Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-24
DEATH IS LURKING
IN PITCHED BALLS
Every Time a Batter Faces a
Fast Pitcher He Also 0p-
poses Imminent Danger.

Base ball never has been considered a
dangerous game, yet the death OF young
Louis Menu at Freeburg, ILL.,, Sunday
demonstrates that 1t is one OF the most
dangerous that young men can play.
Young Menu. at bat, was looking for an
outcurve. He stepped close into the plate
to allow the anticipated bend of the ball.
The pitcher "outguessed' him, as base
ball players call it. Instead of an out
curve he threw an inshoot, fast ball,
as professionals have it. Fast balls al
WAYS have shoots on them. This one hit
the batter over the heart and he died.
It is really a tribute to the excellence
of pitching that so few players are in
jured while at the bat. Considering the
tremendous speed with which the ball is
thrown, the dullness Of the eyes that bat
but once a week. the necessary proximity
of the batter to the plate, the absolute
necessity of the pitcher putting it over. =
il will be seen that batters are very for
tunate to escape serious injury while at
the bat.
Oddly enough. the danger of being hit
with a pitched ball Is not feared SO much
by amateurs as by professionally The
amateur does not stand so close to the
plate as the professional. The speed he
opposes is not SO great. OF course, the
control Of the professional pitcher is much
superior to that of the amateur, but his
speed and the width OF his shoot are also
much superior, too.
It is when professionals are pitching
against amateurs that they are in great
est dread. They fear to hit them. The
amateur instinctively seems to depend up
on the skilled professional not to hit him
and therefore abandons care of himself.
Pitchers Who Hit Batters.
The marvel of the infrequency Of in
iury from pitched balls is made greater
when it Is understood that many crack
professionals will deliberately throw a
bali at a batters head in order to handi-
cap his hitting by driving him away from
the plate. Very few of the great pitchers
have been above trying this trick when
thew are hard pressed. Zone at his NUT
is the way ball players put 1t. To have
a ball whizzed by your teeth, Kissing like
a SNAKE IS not at all reassur1ng. espe-
cially II a man has been once "crimped'
by a pitched ball. as the players state 1t.
One Of the famous old pitchers. Silver"
King of the Browns Of the eighties, was
known for his belief In the effectiveness
Of a ball thrown at the batters head IN
a tight place. II a batter had been hit
ting King with certainty and frequency
old "Silyer" would tip his catcher thus:
II hat to crimp him; he is entirely doc
confident" For King spoke with de-
cided Teutonic accent. A fast one at the
head or in the ribs usually had the de-
sired effect.
When Rusie Jolted Jennings.
One of the most famous and fearful of
head hitting was that or hugh jennings
now manager of the Detroit club. by
f,1l nf a
men that ever curved a base ball. Jen-
nings. with Baltimore then, was noted for
his close hugging of the plate. and his
willingness to accept base by being
hit by the pitcher. He relied upon his
ouickness of eye to minimize the effect
Rusie had fearful curve ball. Jennings
was willing to turn his shoulder, accept
a detecting blow or let 1t hit his shirt
front or the slack Of his knickerbockers.
He could do this with pitchers OF average
curve, but Rusie's curve was too sharp
In the break and too fast for him. TO
avoid. Jennings stood close and got one
full in the head.
He fell fat. For four days his life
was despaired of, but a powerful constitu-
ton pulled him through. though he never
was the same nervy man again at the
plate, and it was months before he could
Jennings. by the way, Is something like
Katisha. the character woman in Gil
bert and Sullivan's famous opera, The
Mikado'' He has a ''caricature of a
face" When coach Of Cornell base ball
team he dived face first against the con-
crete bottom Of an empty swimming tank
It is not easy to imagine anything more
trying on the face than this. No wonder
the crack hustler of base ball has
patched, put-together and made-over
visage. The man Is a marvel of vitality
and energy. He sustained two shocks
that would have killed the average man.
yet he is as full of energy as dynamo
today.
How Wallace Was Wounded.
Roderick Wallace, the famous infieder
of the Browns, had his batting efficiency
seriously and permanently impaired
twelve years ago when he was hit in the
head by ball thrown by Chick Frazer.
who was then with the Louisville club.
wallace was laid out for dead. and 1t was
many days before he went to bat again.
A constitution Of iron enabled him to