The chronicle=news., 1913-08-11
WEEKLY. SPORT
MEMS

U1UvV
New York. Aug if.-Aithoush tA~
concluding, ssmcs ~ The msl0
league basebaIi season are stiii two
months away. Interest In the pennani
races Is already oversha dowed By the
possibilities Of play In the worlds
series. This unusual situation IN
the camp Of the national sport is due
entirely 70 the runaway race being
made by the leading teams In the
National and American leagues. Not
In soEe Year, have such wide mar
xins separated the first and second
clubs II both major associations at
this stage Of the peuuAnt races
There have been several examples Of
the so-cslied runaway race In one or
the other Of the Two big leagues. but
simu0iancous and sustained spurss
like these uncovered by both the
Giants and Athletics arr unusual.
A glance back over the records Of
the eluba 10 both leagues during the
past few years shows that ~ = rule
where one league had . leader well
out In front the struggle for the
other psnsaua vas close and the out
rome uncertain at this psr!od Of the
reason. While the Athletics aad
Gisnts arc leading their respective
leagues BY approximately = hundred
point mArsin over the runncr-up. the
isi: records show the Boston Red
sox had but half that advantage and
the Giaa,s about three-quartees OF
their present msrRin. In the Nation
al League New York had won seven.
,y.iwo and lost twenty-seven games
for a percentage Of .1:1 on August y.
The Chicago Cubs were trailing sec
ond cikhty-srvcn poists In the rear.
with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia
holding third aud fourth places. The
American League standing showed
Bo.ion 10 have won s~veusy-onr aud
lost siisy-fIve Gamcs. with Washing
ton second with sixty-fivc aud forty.
Sivius Jake siahls Red sox \ lead
Of nifty poini,. The Athletics were
s,iIi In the race and the Chicago
White sox had an outside chance
from the fourth place.
Tue iyIi'rst-s were far closer for
the Athletics had but twenty-five
poists over tho Detroit Club In the
American League. aad Chicago WAS
lesdiss PHtseur4h BY JUS, aIae
pc,s,s is'tk& Nitsensi. Bu, fin-
poinls sepsrs,ed the frs, four clubs
In the senior sisoels.ion. while the
New York team holding fourth place
Ia the American League vas las
points In the rear OF the Athletics.
with Detroit and Boston between il
and the ieatisss The races Of 1910
~ viewed ~ this date showed cond!.
iicus more closely resembling the
present situation. The Athletics
were travelling at top speed. with a
clear lead of cixhiy points over Fsos.
ton. The Detroit Tigers were third
thirty points In tho rear Of Boston.
aud New York was fourth but nine
points below the Tisctr. In tho Ma
tionai League Chicago was seventy
points ahead OF Pittsburgh. with the
New York Giants third. ten points
separating them from the Pirates.
Philadelphia was . poor fourth.
Pittsburgh aui Dctroi, were peace.
makers In 1903. but neither team had
anything like the marSin OF safety
that the presen, leaders possess. The
Pirates had won sixty-eisht aud los,
twenty seven games for percentage
|of .7is. The Chicago Cabs were
right at their heeL. less than thirty
points separating leader and runner.
up. Tho New York and Cincinnati q
clubs were third and fourth rcspcc.
lively. but far below the percentage
standing Of the first and second
clubs. The American League race
was even closer. Detroit with sixty
two games won and thirty-cight los,
had just twenty points over Philndel-
phia. which club had won sixty and
lost forty samcs for percentage OF
600. Boston and Cleveland were
both within striking distance Of tho
leaders. for there were bat seventy
five points between the Tigers in the
fr,t place and the Cleveland clut
In fourth. .-.
Despite the dire predictions made
f,r the present year. 1919 has proved
to date far from beins an unluck,
period so far as American athletics
are concerned. In three Information.
nj tontesis the United States has sue.
cossf,,ily' defended beth the polo ant