Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-27

The aftermath, or post-mortem, is usual
ly very unpleasant duty, except where
it concerns base ball, says the Detroit
News. If there is anything the average
base ball fan likes next to the actual
playing. it is! the discussion of the why's
and wherefores of the game after it Is
over. The world series just concluded
has been the subject of columns upon
columns of comment and millions of
words of discussion. yet nobody has yet
been satisfied as to the reason why Man.
ager Mack of the Athletics failed to re-
place Eddie Plank with a pinch hitter In
the ninth inning of the game against
Mathewson on the second day Of the Sc
ries.
The reason why they have not been
thoroughly satisfied is that they are not
ready to believe that Manager Mack act
ed from q purely sentimental standpoint.
Yet this is true, though the stand he
took was also tinged with desire to
keep untarnished a record he has proudly
held up through three previous world $
series, that of never having taken q
pitcher from the box. Only once has an
Athletic pitcher failed to finish a world S
series game in which he started. and that
was two years ago when Jack Coombs
badly injured himself in game against
New York and was forced to go to the
hospital, Plank taking his place.
Plank One of Standbys.
From the sentimental standpoint Man
ager Mack was undoubtedly right. Plank
has been one Of his standbys for twelve
years He had openly announced that 1t
was his last series with the Athletics,
and it would have been a heart-breaker
for him to have been relieved. The Ath-
letics astute leader is usually looked
upon as a man who is all business, but
those who have followed his record know
that he has favored sentiment so much
that at times he has been the loser.
| He has held to veterans and given lee
way to his old favorites to such an ex-
tent that at times it proved a severe him
drance, yet In the end he has always
been amply repaid for the loyalty. In
the case of Plank in the recent series this
was borne out, for the veteran southpaw
would have pitched his heart out rather
than lose the final game, in which he
/. held the Giants down to two hits.
Record in World Series.
+ The Plank discussion points out won
derful record that Manager Mack has
made in worlds series contests, and men
toned one Of the reasons why he was sc
opposed to change In that famous ninth
inning. The Athletics under Mack have
participated in twenty-one worlds series
games, in 1905, 1910, 1911 and this year
In all these contests Mack has made only
| one change, that being the CoOmbs sub
stitution mentioned above. Even there
| sentiment entered, for Mack let COombs
| remain in the box two innings after his
| injury because the big hurler begged tG
| be allowed to win the game. He was per
mitted to remain until the Giants tiet
| the score, where a relief pitcher could
have won the contest.
Only Five Pitchers Used.
| In these twenty-one worlds serie.
games, spread over the long stretch o.
eight years. the Athletic leader has made
the remarkable record of using only five
pitchers. They were his three great vet
| erans Bender, Plank and Coombs; Bush
| the young star who won the third game
| from the Giants this year. and Andrew
Coakley, who twiried a losing gam,
against the Giants in 1905. That means
| that over a period of eight years Plank
Bender and Coombs divided the other
nineteen games.
Jack COombs is the most consistent
worlds series pitcher in the land. In two
series he won four games without q de-
feat, taking three from the Cubs in 1910
when he was backed by terrific hitting
and winning one from the Giants before
he broke down. Chief Bender has wor
six games and lost three. He dropped q
game to the Giants in 1905, and won the
only game the Quakers took In thai
series. Against the Cubs in 1910 Bender
won and lost, and year later lost the
first game to the Giants against the pitch
ing of Mathewson. He then came back
winning two games and finishing up the
series after Coombs had been injured.
Plank the Hard-Luck Pitcher.
Plank has been the hard-luck wtrld',
series Qatcher for the Athletics, and FOL