The Detroit times., 1913-02-25
Veteran Twirler Of Athletics
Lost But Two Games Right
fully Last Year
IN THESE ONLY DID
HITTING BEAT HIM OUT
In the Others He Lost Iif.EuCN
Was a Big Factor in the
Losses
BY CHANDLER D. RICHTER.

EDDIE Plank mas announced tnat ne
Will again be- q member OF the Ath.
Utica. Headlines TO this effect ap-
country, heralding the decision OF the
most consistently brillianh .lcIt-hand'
ed pitcher the game ever knew
Columns have been written about
the marvellous work OF this pitcher.
who smashed old tradition to smith
) Greens. Baseball men had always
commended that southpaw outlived
his usefulness In five or six years.
None OF the reasons ever given were
satisfactory. but the fact remains
. that southpaws- have always en-oh
the wane after half dozen terms.
particularly II they remained with
: one club during that period.
While Eddie Is being applauded as
marvel for his sensational work
last season. which was the best dur
ing his IL years with the Mackmen.
but few really appreciate what Plank
did during the 1912 campaign
Oficial records credit Plank with
% games won and six lost for a per-
centage OF .8l3. Joe Wood Of the
Red Sox. was the only man to better
this record. Joe finishing the season
with "a games won, and five lost, for
a percentage OF 1872.
Looking over the figures. Wood 8
record appears to be much better
one than that OF Plank but such ls
not the case, as the writer will try TO
prove. After dissecting the record or
Wood. we find that Joe did not lose
a single contest that could be charged
against a teammate. but three ,iYl-
earned runs being tailed by oppon-
ents OF the Red Sox when Joe lost.
and these were not made at critical
moments.
or course, one will argue, and sens
ibly, that miscues at critical periods
ere all breaks Of the game, and that
just as many lucky breaks occur for
the pitcher, but Plank had an unusual
bunch of bad breaks.
Four OF the six games lost by
Plank last year were thrown away
BY the Mackmen In the ninth inning.
This IA indeed q most unusual thing.
we're due to the clouting ability or
his opponents, which We will also try
10 prove conclusively.
WIN inc NulCdSO Nuitc SOA o"i
~ the American league. Plank would
have surpassed Wood with ease
Three OF the six defeats sustained by
he wonderful southpaw were at the
lands OF Galatians crew OF hitless
wonders, and all were decidedly fiuky
wins for the Windy City clan.
The strange part Of this inability To
win from the White Sox lies In the
fact that this club had been the
easiest in the American league fer
plank during the 10 previous seasons.
In the past game against the
White Sex with plank pitching was
Utmost counted IN the won column for
the Mackies before the contest
started.
In the days OF Fielder Jones, Danny
Green, Frank Isbell, George Davis,
Lee Tannehill, Gus Dundon, Pat
Dougherty and others, Plank and
Waddell could stand the pale-hosed
champions on their heads.
Chicago was winning pennants in
those days, but were marks for Plank.
: Frank Isbell did the club-swinging
act three or four times In every game
Plank twirled, while Danny Green was
absolutely scared to face Plank's
crOssfire. which was something new
In the repertQire OF sOuthpaw ID
those days.
From the day he broke into the
American league, back in the early
June of 1901, Plank held the White
Sox In the hollow Of his hand until
last season, and he would have had
them again had his teammates not
fallen down. During this period
Plank succeeded in trimming the
sensational Ed Walsh more times
than any other individual IN base
bali. Walsh himself says that Plank
ia the toughest pitcher TO beat that
he has ever opposed.
To get back to earth and the rec.
ord. we will start with the first VIC
tory OF the Sox over the Mackies with
Plank on the firing line for the Nc
Gillicuddies. This game occurred on
Nav IL, and resulted in 3 to win
Tor Callahan's clan.
In this contest the Mackies were
leading by the score of to at the
start of the eighth inning. in this
session the Sox tied the score on er-
rors after the side should have re-
tired. In the ninth inning Eddie Col
Inns uncorked wild throw and Baker
permitted a grounder TO roll through
his legs with two men out. Four
runs followed and caused Eddie's first
defeat Of the season.
On July Ii, at Shibe park, Eddie
had the Sox shut out until the sew
enth inning, when Collins made Wild
heave which permitted three men TO
tally and tie the score. The teams
went along on even terms until the
ninth inning, when Walsh was substi.
tuted for Frank LANCE.
Two men we're ont In Chicagos half
~ this inning when Rath beat out an
infield bit. Lord rolled an easy
grounder TO Collins, who failed to tag
Rath on the line, and then threw into
right field. Rath scoring from first on
the heave. To make II still harder
on Eddie. the Mackies filed the sacks
in the, ninth with nobody down. only
20 have Baker and Mclnnis fan and
strunk roll to Walsh for the third
out,
Against the same White Sox on
Aug. IL, in Chicago. the Mackmen
tossed another game away in tho
ninth inning for. Plank. Tn this oc-
casion the Macks led by one run &C
he start OF the last half Of the ninth.
Once again two men we're retired