qualities does NOT always
agree with the records. and the case
also helps 20 show that the best pitcher
does not always have the highest record
on the other hand, IL must be- add
mitted that the pitcher who does lead
the records b. always a good pitcher
only a sustained good record VIII put
one there. Take the case OF Reulbach.
who led for the three years-leVd. 1917.
and i9OS-for Chicago. only two other
leaders SpaldnE in lSie and 1870. and
"Old Hoss Charlie Radbournc IN ISL
ever made a higher percentage OF vic
tories than his SIG In 1906 Yet Chesbru,
Hoffer and Hughes were on his heels
with about the same percentage, won
in only a few games. while Reulbaeh S
record was for over fifty games IN that
season And what ne did for his team
in the worlds series brought him fame
Among the old-time pitchers the place
Of such as Spaidng. Bond. John NJ.
Ward. Larry CurCOran, Goldsmith.
Whitney. Radbourne. Clarkson. and
Baldwin are secure, regardless Of meth
DDS of scoring, which have changed from
time 20 time And a leader such as
Charles j. Ferguson was 30 49, could
not be kept down by any system of
records. no matter how defective Men
Ike "URcIe Nick Young. NJ. T. Scan
lon. and John =. Chapman, who have
seen games and players since the earl-
est days of the game. agree that Fer
guSOn was the greatest ball player that
ever lived and that no estimate OF him
/ as an all-rouUd player and as possessing
in the highest degree all the qualities
that so to make up player can pos
sibly be exaggerated
Keefe's lead in 1SSS for New York was
part of long career that had per
/ haps. been greatest with old Nets. ana
stood for much more than did the lead
/ Of such men as LOvett. of Brooklyn. and
Stivetts. of Boston. whose meteoTic ca
! reeT find many parallels in baseball his
/ tory. Hutchinson, who led for Chicago
! in between these in 1891 was of much
better and more durable quality
! During the early sos, until the ap-
/ peatance Of Rusie as a leader, In 1877
no one can say that the leaders were by
any means the greatest pitchers in the
| league Eulen. Meekin, and Homer are
! among the most notable examples OF what
team play and good support means 10
every position in the field. Where these
/ essentials are conspicuously present the
! individual averages, as well as the team
averages, are very likely 20 be higher
than those of better players who lack
the support of their team mates. Dur
! ing these years Rusie was pitching for
! New York from 1890 and on, and It was
! in 1892 that he made the record OF POI
/ bases on balls in a season. It was not
until 1897 that he occupied premier posi-
/ ton. and that was within a year er tive
Of the end of his major league life.
Lewis, of Boston; Hughes. of Brooklyn,
and Chesbro and Lever. of Pittsburg,
were helped to the leadership by good
support McGinnity, with his speed, led
in 1900 and came back again in 1894. and
was followed by Reulbach for three years
in succession and by Mathewson and
! Howard Camnitz. IN American League
/ records. there are Miller. of Detroit;
I Griffith. of Chicago; Waddell, of Philadel-
phia. who led again in 1885, Chesbro, Of
/ New York; Plank, of Philadelphia; Don
ovan. OF Detroit; Walsh. of Chicago. and
Mullin, of Detroit.
That is the list Of pitchers that official
records say comprises the greatest pitch
ers in the history of the game. Yet that
list would not be accepted by a single
( man of any experience in baseball. The
great, the very great majority of lovers
and followers of the game win exeaim
that the best pitchers have been left out.
Where are Babe" Adams, Bell. Bender
Bre.tenstein Mordecai Brown, Caruthers.
Coombs Ford, Calvin, Getzein. Hughes
Johnson, jess, Raymond, Richmond
White, and "Cy' Young, just to mention
a few who will surely be missed when
eminent pitchers are mentioned?
Individual pitching feats have often
gone further toward building up a pitch
er's reputation than has a sustained year
of steady work. Pitchers like Calvin
Richmond, john NJ. Ward, Denton T.
Young. and Addie Joss. who have pitched
games in which no hits were made and
Inc player reached first base, have stood