New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-20
CRAVATH GAVE HIM
RUN FOR HONORS
George Burns, of the Giants,
Excelled in the Art of Clear
ing Bases with Triples.
BY ERNEST J. LANIGAN.

MS nearest competitor, lUO.
Being accounted the best man at bat
ting in runs in the National League was
no new experience for the Quaker lead
er, as in 1910 his name was at the top
OF the list. Crayath led last year, then
setting highwater mark for runs
batted in-namely, 1919. Frank Wildhre
Schultz, of the Cubs, hit in 12l in 1911;
Magee, ll6 in 1910; Wagner, 100 in
1908; Wagner, 102 in 1909; thinner
man, SO IN 1912, and Wagner, 81 in
1907. The batting crown, therefore,
has been worn by the Phillies thrice,
by the Pirates thrice, and by the Cubs
twice.
Heinie Zimmerman and Jack Miller
made bold effort to enter the century
class, the Cub putting the finishing
touches to 50 counters and the Cardinal
to 80. Wheat, ranking fifth, was Brook
lyn's ablest hitter in the pinches;
Smith, ranking seventh, Bostons;
/ letcher, ranking ninth, New York's;
Viox, ranking twenty-second, Pitts
burgh's, and Niehoff, ranking twenty
seventh, Cincinnati's. OF these men
Zimmerman ,alone excelled for his
team the previous season, though in
1913 Miller, then a Pirate, set the pace
The team that would have worried
the pitchers most, according to the
runs batted in statistics, would have
Magee, Cravath and Wheat in the out
field; Zimmerman, Miller, Smith and
Schmidt in the inheld, and Cooper and
Meyers as the battery. On this myth
ical combination there are three hold
overs from 1913-Crsvath, Zimmerman
and Meyers.
There were twenty-five National
Leaguers who knocked in fifty or more
runs last season, as against twenty
nine the preceding campaign. A man
who fell off greatly in timely stick
work was Ed Konetchy, Of the Pirates.
In 1913 he had batted in seventy-four
runs. Last season ffty-two was his
limit.
The moment the season started Ma
gee started to make himself pernicious-
ly unpopular with the pitchers. He
jumped "Rube" Marquard for a pair of
homers on opening day and then batted
in six runs. This mark was thrice
equalled, but never beaten. Heinie Zim-
norman batted in six runs on May 81,
in game against st. Louis, Perritt
and Niehaus pitching; Magee made o
carbon copy of his opening day ex-
plot on September 9, against Boston,
Cocrehan, Crutcher and Strand pitch
ing, and twelve days later Cutshaw
duplicated the Magee-Zimmerman per-
formances in a contest with Cincinatti,
Benton pitching. The greatest num-
Der of runs knocked in by National
Lacquer in 1913 also was six.
Eight times during the year men
hammered home a quintet of tallies,
Cravath accomplishing the feat thrice
and these men once each: Wheat, STEM
gel, GowGy, Cutshaw and Whitfield. Cra-
vath's performance OF September IL
availed his team nothing, since it was
beaten By the Braves, to 5.
The trick of batting in four runs in
games was turned twenty-nine times,
twenty-five men doing the turning.
Beals Becker and rabbit" Meanwhile
each knocked in a quartet of tallies
thrice, Charley Deal, Owen Wilson and
Vic Safer ach had two sue accom-
plishments to their credit, and these
men each one: Fred Luderus, Sherwood
Magee, George Whitfield, Joe Connolly,
Charley Schmidt. Jack Miller, linn
Beck, John Hummel, Zach Wheat, Char
ley Stengel, Wilbur Good, Heinie Zim-
norman, Bert Niehoff, Ed Konetchy,
Max Carey, Hans Wagner and George
Burns.
Forty-five cleanup blows were struck
that cleared the bases of their three
tenants during 1914, these noble wal
lops comprising a pair of singles (both
made off the same pitcher, Crutcher, of
Boston,, a dozen doubles, two dozen
triples and seven homers. The athletes
who knocked HON. three men with one
spots were both Quakers, Magee and
Cravath. The cleanup doubles were
inserted into controversies by thinner
man, Hoblitzell, Hess, Merkle, Whitfield,
Archer, Meanwhile, Paskert, Gowdy,
Connolly, Niehoff and Fletcher. Hess
lost the game in which he distinguished
himself by clearing the bases by a
score of to >, the Cubs assembling six
TALES before he had recovered his
breath.
At manufacturing triples when there
were three on no National Lacquer was
in the same class with George Burns.
The Giant struck three such blows, all
within a space of fifteen days. His
first hit of this kind was off Sallee, his
second off Harmon and his third off
Charley Smith. Each smash meant a
for the McGrawites, who then
being the time when the Braves were
expected to crack under the strain.
Zacharias David Wheat poled a cou-
pie of three-ply wallops that came when.
the bases were full, picking on Pirate
pitchers as his victims. Hit No. | was
off AL Mamaux, blow No. off Bob
Harmon. Brooklyn won each game.
The other players who drove in three
hx, nj I L.
Leonard, Roy Miller, Owen Wilson,
Charley Stengel, George Cutshaw,
Jimmy Viox, Charles Schmidt, SANDY"
Piez, Max Carey, Joe Connolly, Fred
Luderus, Arthur Fletcher, Bob Bescher,
Lee Magee, Claude Derrick, Jimmy Law
ender, Frank Allen and Larry Cheney.
Bescher had the satisfaction of making
his timely triple against his old team.
rabbit" Meanwhile was the lone Ma
tionsl Lacquer OF the year TO hit for
the full distance twice when the sacks
were congested. He picked as his prey
the southpaws being Jim
Vaughn and Harry Sallee. Sallee was
also nicked for a four-bagger when
three were on by Cutshaw. Don Carlos
Patrick Ragan yielded trio of four
baggers just when they would put the
enemy in possession of four runs.
Konetchy made the first, Zimmerman
the second and George Whitfield the
third. George Burns made st. Johns
Vile, N. Y, the residence of a hero by
tearing off a circuit rap on September
8, when Bill Steele was pitching for the
Superbas, and when the psychological
moment was at hand. The leaders Of
the National League in driving in runs
last season were as follows:
Safe Sac. In6ed
Plsyer and club. hits. 1les outs Total.
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