Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-15
MANY TW|RLERS
SUFFER FROM
PRESENT RAT INC
By w. j. Macbeth.

JEW YORK. June l4.-EaCh year
m becomes more and more appar-
ent the injustice Of the present
methods Of compiling pitchers rec
0rds There is absolutely no way to-
gauge a twirler's ability in the cold
/ figures of victories and defeats. 1t
/ stands to reason a poor pitcher with
a champion club il likely to win more
games than perhaps would a cham
pion pitcher with a tail-end team.
Cy Falkenberg. THE elongated pitch
er from Cleveland furnished fitting
illustration during the recent visit to
the Polo Grounds of the dark horse"
Of the West. In the first game of the
series Falkenberg was lifted in the
seventh inning to allow Larry iajoie
to go to bat with the bases filed,
one out and Cleveland one run to the
bad. Now Larry didn't produce a
pinch blow for the human string
bean But Johnson, who followed.
upset Sweeney with an unexpected
bunt. precipitating an error to cap
. bone headed" throw To first which
resulted in two runs for Cleveland.
I Steen finished the game for Cleve-
[ land
Then arose the question as TO which
I cleveland pitcher was entitled to be
! credited with the victory. Ordinar-
| lily il would have made little differ
ence either way But here was an
exception FaIkenberg mdpfeated all
| season bad previously reeled off nine
straight triumphs. Evetyone was in
| terested TO KNOW whether he had ad-
| ded the tenth TO the list or whether
| his sprint had been momentarily
| halted by a decisionless afternoon
In such instances the official scorer
as rule used his judgment in de
| termining who Is most entitled to
victory. But in this case the official
| scorer VAS plainly up tree. He
/ appealed to the New York chapter of
| peared pretty evenly divided between
the pair.
THE Official scorer left the park
undecided He probably put the
| big question mp to President Johnson,
/ himself. Anyhow the public Is not
| likely TO know who gets the game I'M
IN the official averages are published
unless President Johnsonsis forced to
make a ruling in the event Of Fall
kenberg seriously threatening either
| the American on National League
/ records FOR consecutive victories.
I digeSted the case with Umpire
| Evans after the game.
1T is "a mighty peculiar situation,
said he. Technically. no doubt Fall
! kenberg was out of the game the
moment Lajoie went TO bat for hiTp
Now a man who is out Of the game
cannot very well figure as a hero in
victory But take the other side OF
| the case. Steen did not win more
than Falkeuberg When Falkenberg
vent out his team was one run be
I hind. but when Steen came i'm his
team was one run TO the good. Steen
only had to hold this advantage for
three innings. Falkenberg mitchell six
iuuingS-and brilliant bail. TOO / can
tell YOU. Now I do not know how
the matter will be decided. But If it
were left To me J should give 81 20
Falkenberg He really had more 10
90 In assuring the victory thTn had
Steen and the fact that ne did double
the work should favor him"
Nov there you are. Evans IS as
wise as they come He used good
sound common sense in his argu
mentS But still at the same time
arises the question Of teChnicality
And technicslity cost the Giants a
pennant in 1905. 10 will be remember
ed. John Heydler. Of the National
League decided Just such q question
in favor of Marquard last wear when
. NtA'' NitfttAH 'h"A' 'f''f .h.t''Ntht- ''''
ord run
Heydler. by the way last YEAR
evolved a very good scheme for tine
compilation Of pitching statistics It
is likely that this season be- viii use
this method entirely. doing away with
the unsatisfactory system now in use
of ranking the pitchers according to-
their winning percentages.
FRANK Chances struggle 20 rebuild
the New York Americans is fully
appreciated by New York fandOm
The Peerless Leader is going about
his task i'm a manner that will show
results In the near future. He has
gone right 20 the root Of a long
. standing evil and j. piucking the
trouble makers regardless Of seuti-
uent
IN Kidding himself Of Hs Chase the
r. l. accomplished a move that both
StaIhugs and WOlvertOn begged Far
rer he make Chase always was a
troublemakeT and as such genuinely
despised by his team mates. Had
rhis canker 20 the welfare ~ harmony
been removed when StalIiUg- first
suggested 60 the HiEhlanders might
. now nave been 2 champion instead
of d taL-end aggregation.