The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1910-09-23
Fine Points of the Game.


The training seaso is over.
Fine Points of the Game.
Almost any spectators at a major
league game will tell you: "Oh, l un-
Lerstand baseball" yet in every game
hundreds Of moves are made and or
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.
ever 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 successfully completed.
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
decide the championship of the Ma
tional league? WHO lost that game?
It was "Cy' Seymour. bit: nernans n"t
a 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 C~hicago'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 a long drive by Tinker
might turn the tide of battle. Seymour
saw the signal, but d~isregarded 1t,
having an idea that Tinker would hit
a low line fly, SO he crept a few steps
closer to the infield, instead of moving
back. Matty dropped his amous
fade away" over the plate. and Tink-
er drove a long, high, line fly to left
center. Seymour made a desperate
effort to reach the ball, but fell a few
feet short, and the ball rolled to the
crowd in the outfield for a three-base
hit, and started a rally that gave Chi
cago the victory. If Seymour had
played a 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-
corning players that each pitcher can
muster up is amazing to the layman.
Late in 1908 Boston presented a new
outielder who never had played in a
major league before, and no n on
the Chicago club knew him Or ever
had eel 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 infinitely over that
new man, Analysing 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 hunted toward third. When the
pitchers got through discussing the
newcomer, King and Chance analysed
him as q base runner.
g. think" Killing remarked, 1--WE can
catch that fellow a couple of time IT
he gets on bases today. If he reaches
second I'll pull of that delayed throw.
Let Joe cover and Johnny STALL"
In the third inning of the game the
unfortunate %youngster reached Sec
ond base on a hit and q sacrifice. On
the first ball pitched to the next bat
ter he raced up toward third. Killing
motioned as If to throw, Tinker COW
cred second base like a flash, and
Evers stood still. The recruit at first
made a jump toward second base,
then seeing Killing had not thrown, he
slowed down. Tinker, walking back
past him, remarked: "We'd have
caught you that time, old pal, if the
Jew had thrown" For just one fatal
trio. ne youngster turned his face to
retort to Tinker's remark, and in that
instant Killing threw. Evers met the
ball at second base, jabbed it against
the runner, and before he knew what
had happened he was out. That man
really was caught in the bus on the
way to the ball grounds, for the play
was executed exactly a. King planned.