The Washington times., 1914-02-01

.
Washington team, and I consider him
the greatest in the. world.
He combines everything that a sue
cessful .twirier needs. He has a fine.
fast-breaking curve and he is famous
for his speed. i do mot Iexaggerate when
say that his fast one mas been SO
good on a dark day that have never
| seen the ball pass me and am only
aware of the fact because / nave heard
Il strike the catcher's glove. He also
has the smooth, even, unexcitable tenn
peranlent found in all the best pitchers.
Nothing orries or irritates him. He is
afraid OF no team or no hitter. He
knows he has the stuff. and he goes IN
the box to win. His opponents make
| little difference to him. johnson also
has very sound sense.
| Like most young pitchers, when he
| hrst came to the Washington club ne
/ was eager to make great record and
sensational start for himself, and ne
/ all he had on every ball he pitched, and
| would go through the games right along
| with the hits against him totaling less
tEan flve. His club got to figuring that
one run was enough to win for them
with Johnson pitching, and with this
margin they would quit hustling for
runs.J Pitchers on opposing teams would
duck the assignment to go into the box
against the Washington wonder. plead
| ing sore arm or some other alibi, but
4
J which helped to beat them before they
| started-and not being anxious to have
an almost positive cavity put into their
! records without even the chance of a
I run for their money. Even now, when 9
pitcher beats Johnson. it is hard to con-
/ vince him that he Is not the wonder OF
| the world.
But johnson has changed his tactics
recently, and is saving himself. He is
ambitious TO last a record length OF
/ time at h{s chosap profacqto,, apd non-
tinue to drawn down his record salary
| for some years to come. A few seasons
ago he roasted some of the players for
not hustling harder to get runs behind
him when he was in the box. He was
talking to me about this one day last
summer.
Il used to hand them everything 1
carried all the time, no matter what the
situation was,' he told me. But, tax
ing. tip from Griffith and other wise
Plank, 1 have laid or giving them both
barrels at all stages. II have a COM
Portable lead, 1 slow up. They make
runs for the other twirlers, why
shouldn't they for me?'
When he slows up, he is better than
most OF them at top speed. There has
been a lot Of talk about the Athletics
stealing battery signs, and will have
more to say about this in a subsequent
article, but If they want to get signs
they are welcome to the information. I
would not take signs against him II
they offered me double the salary. get
for doing 1t. What good would the
money do me If I was only fit for the
undertaken? l don't want to be tipped
or to a curve and be up there set for
it, only to be greeted by a fast cne,
from which there is no opportunity to
get away with Johnson throwing the
ball. I'd hate to have him bean" me.
Matty Grand Performer.
OF course. have never batted against
Mathewson, but have seen him pitch
frequently, and he is one grond per
former. In the last two worlds series,
he gave some wonderful exhibitions of
pitching and nerve with his team
crumblinG and throwing him down be-
hind him. He has had things go against |
him in such a way that the nerve of SO |
have been broken under the same cir |
Cumstances. But he keeps right on
working.
The exhibition he gave in the last
worlds series while pitching against
Plank in the second game in Phfladel-
phia was nothing short of marvellous,
and probably the best single piece of
pitching l. have ever seen. With three
men on the bases, and none out in the
last half of the ninth, and with just
OIlc run heeOeu ny TIE AInleIlCS TO WIN,
he kept the plate clean. Mind you, he
did that with his team nervous, shaken.
and practically conceding defeat behind
him, and having no evident faith in his
supporters. himself. 1t is my opinion
that il those balls which retired two
runners at the plate had been hit to
any other infielder than the veteran
Wiltse, who was playing first base as
e substitute that day, the Athletics
would have won the series in four
straight games. because all the rest Of
McGraw's infielders were up in the air
at the time. Matty is probably the
greatest money pitcher that ever lived.
but Johnson is the greatest pitcher Of
them all today without any qualifica-
tions to his title Of king.
Most successful pitchers have a good
move toward first base to hold UP run