Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-23
BY BILLY EVANS.


Is the pinch hitter success? A ma
ju ity of managers look on the pinch
hi tier with favor. Others employ the
u aetice, not SO much because they IA
vocsit. but because fandom expects IL
] l,now one major league manager who
has been successful with pinch hitters
yttrhe favors the abolition of the prac-
tice. That Is rather radical procedure
aud. withhold the name of the man.
s,ser so that he can escape the CEN
sure that no doubt would be heaped
IN him from many quarters.
Pinch hitting has become mania
with a great many leaders. Any time
. hit means a run or two. even though
it is early in the game, the pinch hit
ter is rushed into the battle. If he
comes through with hit everything
IS lovely and the manager is looked
upon as cunning strategist. If he
falls. which is the case in u majority
a. attempts. and dire results follow
.le removal of this or that player. then
lie manager is roasted for making the
s.dfc.
How many pinch hitters can drive
re ball safely more than once In four
! mes at bat? Regulars who can hit
So for the season must get the bail
1e once in every three times at the
: ate. They have J54 games In whio n
- reach such an average IL IS fool
i. d to ask a pinch hitter to deliver
- that extent who may be sent TO
,e pate only once every third or
tourth day. Practice trains the eye. The
guar who is in the game every day
KEYED up. while the pinch hitter.
TINS on the bench, is just the oppo-
S. Re. Very often the pinch hitter fails
!, deliver more than once in 1--WE trips
the plate, and there are few pitch
hn do,
X
In the recent worlds series Connie
Mack was criticised for his failure TO
/ Sc pinch hitter in the ninth inning of
se second game. Connie Mack is a
: seat manager. that 1 know. He is only
h imam and makes mistakes but in my
ysry humble opinion he didn't make one
in that instance. / recently read where
| sas quoted as saving he would do
% sssaBe thing over again, and / believe
j. II will be recalled that in the ninth
ming Of the second game the Athletics
/ ad men on first and third, with no one
cut ftlooked like a sure run and the
amerfor up to that time neither club
lat been able to score. so mastery was
tue pf.ching of Mathewson and Plank.
Jack SI4app, the catcher, was the next
hitter, In 1912 Lapp was regarded by
Llany-as the best hitting catcher in the
in his batting. All year he hit the ball
on the nose, but in hard luck. 1t
would not have been a wise plan to re-
move Lapp. as / view the affair for
Lapp hits the ball hard. and even if he
faiIed TO get 1t safe he might hit a long
nv. He didn't so that offered a point to
eriticise- While not a good hitter by
any means, there are worse batsrnen than
] ddie Plank. He had looked good against
Slathewson on former trips to the plate
J te was certainly worth while taking
cnance on.
Perhaps the one thing that kept Mack
rom using a pinch hitter in place OF
Flank was the wonderful article of ball
be veteran was pitching. Imagine what
would have been said of Mack had this
situation arose because of a substitute
Tor p ank: The substitute having failed to
drive in the run that was needed to win,
L was necessary TO send in a pitcher in
place OF Plank. Bender having worRed in
the QQeaing game at New York, it was out
Of tke-auestion to use him Thus Mack
would have had to call on one of his kid
pitchers. Had kid pitcher been used.
and three runs made off his delivery as
were made off Plank in the tenth, Mack
would have been severely criticised for
putting a youngster into such an emer-
seBcy in the big series. Mack had a lot
20 think about when that situation came
Up. and he had to think quickly. / be-
ieve. he did a pretty good job. even