The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-08-27
WALTER JOHNSON, PREMIER
 PITCHER, IS A MODEST MAN

Washington, August 26-Cleveland was playing for the last time this season in Washington. Walter Johnson. with his record of IA straight victories, was oppos-
 ing the Maps. It was the first half of the ninth, with the top of the Maps batting order coming up, and two runs needed to tie the score. Ryan led off with sin- gle Birmingham following with another, but Ryan was held on second. Two runs needed and two of the greatest htters in the game ready to make the drives. Jackson swung at wide one. The next was curve and he popped 1t up to right. One down, but still one of the greatest batters the game has produced to reckon with. Lajoie had expected one of those wonderful fast balls to come shooting across the plate and when, instead slow curve foated up he could do no more than lift another easy fly. Two down and still Griggs, another dangerous hitter, to dispose of. once the ball cut the plate in half. The Naplander never offered at 1t. He was crossed with a curve, and again he did not swing. Two strikes and he figured there would be a ball wasted. It was not and straight as a die toward the plate it came. A late swing pop fly along the first base foul line; the game was over and the American league pitch ing record, standing invulnerable since 1908, had been broken.
 Unassuming, quiet and the soul of in- tegrity. Walter Johnson is today the most wonderful pitcher baseball has ever pro- bct nd "a haf ia had broken the record made by Jack Chesbro four years ago, Johnson walked to the bench after that game with Cieve- land as modestly as though he had done nothing more than what was in direct line with his duty. There was not the least action signifying that he even thought of his great accomplishment, and instead of waiting to receive the congratulations of the players who started to crowd around him he grabbed his sweater off the bench and hurried to the clubhouse. He had done what he considered was his work and he could see little need for the wild huzzas coming from the stands.
 It is a fact that Johnson, although he has been a brilliant performer since the first day he stood in a major league pitch ing box, was released by two or three minor league clubs before coming here. He started his baseball career in the west and was tfied out by clubs in the Pacific coast and northwestern leagues. He was let go as being useless. Probably the catchers had little use for him with that tremendous speed and maybe they were at fault But anyway somebody failed to recognize the jewel and he was allowed to drift away. About the middle of the year he came to Washington, and as soon as he got here was showed in against Detroit, then the hardest hitting and most feared club in the American league. Jennings Tigers figured an easy time with the awkward looking western recruit, but they had reckoned wrong Such speed as Johnson sent across the plate they had never seen. He had them backing away from the ball continually he was wild enough then to keep the bat ters scared-and when the ninth inning was over Johnson was the victor over the most tried club in the circuit and eyery-