Evening journal., 1914-11-14


The pitching problem is by all odds
the most difficult in the analysis of
an All-American team. Alexander is
perhaps more clearly entitled TO a
place than any other twirler in either
league. AleXander's work has been
consistently good, his victories hard
won. his defeats largely undeserved.
With an erratic club behind him he
has proved a consistent winner, one
Of the hardest and uniformly best
pitchers of the season. James has
natural gifts that should make him
one OF the grandest pitchers in. the
world This season his record was
"A phenomenal one. but James is too
young, too inexperienced to rank
yet as a really great pitcher. He has
the gifts, he will get the experience.
It is noticeable that Stallings uni
versally pitched Rudolph in a crisis
throughout the season in preference
TO James. This was solely because
of Rudolph's great experience, his
more intimate knowledge of base
ball affairs.
Experience Is an asset not easily rec
ognized in pitchers work, but it is an
invaluable one. James can well afford
to wait for the laurels that will inevi-
tably be his with a little more season
ing.
Rudolph, with all his craft, has
scarcely enough mechanical ability to
make him one of the three greatest
pitchers of the year. With his various
defeats, largely a combination of cir
cumstances and weak support, we are
inclined to prefer Mathewson to either,
realizing to the full the popularity
which inevitably goes to the pennant
winner, and above all the champions OF
the world. Rudolph and James were
great at the climax of the year-Math-
ewson through the bulk of the heavy
work, and there is no gain-saying the
value Of Mathewson's performances,
marred as they were by run of mis-
fortune at the seasons close.
Tho American League. while it pos
sesses uniformly high standard Of
pitching skill, presented no commanding
figure. Leonard was the most consist
ent winner, all things considered, but a
man to be set aside for chief honors for
largely the same reasons that impel us
TO pass over the remarkable showing ot
James. Bender and Plank were great
pitchers. when at their best. though
their winning percentage was largely
the result of their association with a
strong club. Neither was able TO take
part in pitchers full portion OF
games.
We believe with all his defeats, most
of them close, that johnson was the
most valuable American League pitcher
of 1914. No doubt this claim may be
contested, but it is inevitable in a race
which presents so even balance OF
pitching merit. that q number of CON
testants are carefully punched at the
close. Johnson. as we have seen.
pitched more games than any other
twirlcr in either league. Hc won more
games than any other pitcher and
while his victories were TO certain
extent offset by large number of de-
feats, these defeats were in a majority
Of cases the result of weak hitting
and crratic fielding on the part OF his
teammates. II is not alone the number
Of victories won which determines a
pitchers worth This principle is sc
readily recognized that victories nc
longer play part in the rating OF
pitcher, according to the American
League, and are generally superseded in
the National League by the more com
mon sense methods of earned runs.
Neither of these systems is conclu.
sive, but both must be taken into con
sideration in conjunction with a pitch
er's all-around merit. johnson struck
out more men than any other twirlel
by a wide margin. He allowed fewel
hits per game than any of his impOr
tant rivals. Only on the rarest Occa'
sions was he knocked out of the box
he was, throughout, even with his ten
dency to wildness, on the whole, thu
most dependable pitcher in the league
and, in speaking of his wildness, in the
46 games which We're divided betweei
his won and lost column. allowed bl
70 bases on balls. whereas James al
lowed ll3 in a much fewer number o
games. Even Alexander allowed %
approximately the same as johnson, al
though he pitched several games less.
johnson pitched 10 games wheren
he allowed i've or less hits per game
10 three such games for AIathewson an'
five for Alexander.
There is a universal tendency TO mn
derrate a man if he is showing is infer
ior to that made in previous season
The fact that Johnson's work was no
as good as in 1918, however, is no
sufficient to deprive him of plac
among the three leading twirlers OF tn
year.