Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-02-02

TOO MUCH WORK KILLS PITCHERS

reer. For years j was rated as a big
fast ball was the extent of my stock
in trade. When / began to see my
speed going / learned a pretty fair
curve, and used it to considerable ad-
vantage late in my career. After /
learned the curve, the batters never
credited me with having one, and
kept constantly looking for the fast
ball / crossed many a good hitter
with a dinky curve when he was look
ing for me to cut loose with my speed.
/ never fooled much with the new-fang-
led deliveries. When the spit ball
was all the rage, experim ented with
it and developed pretty fair splitter,
but refused to use it, because / could
tell that 1t was hard on the arm. simp-
ly throwing it every now and then
during practise. -..
Walsh Depended on Spit Ball.
Ed Walsh, famous pitcher of the
Chicago White Sox, is perhaps best
entitled to be called the modern Iron
Man" of baseball Walsh really first
blossomed forth as star in 1906. He
gained fame through the use of new
style of delivery, the spit ball. Last
season, Walsh, after. nine years of
service, was regarded as all in. as a
pitcher, although ten years younger
than Cy Young when he retired.
Walsh was what might be termed a
spit-ball pitcher pure and simple. He
relied almost entirely on the spit ball
for success. He rarely used a curve,
and threw perhaps four spit balls to
every fast one. When at the height of
his career, it was freely predicted that
the excessive use of the splitter would
have an early bad effect, but Walsh
always insisted he suffered no strain
from throwing the moist delivery al
most constantly. ~. 4 !
In 1906 Walsh Jumped into promi-
nence as the Iron Man of the White
Sox pitching staff. He won II games
and lost Is, with very weak hitting
team behind him. In ten of his vic
tories he scored shutouts, and in ten
of his games he allowed five or less
hits. When the Sox won the IS
straight games, which put them in the
running and practically made it pos
sible for them to win the pennant,
Walsh worked seven games between
August and 20. He won four of these
games by shutouts, in two other vic
tories he allowed only one run, while
in the other win he was found for
four tallies, his teammates scoring
six. In 1907 Walsh was once again
the busiest pitcher in the league. He
won "a games and lost f8, acting as
rescue pitcher in ten contests.
Had BIG Year In 1903.
1t was in the season of 1908 that
Walsh caused the entire baseball
world to marvel by his ability for
pitching day after day. II was main
1y through his superhuman efforts
that the Chicago Grub was able to
keep in the pennant hunt. He took
part in Sc contests, almost half the
number played by bis team. He start,
ed 49, contests and in Is others went
to the aid of some faltering pitcher.
That year he led the league with 40
victories and Is defeats. He scored an
even ,donben shutouts himself, while in
six of his Is defeats his teammates
were unable to cross the plate. In
the. last nine days of the season, two
Of which were off days, he pitched
seven times, twice in one day. His
great work made it necessary for De-
troit to beat Chicago in the final game
Of the season in. order to beat the
White. Sox., The Tigers turned the,
trick. q
The following season. 1908. Walsh