Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-03-11
Wonderful Career of Veteran
Pitcher Eddie Plank==-Only 80
Years, Is Years with Majors.


AT an age when man who has be-
gun to make his mark in any other
line OF endeavor in the business world
is referred to as the boy wonder"
the athlete who is still sticking in
the game is known the country over
as 1.-The grand old man of the game"
That 30-year mark is the point
dreaded by all athletes, and "30' has
come to have the same significance
in the sporting world as it has in the
Geographic world, where it is used as
the symbol of good night"
Here and there along the trail that
leads down the hill of athletic Prov
ess one cores to an occasional land
mark, some human monument to the
perpetuation of physical powers, who
has apparently been able to withstand
the ravages of time and retain his
athletic efficiency far beyond the pc
riod of which Old Pop Time has de-
creed that dissolution of such powers
shall be complete.
In the baseball world there has been
ity to turn back the hand of time than
has been shown by Ed Plank, the
great southpaw twirler of the Phila-
delphia Athletics, who last summer, in
his 3Sth year, at an age when most
ball players have long since been SHOW
ed into the "boneyard," handed Old
Pop Time a wallop on the chops by
coming through with the best season
of pitching efficiency that he has ever
shown in a long and honorable career
on the diamond, and topped it off in
the final game of the worlds series
with absolutely the most efficient indi-
vidual performance of elusive hurting,
everything considered, that has ever
been staged on any diamond.
The big leagues today contain but
two other players in active service as
old as Plank, these two being Hans
Wagner and Napoleon Lajoie, all three
being the same age, Wagner being
six months older than Larry" and Ed
But Plank's ability to withstand the
ravages Of time can be considered by far
the most remarkable, as his is a job
that requires the retention of physical
prowess in an organ that is generally
supposed to be the first of a ball play
er's physical makeup to show signs
Of advancing aSe-the arm, while Ho-
nus and Larry are still there mainly
through the continued acuteness of
their batting eye.
The record this wonderful left arm
of Plank's hurled out last season-in
its 39th year during which it aided in
winning its fifth pennant in the AM.
erican League-shows that 1t was out
there showing 'em up to the plate in
40 games all told, winning IT games
and being credited with the less of
10, the remaining Is combats being
largely in the nature of rescue duty
for the younger corps of Mackian
hurlers, for which Plank is neither
credited with loss or a victory in
the records
But one thing that the official rec
ords of the league do not show, and
that speaks more for the remarkable
manner in which Plank has been able
TO Withstand the ravages of time than
any mere record Of games won and
lost and forms ample evidence to the
effect that his victories We're not the
result of the remarkable hitting of
the MackiaD machine that he had
behind him. is the fact that he pitched
last year more low hit games than he
mas shown in any season since he first
broke into the game. He served in -
games in which he allowed but five
hits or less, without counting his two
grand worlds efforts, in the first of
which he held the Giants to four hits
and no runs through nine innings.
and in the second of which he held
the Giants to two safe pokes. Eight
OF his II victories were shutouts.
Prank became a big league pitcher
in 1901, coming to the Athletics in the
spring of the year direct from Gettys-
burg college without wasting any time
In the minor league schools.
Joining the Athletics in the spring
of 1901, a raw farmer youth. Plank
was given until May IS of that year
to get acquainted with the trolley cars
and get used to riding up and down in
the hotel elevators. On that date the
Athletics were playing against John
McGraw's team in Baltimore, the old
Oreoles, and when McGraw's missile
managers had hammered an Athletic
pitcher named Baker out of the box
in the seventh inning Manager Mack
decided that his new southpaW ought
to be we'll enough acquainted with city
ways by this time to show what he
had, so he stuck Plank in for his first
baptism of fire and in the remaining
two periods OF play Plank allowed
three runs to score on IL pass, n triple
and g. double.
Plank was then permitted to start
his first big league performance five
days later. on May Is, 1901. and pitch
ing the whole game, he beat Washing
ton by score of IL to 6, allowing out
six hits. walking four and striking out
five. Plank was batted out of the box
in his next appearance, but after this
he started in on a string of conquests
that soon caused him to be hailed as
the pitching find of the league all over
the circuit.
On May 81, 1901. lie held Milwaukee
to four safe hits, and three days lat
err, Decoration day, he showed that he
didn't scare at holiday crowds by beat
ing Cleveland with but four safe hits.
On his next trip out, June 8, he de-
feated Detroit with six hits and five
days later beat Detroit with four safe
hits. His sixth consecutive game in
which he nlInxyad Iacc tho,, h;tc