The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-04-08
CALL GEORGE BOEInER 4
SECOND WALTER JOHNS
Tiger Pitching Recruit r
bles Wonderful Walter W.
He Was Younger
is HARDEST NAN FOR -&
CATCHERS 10 No
Sharp Breaks on Everythim
Throws Puzzle Both Hlt- 4
ters and BacIstops
BY RALPH L. YOUtHR

BY RALPH L. YOxE1n
ST. LOUIS, Mo-. April o.-l2o
Boehler. one OF the TtGor rUG
pitchers, is second Walter yohnnG
Gaby Street. the Chattanoogn Ouor
er. who was with WashiugtOa ~
Johnson was learning 20 bo the 0y
est pitcher In the world, snye
Boehier reminds him greatly Ot
wonderful Walter before ho hoA
the experience that made him = I
ter. IA
Tiger catchers say that Il. - iunr1
sible for Boehler to throw Z o<too
ball. He has terrific speed a14
fast one II likely 70 break In olkl
direction. He Is for this reason
far the hardest pitcher In the ~
squad to catch. The backstop not
knows whether his fast ban = noo1
to break to or away from the batfo
Boehler has q sweeping CURVE t1
Is hard for both batters and cato1
to Judge. II has wider and quie11
break than that Of any other TT
hurler.
George also throws the spithall ~
culiarly. Catchers nnd Il almost G
manageable. There ID q time n t1
course Of the flight of . han ~
pitcher TO catcher just az the ho11s
about ia land In the catcher's nltt
which he takes his eye from tnn
knowing that 1t Ii going TO aroosn
the hole In the. mitt. But @lGT
6raetlon OF > second that -
has his ey&0 Al NE ball, nopn1
|14 toaeoof 11t1e unneo byoq1
mat 0f Shy other pitcher Z ~ y
ball scrapes the side Of thG
rattles along the fingers Of the
er's hare hand. sy
Like johnson when he was nfG
BoehIer has to gain control heforo
viii amount to great deal @ ! huc
er He himself doesn't know whtc(|
way his fast one is going to broak
Furthermore. he hasn't complete con
troll OF his splitter and curves, % be. Il
a hard man to work with.
Catchers simply warming up t6(
big fellow find 1t difhcult to hold him
or cotlrse. II 10 much more dif1cult u
handle. him when batters are facing
him.
Boehler may not be q world beotoG
the first year out In the majors. " He
has yet really to prove his right to -
big Lacquer. He has all kinds a
| stun, but whether he will be able e
use II successfully in the big show
la still to be decided. '
Gabby Street says that he WOULDN'T
be surprised to see BOehier be 4
| wonder in two or three years, but ~
doesn't expect big things from hin
his ffrst season Our.
Walter. Johnson was-a very hard
man Ito catch at first, 'I-said 6abby
Like Boehier he had-Ail kinds--O(
stuff but bs dida't know Just whol
the balls he threw wers- going 70 "a
II was pot until experience taught
him how TO pitch that he became Z
man easy to catch Now he 10 not I
hard mar to work with at all, for h<
has great control with all his stun
Tiger batsmen dislike batting prac
tice. especially FOR bunting, early u
the season with Boehler for tney
wanted TO get used to hi,ting straight
balls before they began looking az asss
breaks. Poor Boehier couldn't thvo~
! them a bail without something on tt
Boehler 10 not as big . man q
Walter Johnson, but he is young aae
will have plenty Of time to- develop
He will undoubtedly take on some
weight as he grows older. but ne II
not as big framed as Johnson, and 81
will never be as big q man
However. he Is far from being little
| lie is six feet tall and weighs l7l
pounds. He Is q mar With highly
strung nerves aud probaiy viii moi
be as much CT worAhorse or 3t
rugged as Johnson
re is a very intelligent fellow ard
he has already picked up whole Iol
OF knowledge OF the game during hts
trip south. He is tIreless when play
ing In fielding his position. ne does
moro work in backing up plays and
running around tae diamoui than any
other two men. He will probably crt
down or much of this that IL unnecee
sary when he begins pitching nine-inn-
ing games
Boehler says that George Muliin u
the pitcher that he admirss most IN
the American league Mullin Is the
greatest hurler that "Rube" has come
in close contact with. The other
great ones he has known only through
watching them in the newspapers and
magazines.
"Mullin is the pitcher In The Amen.
! can league that admire most and
the one that I am going TO patter1
after" said Boehier. "Milliin nan
taught me a lot OF things since NJ
have been south together. and -
tend TO lesrn--more from him nstgl
we get TO Detroit"
Boehler was a barber before NJ -
tered professional baseball He ~
trial with the Tigers last fa1l o.
he was judged good enough theu r
be sent south. along with Wn1oo1
and Troy. who were also olVc ~ +
chance to show what thoJ ~
September and Octooer.