The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1910-08-04

AL Orth used thumb ball" and
saliva with astonishing success, but
oddly enough never hit upon the most
successful manner of using II. Orth
came nearer pitching an upcurve than
any pitcher ever did and many think
his underhand ball really curved up
ward. He at least made the unnatu.
raj rotation of the ball overcome
gravity to such an extent that the ball
did not drop, whether II rose or not.
In pitching he held his thumb on top
of the ball, pressed tightly against a
seam, and two fingers under II, not
touching the seam, and he spat upon
the place where the fingers came in
contact with the leather. Then he
pitched underhand with great force.
his hand swinging almost straight
downward at the level of his knee.
The overland spit ball." with its
marvellous shoot, brought an army of
strong armed pitchers into the game,
revived veterans whose careers
seemed over and ruined many great
hitters. Almost every pitcher learned
10 use it-and in the hands of Ed
Walsh, the giant of the Chicago
White Stockings, II reached its high
est stage of development and made
him the pitching marvel of the decade.
Immediately variations of the ball
were developed. Slippery elm, talcum
powder. crude oil, vaseline we're used
TO lessen the friction of the fingers
while other pitchers, to get more fric-
tion on the thumb, used gum, pumice
stone, resin or adhesive tape.
Walsh. master artist Of the spit
ball." pitches II in the most common
way. He uses trife of slippery elm
bark in his mouth and moistens a spot
an inch square between the seams Of
the ball. His thumb he clinches
tightly lengthwise on the opposite
seam and. swinging his arm straight
overhead with terrific force, he drives
the ball straight at the plate. At times
II will dart two feet down or out, de-
pending upon the way his arm is
swung
Pitching from angles consists in
angling the ball from high overland
TO the batter's knee, from the pitch
er's knee to the batter's shoulder
and from the limit Of the outstretched
arm to the outside corner Of the plate.
One Of the best exhibitions of pitch
ing by angles ever given was in the
now famous game between Chicago
and New York in September, 1908. in
which Merkle forgot to touch second
base. Pfiester had strained a liga-
ment In his pitching arm and lump
had formed on his forearm two inches
high, the muscle punching. He could
not bend his arm and to pitch curve
brought agony. He could pitch straight
balls and he asked Chance to let him
try, as he always had been successful
against the Giants. During the game
ne pitched three curved balls, all to
Donlin, and all when he had to retire
Donlin on strikes to save the game
After each time he curved the ball he
had TO be helped to the bench, as he
was nearly fainting. BY changing the
angles he kept New York from win
ming until the famous mixup In which
Merkle figured
Shadowing the ball, which was an
art in former days, is almost lost
few pitchers try it, but without the
skill of Bert Cunningham, Matte Xii
roy, Willie McGill and many Of the
old school. Griffith was the last
pitcher to use 1t steadily. Shadowine
consists of the pitcher sidesteppine
and placing his body on the line o.
the batter's vision. so that the ball has
no background except the pitchers
body and the batter cannot see Il
plainly until the ball almost Is upor
him.