Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-17
GIANTS MUST DEPEND UPON
MATHEWSON TO WIN OUT
q Big Six" Is Carded to Work in Today's
Game, and Should He Lose,
4Good Night. ~

effective against the American League
champions and it is not unlikely that he
Will he picked 10 work one of the games
against MackS men But only when Nc
tIraW has an advantage will he take any
chances. So long the series is a lie
he is sure to work MathewSon in the hope
of forging to the front again. In "A series
of seven games there is no such thing
as taking chances. During regular
playing season pitchers can be worked
in order and players can take chances.
for 1t matters not SO much: but in a
series where but seven games can he
played it is different. That is why these
ball games are really not UP to the
usual standard from a spectators stand
point or course you see great pitch
ing. but that is virtually where it ends,
for there are few hard chances offered
and the pitchers are, to use a popular
expression, the whole show.
When couple of championship teams
in two games have a batting average of
less than 200, as have the Giants and
Athletics, then it can easily be seen what
sort of pitching they are up against.
This series is merely matter of the
team winning which can be lucky enough
10 get hit at the right time. Both
sides have their pitchers on edge, because
both realize that on the work of their
slabmen depends everything. When that
condition obtains there are no chances
for sensational fielding or base running
for the occasions when base runners get
on or batsmen offer difficult chances are
decidedly scarce.
There is this popularity about Mathew
sons pitching. Those who not bat
ting against him do not understand why
he is not being hit to all corners of the
lot. After Saturdays game Bill Dineen,
the umpire, confided to some friends that
he did not think Mathewson had much in
the way of speed and curves but that
a batter.
Clarke Griffith gave a good explanation
of Matty's success when he said that
every umpire who worked behind Matty
always gave the batter the worst of 1t.
''Matty has curve ball. said Griffith
which when il passes the batter is
about across his eyes but when II drops
into the catchers mitt il is just waist high.
The batter of course, does not offer at
this ball, but the umpire is fooled by il
and calls it "A strike, and ii is this fact
which does much to help Matty out But
for all that, ! believe him To be one of
the greatest pitchers that the game has
ever developed.
To any uuprejudiced individual it must
be plain from the two games played that
the Athletics have nothing To be ashamed
of when they face the Giants. In fact.
the American League team looks 10 h"
the stronger if it can present as good
pitching as Render and Mathewson have
done in the first two games. for the rca-
son that Mack has the better hitting
team. The fact that there are no less
than five or six men in the lineup any
one of whom is apt to drive the ball out
of the lot is an advantage. And Mack
has the better infied, every bit as good.
if not better outfield. and while Meyers is
the better hitter he is hardly bctter
catcher than Thomas. SO far there has
been little to choose between the pitchers.
Mathewson and Bender ran a neck-and-
neck race, but the former won because
he got the breaks. For the same reason
Plank beat Marquard That is exactly
why so much depends on Matty.
With Plank and Bender out of the
question of pitchers. it is naturally one
of the greatest importance. Mathewson
can pitch today. Gender won t. Plank
is not much on the repeat. either but
Mack has Coombs, who is still fresh, and
said to be ready. While Mathewson may
have the advantage because of his re-
Operative powers over Bender and
Plank. yet he is but human. and too
much cannot be expected Nor would 1t
be surprising if Mack should use Morgan
or krause in pinch The success of
Plank has made it plain that a good
left-hander stands a chance against the
Giants and Mack is not apt to overlook
this fact.
Plank pitched Il beautiful game of ball
NeSttludS lie Idu everything lHdl goes
to make wel-pitched game, and he
worked with both intelligence and CON
fidence. He is ny nature rather ner-
vous individual, but he was prmed for
this game and he went from start to
finish like the good pitcher he is. Plank
does not get credit for what he does for
his team every year, and this is the first
time that he has been given a chance to
distinguish himself. and he did il noby
When If comes to irving TO hit "A left