Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-21
MUCH STRATEGY DISPLAYED
IN SELECTION OF PITCHERS
Fielder Jones and Connie Mack Are Famed
for Their Shrewdness in Pick
ing Certain Fingers to Go
Against Certain Clubs.

Of the team ct bat, and hard:hitting
right-handed hitter substituted. I'm
mediately the manager of the team in the
field removes the star southpaw. and
sends in his crack spit ball pitcher.
Such tactics while often gaining victory,
tended to greatly delay the game. No
manager ever proflted more by the con-
tinual shifting of batters and pitchers
than Fielder Jones. Usually White would
be sent in when the hard-hitting left
handler came up, and instantly on his re-
moval Walsh would be summoned to the
center OF the diamond to save the day.
e.dom did he fail to deliver the goods.
Compelling the pitcher substituted to con-
tinue to pitch until the batsman either
reaches first or is retired has done away
with this feature, which was very
common five or six years ago.
Good Spots for Pitchers.
In selecting the proper spots for his
pitchers Connie Mack is past master.
No manager keeps more careful record
of the success of his twirlers against the
various clubs than Mack. Often he will
work a certain pitcher three times inside
of seven days, and then perhaps he will
not call upon that twirer for another
week 1t is not an uncommon thing for
certain Athletic twirlers to go through
an entire season without working against
certain clubs.
1t is a we'll known fact I'm base ball that
every twirler appears to have certain
clubs which are easy for him, while Ger
tain other clubs arc hard for him to win
over. Very often d star twfrler Will ma
a tail-end club his jonah team to beat.
Quite often a mediocre member of the
pitching staff shows his best form against
certain first division clubs. Pitchers are
superstitious; they know which clubs are
their hoodoo teams, and they never work
with the same confidence against such
teams.
There are any numberiof managers who
don't take these things into consideration.
knowing the ability Of their pitchers,
they work them, regardless Of the i'll luck
that usually follows them against certain
teams. Mack caters to every whim OF
his twirlers. 1 once heard a pitcher say
to Connie before the start of the game.
I'm feeling pretty good today; would
1 can't shoe the jinx.' Connie simply
smiled and replied: Why. YOU haven't
beaten this club for a couple Of years
This team is always easy for John, so /
think ! will work him today. The Red
Sox are here tomorrow, and you always
make those fellows look foolish. so be
prepared to work against them at least
once, and possibly twice during the Sc
ries." The pitcher smiled. made no fur
Their comment and walked away. Sure
enough. Coombs won his game with ease.
and the other twirler worked twice
against the Red Sox and won both games.
How often have you seen your home
team hit the ball all over the field and
still get beat IL to IL. because Of inferior
pitching. Perhaps the following day the
home team pitcher holds the visitors to
two runs, yet is beaten to o. How often
have you said under such conditions that
It was a shame such and such a pitcher
didn't work yesterday. then those eleven
runs wouldn't have been Wasted. Fans
often wonder why managers seldom use
the pitcher they select in advance. Usual
t. vi yrh foh
convince them 1t is not the proper spot t.
work that twirler.