New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-14
McGraW's Men Steal MANY
a Bag at Expense of
Rival CatcherS.
GEORGE BURNS NOT
SO FAST AS MATES
Skill at Thievery of Sacks May
Soon Be a Part of the
Official Records.

!
successful in 296 OF the 40: steals attempt
ed. The player who was turned back
oftenest by catchers when ne tried 10
steal was George Burns. the st. Johns
vile boy, who was caught on thirty five
occasions
Arthur Shafer went on twenty-nne
thieving expeditions that proved unsuc-
cessful, while Jack Murray slipped UP
twenty-five times trying 10 beat his way
either to second, third or the plate
Eighteen unsuccessful steals are charged
up against Fred Snodgrass. eighteen
against Arthur Fletcher, eighteen against
Fred Merkle. fifteen against Charley Her
zog, fourteen against Larry Doyle, nine
against Chief Meyers, FIVE against
Arthur Wilson. three against Claude
Cooper, one against Grover Hartley. one
against Joe Evers. one against Josh De-
we're, one against Eddie Grant one against
Bunny Hearne. one against Richard
Marquard and one against Jim Thorpe.
II is only a matter of time when base
running averages will be part of the rec
ords, just as are batting and fielding az
erages. The first league TO try the plan (.
OF keeping track OF the number of times
each player is thrown out trying to steal !
will be the Pacific Coast League, which
will do so next year, and rank baserun-
ners on percentage basis. getting that
percentage by dividing the total number
Of attempted steals into the total number
OF successful steals. Had this plan been
In operation I'm the National League last
season, the baserunning percentages Of
the Giants would have been as follows:
Tesreau, 1000; Mathewson, 1000; Ames,
1000; Wiltse. loo: Devore, .s57; Hartley,
800; Doyle, .73l; Thorpe, .667; Merkle, $50;
Fletcher. $40; Herzog. COS; Snodgrass,
.600 Murray. $50; Burns. .533; Shafer,
.525; Cooper, 500; Grant 800; Marquard,
800; Meyers, 49,; Wilson. .lS7; Evers,
900 Hearne, coo; Mccormick, 90
The normal base-runnng average for
the National League last season was $50
The Giants apparently tried the hit and
run play the oftenest, for on 1876 occa-
sons McGraw's men were thwarted In
their endeavor TO add to their total OF
larcenies
The Cardinals supplied the next great
est number Of victims-lsi-Hu Higgins
combination being the lone team that had
more unsuccessful than successful steals
The catchers who checked the Giants
most frequently on the bases last season
were Kilifer. OF Philadelphia; Rariden,
OF Boston. and Archer. OF Chicago The
Quaker turned back twenty-seven OF the
residents, the Brave nineteen and the
Cub seventeen. The greatest number OF
players thrown out trying 10 steal in one
game last season was six. Rarden claim
ing this number OF victims in the game
played with the Giants on April IS Three
days later the champions iiched eight
hassocks on Marquards old battery part
ner. Five times during the year four Gi-
ants were cut down trying TO steal In
contests, the. backstops credited with
feats OF this kind being Killifer. Of Phil
adelpha. on April q; Simon. OF Pitts
burgh. on May 10 and September 10. and
Wingo, Of ST. Louis, on August IL and Is.
The catchers who stopped the Giants
who tried 10 steal last season are named
below:
Boston. 27-Rariden, 10; Whaling, :; De-
voght. !.
Brooklyn T-Fischer, Il; Miller, 2, Nc
Carly. l.
Chicago, 27-Archer. II; Bresnahan. 10
Cincinnati, 22-Clarke, IL: FLING. s.
Philadelphia, SJ-Killifer, p, Doom, :;
Burns. l.
Pittsburgh. 3l-Simon, 10; Gibson, -
Kelly, 5; Coleman. >.
St Louis, 27-Wingo, IA; Mclean, 10:
TTildebrand. o. Snyder, !.
The best throwing backstop In tho
National League last season was Killiter.
OF Philadelphia. lie thwarted 100 at
tempted steals. the average number Of
men he caught per game being los. Mike
Simon, OF Pittsburg, ranking second,
caught 90 men. an average per game
OF 1.o4, and Jimmy Archer. OF Chicago,
third In the list, stopped 100 men. an
average per game OF 1.O2. Chief Mey-
ers. New York's best catcher. "fagsed"
lo2 men. and ranked seventh among tho
maskmen. Mclean ranked twelfth, VIII
son nineteenth and Hartley last
Meyers's best day behind the bat was
on September II. at Pittsburg. when
he caught four Pirates VINO tried 70
steal.
All told, there were LAO National
League players thrown out In attempt
ing TO steal second, third or home last
season.
The Philadelphia backstops turned back
l79 men. Chicagos 169, st. Louis's leS
Boston's 15l. Pittsburghs l5l, Brooklyn's
l4S. Cincinnatfs l46 and New York's i1
The catchers' record in this respect fol-
lows: Ave
Thrown per
ouf