The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-02-19
MATHEWS0N PUTS
ALEXANDER FIRST
Fade Away Artist Places a
New System Of Ranking
Before Public

New York, Feb. 19-If you have an
eye for baseball statistics just cast
1t along the frings of the old fashioned
way of figuring pitching average and
then measure a new style thai may be
adopted next season. If you have an
for argument slip this record on
your pianola and take a listen.
It's q dainty little thing entitled
The Percentage Rag" The COM
poser is Christy Mathewson. He
doesn't claim that the idea is entire
~ original with him, but he is the
first person. to our knowledge, to set
1t to figures. The arrangement is
ours and we wouldn't wager a plugged
dime that an expert accountant could
not pick some flaws. However, we
show up the general motif as the
music critics say, and thai is the guy
we're after.
show as near as it can be accomplish
ed by cold figures the value of a pitch
er regardless of his supporting cast.
1t is admitted that the standing adj
duced from the number of games won
and lost by pitchers Is not true rat
Ing of his ability in many cases.
Ruckcr Ranks Third
A good pitcher with a second divi-
sion club-Nap Rucker is a good ex-
ample-might lose a dozen 2 to /
games. while an ordinary performer
with a good team behind him might
cop a dozen 6 to 4 games. There can
be no doubt that the chap who holds
teams to two runs and loses Is as good
or better than the fellow who is scor-
ed on Jour times but Is saved by bat
ting support. Rucker has lost many
heartbreakers in Brooklyn, but under
Matty's system Of figuring he would
rank third among National league pit
cheers. He was No. 90 in the official
averages last fall.
or course a good pitcher will be at
his best with a good team. and a poor
pitcher will show absolutely nothing
with a tailender. The question is to
evolve a standard by which to judge
pitchers on individual ability and Mat
ty believes his solution Is about the
best that can be had without going
outside the official returns.
Having struck those few preliminary
chords We will o plunge into the
theme of the piece. Matty proposes to
take the games of a pitcher and sub
tract them from the total of his teams
games during a season. Then figure
the percentage of games won and lost
by the club. Subtract this percentage
from the percentage of games won and
lost by the pitcher and the difference
will be the pitchers speed either above
or below that of his team behind the
other pitchers.
Such an arrangement does not Hat
ter Matty as he stands twelfth in a list
Of leading National league pitchers.
The honors. go to Grover Cleveland
Alexander. whose winning margin over
that of the Phillies behind other pitch
Ing was .224. Tyler Of Boston ranks
second among men who worked in
more than fifteen games. Although
Tyler lost more games than he won he
did .205 better than the Boston team
behind all other pitching. Rucker
won barely more than half his games
yet he ranks above Rube Marquard.
who leads the league in the official
averages. We will take Alexander's
record as an illustration of how the
method evolves these figures. He
won % and lost 13 games. a percent
age Of 1888. The Philadelphia club
won 70 and lost 70 games.
Eliminating the games pitched by
Alexander. the Phillies won less than
half their games. Figuring this way