Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-23
Vanguard Tells Of His System in Battling Batters
Sensational Southpaw Makes Study of the Various Men

curve, because | think curve hurts
the wrist, like the spit ball A spit ball
pitcher can't settle down, apparently, il
he has wild spell, although there are
some great spit ballers in both big
leagues, like Walsh, O'Toole, Ford and
others. You notice | never wind my
arm much. l believe it tires the mus
Giles, and doesn't really add anything to
the ball. l take the ball roll it in my
glove, give 1t a downward swing and
let drive. l believe winding loses speed.
Makes Study of Batsmen.
| have tried to make a study of the
various batsmen | watch how they
stand at the plate; note whether they
are afraid of fast ball, and how they
swing. On that | base my judgment as
to how to pitch to them.
The man who grips his bat al the
end is usually. unable to hit a fast
ball On the same line Of reasoning,
the man who takes a short grip on his
stick-"choking it's apt to be high
ball hitter and can't get at the low
ones. OF course, there may be excep-
tions to either rule
l believe that ! pitch better now
when there are men on bases, although
that used to worry me to distraction,
Somehow l seem to settle down to work
better now.
1t doesn't make much difference to
me whether a batter is right or left
handed, although naturally a right
handed batter is more likely to be eff
fective against a left handed pitcher
Ethan a left handed hitter. l change
my method of delivery for each kind.
generally give left handed batter an
inside curve. or a high inside ball that
is straight and fast.
| believe that pitching is more science
than luck. although there is a big ele-
ment of the latter when the opposing
team starts rally. All the skill and
science at a pitchers command will
often fail to stave off rally once a
team gets going.
Often pitcher can get by In the
minor leagues-even the biggest of the
minors-just on his natural stuff" but
when he comes up into the majors he
finds that he has to learn a lot about
the science of pitching. Some of them
have to learn their business all over
again, as l did
l was lucky enough to win nineteen
straight games before l was finally
beaten by Chicago. Now, as matter
of downright fact, | didn't have a
thought of trying for record until
after my thirteenth straight victory. I
thought the marks of eighteen straight,
hung up by Charley Radbourne in 1884,
and nineteen straight set by Keefe
later on, were as far away as the moon
so far as l was concerned.
From then on | was really out for A
mark. AS went on winning game
after game, the strain became terrific,
mentally as well as physically, and
was at great tension when | finally
dropped my twentieth game to Chicago.
| got wonderful support from the
boys behind me throughout my long
run Take, for instance the day
worked against Napoleon Rucker the
great Brooklyn pitcher. | have to rank
Nap among my toughest opponents, and
guess every pitcher in the game fig
ures him in the same class. In the
second inning of that game Brooklyn
had three men on bases and no one out,
but they did not score.
In the third inning the same situa
ton boobed up The next two men up
popped out. and the third hit fly to
Becker. who dropped it. He was so
anxious that he misjudged the ball, but
Beals had been doing wonderful work
in the field up to that time, and the