Evening star., 1912-08-26
IN
PLAYING ON ROAD
Most of the Big League Teams
Have Done as Well
as at Home.

NEW YORK, August 26.-The Giants
have won more games on the road than
they have at home, and III point of sue
cesses on foreign fields have the best rec
ord to date Of any team IN either league.
Strength Of that sort may or may not
point to a successful rush for pennant
honors during the remaining weeks of
the race. II it means that they play bet
ter ball away than at home. then there
is no particularly alluring prospect in the
fact that most Of their games to come
are at home But II 1t. is construed to
mean that they ought to do all the bet
ter at home for having been so strong on
the road. then the pennant outlook is all
the better.
The Giants under McGraw always have
been strong road team, and this year
have actually played their best ball away
from home. Some of their play has been
as good at the Polo Grounds as else
where, but the home work hasn't been as
consistent as the work on the road-the
former has been more streaky. 1t has
been easy enough to beat Boston ana
Brooklyn and Philadelphia and Cfncin-
Cubs, Pirates. and even the Cardinals. the
Giants on their own stronghold have done
only indifferentiy WELL II,
This time. however. the members OF the
team are looking forward: confidently to q
strong wind-up and a consistent display OF
strength on the home field. They are not
paying any attention to the strutting
braggadocio Of the Cubs, and you can't
convince them that they aren't a better
ball team than the Cubs. On the strength
that. even II the Chicagos- should catch
them, they would outstay and outplay the
people from Chicago in the exacting dash
for the wire. They are conducting their,
- nd Ices h
rah than the Cubs, but they believe they
are q better team.
AS to which team In the National
League proves the best on the road 1t
lies between the Giants and Cubs. The
latter haven't won as many away from
home az the champions, but they haven't
played as many. The Giants have won
forty-four games on the road and lost
seventeen. The Cubs have won thirty
eight and lost twenty.
The weakest team in the league. the
Bostons, has won sixteen such games
and lost forty-two. Still those sixteen
were half Of Boston's total victories, SO.
the proportion OF foreign victories, was
good for q tail-end team. The Giants
had won nine more games away from
home than at homo and the Cubs two
more.
AS a matter of fact. in this question of
strength abroad and at home the figures
go to show that nowadays there is prac-
tically no material advantage in being at
home. With one exception-the st. Louis
club-every team in the National League
has done. about well. II not better,
away than at home. The Cardinals, up.
to the last week in August. had won only
eighteen OF their fifty victories on the
road
Conditions in the American League are
much the same. For the most part play
ing at home has been Of little or no ad-
vantage. 1t would appear that the moral
support which home team gets exerts
no actual influence in bringing victories
and that touring teams are hardened to
the wear and teGr of travel. The High
landers are the only club OF the eight
which has been appreciably stronger at
home, and by the same token noticeably
weaker on the road OF their first forty
victories only fourteen were won away
from home. That left twenty-six won at
home-nearly twice as many.
In the 1rst eighty victories OF the Bos-
ton Red Sex thirty-six were achieved in
opponents territory. The Athletics won
just half Of their first sixty-eight vic
tories on the road. OF their first seventy
three victories the Washingtons won
thirty-six away from home