Evening star., 1912-11-17
MANY PITCHERS WITH ABILITY
FAIL WHEN TRIED UNDER FIRE
Successful Twirlers Must Have Something
Besides Terrific Speed and Dazzling
Curves toBaffle the Crack Batsmen.

one day as I was leaving the Cleveland
grounds. Jack had just finished pitchnS
brilliant game against the Maps. Pow
ell was so good that day that 1 couldn't t
refrain from challenging the fan. If
you really think so.'' l said. come
around tomorrow before the game starts
and Powell will bet You two to one that
: you can't even make a foul" / know
Powell well enough to fee sure he would
have made the bet, if I had related the
circumstances to him. 1t is needless to
say the fan didn't come around for any
batting practice.
Pitchers must be able to do something
besides getting the ball over the plate.
In fact, most pitchers who are success
full like to get the ball over by the mar
rowest margin possible. They much pre-
fer making the batter hit bad or just fair
balls instead of serving him cripples as
balls through the heart of the plate are
called. Pitchers who are successful to a
large degree owe their success to making
the batter hit something he doesn't like
1t is the good pitcher who can make the
batsman accept something he doesn't
want.
| Much Of Christy Mathewson's great sue
cess has been due to his heart and brain
as much as his Drawn; yes, even more.
Matty is not hard to hit, players will tell
you, when the sacks are empty, but he
| is the most difficult puzzle in the world
when a hit means something. Despite
the fact that he failed to win single
game in the recent worlds series. the
work of Matty stood out as a shining
| light. In his 6 to eleven-inning tie
he proved conc.usively that great pitch
er must have a stout heart. Under the
most discouraging conditions he never
| faltered. His support wobbled in prac-
/ tically every. inning. A number of the
wobbles were costly and aided in the run
| getting. Others were overcome by Ma
| thewson's magnificent work in the box.
Never once did he grow peevish, never
once did he ease up. never once did he
| turn and censure any of the players who
| by Their errors were making his task
well nigh impossib e. Matty proved that
he had heart Of oak.
Mastery Pitching Exhibition.
! The game was played Thursday. Con.
| ditions were such that Manager McGraN
was forced to ask Matty to come back
| Saturday. Two days rest is hardly enough
| for veteran like Matty, who has put his
arm to SO many severe tests. Willingly
| he accepted the job I watched him ir
| his Warm-up. He looked tired and didnt
seem to have his usual stuff. I though,
| to myself. "he will never be able to gel
| away with that this afternoon" Boston
hit him rather hard in the first and sec.
| ond innings, but failed to score. In the
| third two triples and an error gave Bos-
ton two runs. 1T is asking too much ol
! Matty.' ] thought. Then came the won
| eighteen men were retired in order. Matty
realized his stuff was lacking, he began
! pitching a careful game He would drive
| this fellow back who was hugging the
| plate with a high fast one. then slip over
| a couple Of slow curves on the outside
| His control was almost uncanny. He kept
the ball just where the batter didn't like
| it. 1t was a pitching performance that
must go down in history.
| Eddie Plank is still great southpaw
| because he has the nerve. I relate lit
!, tie incident that will prove it. Late this
! fall Washington hammered him for four
| runs in two innings Mack had a pitcher
| warmed up to replace him. AS he started
| for the bench at the close of the inning
Manager Griffith jokingly yelled: Put
| the blanket on him, Connie. and send him
| to the barn. He was a good old wagon
but he done broke down." The remark
nettled Plank. He insisted that Mack lie,
| him remain in the game For the next
| sixteen innings he blanked the Nationals
! and lost in the nineteenth inning because
| of an error. 1t is little incidents like tina,
that explain the difference between the
! great and the ordinary pitcher.