The chronicle=news., 1912-11-04
PITCHER WOOD TELLS
HOW TO FOOL BATTERS

When YOU ask M" how TO pitch
championship baseball I do not like
to answer. because I am afraid base
hall fans may say that don't know
now. said Joe Wood OF the Boston
Rcd SoS. when h. was asked how he
did it, suppose II is knack OF
pitching the ball and faithful. classy
support on the part OF the team
that have given me record OF more
baseball games Won than any other
pitcher in the league.
can not even tell why the ball
pitch Is better than that pitched by
other twiiicrs. II IL ls-unicss II is In
tn. speed OF the ball. They say
hav. speed. do pitch II with n
snap. have watched other pitchers
who rely mainly on fast ball and
| have no; noticed much OF n snap of
tho wrist. \ have theory that
hay. more OF that snap than the
others.
do not know tina, my fast ball Is
the on" on which mainly RELY.
seldom use n curve .nnll and rarely
serve up u slow one. II have more
.srccd than somso { the others. 1t Is
because | give tn. ball more energy
tn. way | pitch than II gets from
some OF the other delivery. and II |
have something on the ball II IS be-
cause OF knack that lhavc had all
NY life. | do not try to give the ball
any freak twists. and ! do not know
" hy my ball should have more speed
Or any freak that other pitchers do
not have.
The ball | pitch does take a jump
r.forc /; reaches the batter. That
comes from the speed l think. al
though II may come from some twist
lat I give the ball. unconsciouslr.
p.iorc It leaves my hand. That jump
80, ms to fool them often.
hold the bali rs most other pitch
lcrs do-grabbcd firmly between the
first two fingers. above. and the
thumb below. ] hold II that way
when | give them n fast one. when
| slip them n curve or when serve
up a slow one. | always throw II with
the same overland motion. I bring
my arm over at full length. with the
hand more or less upright. and
throw with all the energy ! have. AS
the arm comes over nearly as farr
as II will go. the wrist does the rest.
| 1t probably snaps quick. thereby Civ
ing the ball the extra speed they say
| | have. Whatever happens the wrist
comes down and the ball leaves my
fingers quickly. 1t goes fast. but with
no curve. and takes jump before it
reaches the plate.
have been told that II appears
that twist 1t aud threw with the
fingers below and the thumb above.
That is not true.
II does not seem to me that | have
anything that the others have not.
unless it is the knack. as you might
say, which gives 1t the extra speed.
| The only secret that know any
thing about is that Of control. Con-
troll makes or unmakes every pitcher.
| know many a pitcher who has more
speed than | have. and. of course
there are plenty of them who have
curves. the width of which they can
lcontro. But they are unable to make
the ball break and pass the batter
where they want it to pass him, and
where It must pass him to be sue
cessfu1. They lack control. Some
times they have 1t. but sometimes
will not do. They must be able to do
1t every time. or nearly so. As to the
slow ball that comes back to the
proposition of control. These Pitch
crs who have the stuff lack control.
and they are not successful.
| With control the pitcher can de-
liver the ball within n few inches of
lwhcre. he wants it to go-a few inch
cs. mean. not anywhere within that
target over the nlnte md between