The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-06-22
HURLERS' RECORD
method UNJUST
Each Season the Present Sys-
tenn Becomes Apparently
More Unreliable.
cY FALKENBERG'S CASE
Elongated Pitcher Relieved by Steen,
with Maps One Run Behind,
Gets Credit for Game.

New York, June H-Each year be-
ieomes more and more apparent the in
Justice OF the present methods of COM
piiing pitchers records There is abb
soiuteiy no way to gauge a twirler's
ability in the cold figures of victories
ana DEFEATS. II stands to reason a poor
pitcner with champion club is likely
to win more games than perhaps would
champion pitcher with a tail-end team.
Cy Falkenberg. the elongated pitcher
from Cleveland. furnished fitting illus
tration during the recent visit to the
Polo Grounds of the dark horse" of the
West. In the first game of the series
faikenoerS was lifted in the seventh in
ming TO allow Larry Lajoie to 90 TO bat
with the bases filled. one out, and Cleve-
land one run to the bad Now Larry
didn't produce a pinch blow for the hu
man stringbean-" But Johnston, who
Ionowed upset Sweeney with an unex-
pected bunt. precipitating an error 10
cap "bone-headed" throw to first.
which resulted in two runs for CIeye.
land Steen finished the game for Cleye-
land.
Who Wins Game.
Then arose the question as to which
Cleveland pitcher was entitled to be cred
tied with the victory. Ordinarily il
would have made little difference either
way. But here was an exception. Fall
kenberg, indicated all season, had pre-
viously reeled on nine straight triumnbs
Every one was interested to know
whether he had added the tenth to the
list or whether his sprint had been mo-
mentariy halted by a decisionIess after
noon In such instances the. Official scorer
as rule used his judgment in determin-
ing who Is most entitled to victory Bur
" up a tree. He appealed to the New
YORK chapter of baseball writer's Senti-
n1ent here appeared pretty evenly d.
vided between the pair
The official scorer left the park unde-
cided- He probably put the big question
up to President Johnson. himself ANY
now the public is not likely to know who
gets the game until the official aver
ages are published. unless President
johnson Is forced to make a ruling in
the event OF Falkenberg seriously threat
ening either the American or Nationa
League records for consecutive victories.
"Falky" Ont of Game.
The case was discussed with Umpire
Evans after the game
1T is a mighty peculiar situation said
he Technically. no doubt, Falkenberg
was out Of the game the moment a ioie
went TO bat for him. Now a man who
IL out OF the game cannot very well figure
as hero in victory. But take the other
side of the case. Steen did not win more
than Falkenberg. When Falkenbere
went out his team was one run behind.
but when Steen came in his team was
one run to the good Steen only had Ia
hold this advantage for three innings.
aIkenoerg pitched six innings-and bril-
nant ball. too. / can tell you. Now /
do not know how the matter will be de-
cided. But il it were left to me I should
give II to Falkenberg. He really had
more to do in assuring the victory than
had Steen and the fact that he did double
the work should favor him"
Now, there you are Evans is as wise
as they come He used good, sound. COM
mon sense In his arguments. But still,
at the same time, arises the question of
technically. And Technically cost the
Giants pennant in 1905, it will be re-
membered. John Heydler of the Ma
tional League, decided just such a ques-
ton in favor of Marquard last year when
the Giants star was making his record
run.
Heydler Makes New Form.
Heydler, by the way, last year evolved
a very good scheme for the compilation
of pitching statistics. 1t is likely that
this season he will use his method en-
tirely. doing away with the unsatisfac-
tory system now in use of ranking the
pitchers according to their winning per-
centages. Heydlers new plan takes into
account the winning percentage of the
club. the errors made behind the pitchers,
the earned runs, the percentage of base
hits. bases on balls, wild pitches. and
every other conceivable angle in his new
system of reckoning. Mr. Heydler tried
his scheme for his own personal enter
arr.rr, La
proving itself far more reliable than the
old style, so far as this years work
is concerned,
Chance to Show Results.
Frank Chances struggle to rebuild
the New. York Americans is fully ap-
preciated by New York fandom- The
Peerless Leader is going about his task
in a manner that will show results in
the near future. He has gone right to
the root of a long-standins evil and is
plucking the trouble-makers. regardless
of sentiment In Kidding himself of Hal
Chase the p. L. accomplished a move
that both Stallings and Wolverton beg
ged Farrell to make. Chase always was
trouble-maker, and as such was gen.
timely despised by his teammates. Had
this canker to the welfare of harmony
been removed when Stallings first sug-
gested II, the Highlanders might now
have been champion instead OF a tall
end aggregation. When StaIlings was
thrown out. his club knew pretty well
how to play the game The best play
ers he boaster then-men like Cree, VOL
ter. Daniels. Sweeney. and Ford-seem
to have forsotten all they ever knew in
the Discussions and go-as-you- please
style the past two seasons.