Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-01
Schmidt's Error Broke Tigers Spirit.

Sohmidt's Error Broke Tigers Spirit.
Catchers miss many third strike during
the season. every now and then losing a
game by their failure to handle the ball
perfectly. Such misplays are soon for
gotten But no member of the Detroit
team of 1867, nor any person who attend
ed the series between the Chicago Cubs
and Detroit Tigers. will forget a third
strike Charley Schmidt missed in the first
game of that clash. 1t made victory for
the Cubs a very easy matter and robbed
the Detroit players of much OF Their
fighting spirit That third strike made
the unfortunate Schmidt the goat OF
the 1901 clash. Hughey Jennings has al
ways regarded that error as the turning
point in the series.
When the Cubs went to bat in the last
half of the ninth the Tigers looked like
sure .aners, the score standing 3 to | in
their favor Bill Donovan had the Cubs
at his mercy. Chance was the first man
10 face him. He gave Cub rooters hope
by hitting safely. Steinfeldt was hit by a
fast one and ambled to tnrst, Chance NOV
ing up to second. King hunted out TO
the first baseman unassisted. Coughlin
booted grounder by Evers, and the
bases We're filled.
With Home Run Schultz up. it looked as
if there was no chance for the Tigers
Schultz failed to deliver. He was re-
tired at first, Rossman to Donovan,
Chance scoring Oh the play. With the
score :; to ., Chance sept Howard up as
d pinch hitter. Howard failed. missing
three. But imagine Deiroits gloom and
Chica COS. joy when Schmidt allowed the
third strike to trickle out of his glove.
Before he could recover the ball Stein
feldt had scored the tying run and How
ard was on first. The game ended in a
Chicago won the next four games. giving
them the series. Had that third strike
been caught it would have given Detroit
first blood, and 1t might have made a
ma terial difference in he result OF the
series
Stars often Slump During the Season
In 1909 Bill Abstein, who played fist
base for the Pirates. was rega rded as
the goat" Abstein had played fine bali
during the season. but he made number
of plays in the series that came near pre-
venting the Pirates from winning the IT,
tie. In fact, Abstein's showing in the
series transformed him. from an idol to a
dub" the sentiment resulting in Pitts
burghs disposal of him before the OPEN
ing of the next season While the mis-
takes of Schmidt and Abstein would have
been overlooked during the regular sea-
son, such moves in the big even" are
never forgotten. Generally such mistakes
permanently ruin the players effective
ness.
Time and again the best of hitters-
sluggers like Lajoie, Cobb. Wagner, Jack
son. Magee and others-will experience a
batting slump. They may so for week
without doing anything at bat. l recall
one American League star, regarded as
one of the most reliable hitters in the or
ganiZation, who played in fifteen consec-
utive games without getting a hit. While
such performances are always commented
on, the failure to hit is never attributed
to anything but batting slump.
Last year Jack Murray of the Giants d
mighty good hitter, failed 10 get a ball
safe in the entire series. His failure to
hit seriously weakened the Giants Of
Tense. This player is game to the core
and was simply unfortunate enough to
encounter a batting slump in so impor-
tant a set of games as the worlds series
All sorts of unkind things We're written
and said about Murray. This unfavora-
BILE comment was undeserved Murray
proved his worth with The bat and did
fine fielding in the 1912 series
1t is me to be II hero. but l really be-
lieve that even more credit is due the
''guat;;'' q he big series who come back
the following year and prove their worth.
1t takes nerve and ability to regain public
confidence after all the world has turned
against YOU