The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1910-08-11

The Clerk Pointed Into the Darkness.
In the early days of the game pat
ting practice was neglected. The
heavy hitters practiced, but there was
no system to their work, and very lit
tie time or thought was given to the
scientific hitting, except by few
men who realized the possibilities of
play. "Dickey" Pearce invented the
bunt and the fair foul" hit in 1866,
but generations passed before the
bunt was used intelligently by all
classes of players. Indeed It was the
theory Of players, as 1t now is with
many followers of the game. that
place hitting was more or less OF a
myth. In fact II has been within the
last decade that even the major league
players have made intelligent efforts
towards perfecting place hitting, and
their successes in that line have been
wonderful. Managers began to real.
lie that the attacks could be directed
at the vital spots Of defending teams,
and the attack has steadily become
more resourceful, better calculated to
bring results, and more adapted to
cope with the improved pitching. Es.
pecially has It been made necessary
in order to break up defensive team
work.
The force bunt" was brought into
prominence by little Butler of Colum.
bus, who afterward blew one hand off
with fire cracker and retired. He
pushed the ball slowly down the in.
field, striving to make II roll fast
enough to pass the pitcher either to
his right or left, yet so slowly that
the short stop or second baseman,
playing deep would have to take il
while sprinting forward at top speed
and make perfect throw. The gain
by the play was not to the batting
averages. II did not produce many
safe hits, but 1t was productive OF
Wild throws, and fumbles, and it at
once became popular as a method of
destroying infeld team work and
breaking up games.
The Chicago Cubs used the force
bunt during all their championship
term, pushing the ball, instead OF
bunting It dead, short distance in
front of the plate. Their success with
the ball was marvellous. In the fourth
game of the worlds championship
series in 1907 at Detroit, Sheckard
pushed force bunt past Donovan in
the critical moment of the game, and
before the panic in the Tiger ranks
ended Chicago had made three runs
as a result of the bunt, and won
easily thereafter, 6 to /. In one game
at Philadelphia in 1908 Tinker made
the bunt with two men on bases, push.
ing a slow roller toward short stop.
Doolan was running to cover second
base and the ball rolled clear onto
the grass behind short STOP Tinker
taking two bases.
Men of the type of Speaker, Cobb,
Clarke, left-handed batters, and occa.
sionally a right handler, Leach for in
stance, use the force bunt with great
| effect
During the seasons of 1906 and 1907
Sheckard of Chicago used blum bunt
which worked with great success. He
bunted at the first ball pitched to him.
and purposely missed It. Then he
bluffed that he intended bunting again
ward, Sheckard poked the ball over
his head Leach, in the worlds series
of 1909, beat Detroit two games by
the same play.
Calling the turn" Is a style of bat
ting employed by some batsmen In
trying to outguess the opposing pitch
er. 1t means striving to guess what
kind of ballis about to be delivered
This style. while effective. Is extreme
ly dangerous for the batter. as Il
guess wrong is to court serious In
jury. In one game at Cincinnati few
years ago. Coakley pitching, McGanl
tried to outguess him. He GUESSED
curve was coming, and his wris
was broken by a fast inshoot Tw'
innings later Bresnahan guesse'
wrong and was knocked senseless.
But not all of batting Is hitting tn
ball. There Is method In the jockey
ing Of the batter. The moment bal
ter steps to the plate with the base
, clear the game becomes a duel b,
. tween him and the pitcher, and a
though the crowd may be calling 70
, him to hit. his intention may be nc
/ to hit until compelled so to do. HI
, first effort is to get the pitcher
). the hole;" that is. make him pitc
a enough balls so the batter can be ce
tain the next one will be over th
9 plate For. II the batter knows th