Omaha daily bee., 1915-12-05
DAVENPORT BECOMES A STAR
Long Dave Turns Out to Be One Of
Greatest Hurlers in Game After
Leap from Cincy.
PITCHES A NoH1T COMBAT
DE- FnANK q. MENKE.


NEW YORK, Dec. 4.--Daye Davenport
OF the st. Louis Feds ranks today as
one Of the greatest pitchers the game
ever produced. And Davenport's star is
still ascending.
You haven't heard much about him In
general way because when he was
with the Cincinnati Reds he was 20 wild
that he was just mediocre. and since his
jump to the Gilmore circuit his achieve
ments seem to have escaped country
wide attention.
Davenport Is six feet and six inches
tall He weighs about 80. has an arm
like steel rod, hand that simply
smothers the ball and a physique that
would enable him to pitch every other
day In tho season. II necessary.
Davenport broke into tho majors a few
years ago through the Cincinnati Reds
route. He showed binding speed from
the start. and he had a dazzling assert
ment OF curves. But he was shy on con-
troll. When he let go OF the ball no one
knew just where It was going to land.
'Tf Davenport ever learns control he'll
be pitching wonder" declared the Gin
clnnati critics And then Davenport
Jumped to the st. Louis Feds and into
the waiting arms Of Fielder Jones, one
OF the greatest developers OF pitchers In
the country.
Jonea Taught Him Control.
Jones labored long and patiently with
Davenport In an effort to curb that wild
streak. When Davenport started Off
the last season he had better than fair
control--but he wasn't perfect Jones
kept coaching him throughout the sea-
son, and when the latter part OF August
came around Jones figured that his serv-
ices as teacher no longer were neces-
cary.
II guess Davenport IL ready to SLOW
the boys some real pitching" said Jones
"He can handle the ball now"
on September Davenport pitted his
mighty right arm against the Chicago
club and held them hitless On the 10th
he allowed Newark only two hitsi en-
the nth ne yielded but two against
brooklyn; on the 22d Baltimore secured
only three hits off his delivery, and two
days later Davenport let Buffalo down
with three hits.
cne no-hit game. two two-hit games and
two three-hit games in one month-thats
pavenport's record. Adding to the glory
Of Davenport's 1915 work is the fact that
on July 81 he allowed Buffalo only one
hit shutting them out. and on April is
he allowed Chicago only three hits.
During the season Davenport pitched
nine shutout games in tho forty full
games in which he participated. In ad-
dition 10 those forty full games he acted
as relief pitcher In fifteen others. work.
ing IN fifty-five games altogether. In one
OF the relief games he went In IN the
third inning and allowed only one hit
during the remaining six innings. In five
other relief games IN which he worked an
average OF four Innings he did not allow
hit.
Davenport's record for the season shows
fifty-five games participated In. twenty
two won and eighteen lost. for an average
OF $50.
Lost His One-Run Games.
Davenport Is hard luck pitcher
The breaks never favor him. He never
can count on luck - factor In bringing
him victory. II he wins Il is by sheer
pitching power alone. Almost one-half
OF Devenport's defeats last year were by
one run margins AZ least three times
he held the opposition to one run through
out the nine innings. only TO lose because
kis team failed to score,
A considerable pitcher Is Davenport.
end II he begins the 1915 season where he
left off this fall, the opposition bRtters
probably will move TO have him excom-
municated from the league.