Norwich bulletin., 1912-12-21
PITCHERS BATTLES FEW
 IN EARLIER DAYS Extra Innings Games Marvel Forty
 Years Ago.

Nowadays a to Q pitchers battle, even an extra inning game in which only one tally is scored. causes only passing comment. but SS years ago Fuch thing had never been heard of between teams of recognized profes- Fional standing Not until 1875 the lest year of the ill-fated National Professional association. was such a pitched battle recorded Tn that year there were two of them in the associa- ti0n only a little over a month apart fin the schedule and the second one lasted II innings. Both were hailed as notable performances and they were
 Those were the days when winning scores of 20 runs were not unusual and il was not considered an over whelming defeat until the Nscore ran up 10 70 or thereabouts. That was long before pitchers were allowed any think like tieir present freedom in de- liveriag the hall to the bat. They were literally what the name implies pitchers, not thTowers. Tn a gen. e-ai way pitchers of that time were restricted more closely than is the case in modern indoor baseball.
 Perhaus q better idea of the diffi- culty cf hoidinS a team down to no runs or ere run can be gained from the rule governing the style of pitch Ing in 1875. t read as follows: ,"The ball most he delivered 10 the bat with the arm swinging nearly perpendicu- lerly at he side of the body and the hand in passing forward must not be raised higher than the hip.''
 Imagine what would happen today if our sla5rfn were compelled to pitch that way. The bats were bigger in those days. but the pitching distance was shorter. There was no spit ball then and no fadeavay. There was ,aly one admitted curve hal pitcher in the land and the great majority of people doubted the possibility of curv- ing q baseball at all. Arthur Cum mings. who finally dem nstrated to the satisfaction of scientists that the ball did curve was fin the box in one of the original 1 to Q games of 1875 and ha was or the losing side
 The National association of that year was made up of f3 teams, but only ii of them finished the season These were. in the order in which they stood at the finish Boston, Athletics Hart. ford. St. Louis, Philadelphia, Chicago Mutuais, New Haven. Red Stockings Washington and Centennials
 The Chicago team, which even ther was famous for its white stockings and the Red Stockings of St. Loui. perretrated the first 1 to o game be. tween professional teams. It wa, played on May g. 1875, in St. Louii and the Chicago team was victor. I'm lone tally was scored in the second in ming. Zettlein pitched for the Whit Stockings and Blong for the Rec Stockings St. Louis made only fou safe hits off Zettlein. while Blong helt the Chicagoans to five safeties.
 Less than six weeks later the Chi cago White Stockings were hooked u in another 1 to 0 game and this wen ii innings It was on June 10, 1875, il Chicago and the visiting team was tn Dark Blues from Hartford, Conn, wit the young phenom" Cummings, in tn box. Again Chicago was the winner but it required an error to overthrow Cummings
 For i0- innings not a run was score on either side, but in the 11th Bur dock. Hartford's second basemar made wild throw to first, allowin peviin of the White Stockings to gt around to third base Hines brouef hIm home with single.
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