The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-02-01

another Example,
Mike Donlin Started as Boxman.
One Of the inexplicable mysteries of
baseball is how and why SO many left
handed pitchers become famous as
great batsmen after their days of use
fulness as hurlers are over. And. on
the other hand, baseball history gives
the names Of very few right handlers
that became noted as willow wielders
and held jobs as such after their days
of effectiveness as boxmen were over.
The very first left handed pitcher the
game ever had and the father of all
the tribe, DR.. Lee Richmond, was a
famous swatsman and was used in the
outheld by several teams because of
his ability 10 hit the ball and hit it
hard. Mike Tiernan, the great hitter
of the New York Giants back in the
eighties and nineties, was signed by
the New York management because OF
his wonderful hurting for the Jersey
City club, then a member of the old
Eastern league. Herman didn't do
much pitching for the Giants, for his
pitching arm went wrong early in the
season of 1886 but his batting eve
made it possible for Mike to hold his
job. In short time he was a fixture
on the team and for many years after
ward was considered one of the best
batsmen in the country.
Cap Arson of the Chicago Nationals
brought George Van Haltren all the
way from California, believing he had
in him the greatest lefthander the
game ever had. George lasted about
three seasons in the pitchers position.
batting much better than he pitched
during the time. He came TO the front
as a finished batsman while member
of the New York Giants; in fact, he
was their star hitter for many years.
Van lasted nearly score of years in
the game after he lost his pitching
ability.
One of the games most famous bats
men pushed into the game by the pitch
ing route was Jesse Burkett, the man
who led the National league for three
seasons. He received his first job with
the New York Giants through his .abili-
~ to pitch, having stacked up wonder
full pitching for Worcester, then in the
old Atlantic league in 1880. Burkett
was strictly left handed person, so
much so that he had heaped upon him
the appellation Of the Human Crab"
However, Burlett failed as pitcher.
but be could swat the ball in a manner
most delightful In three seasons of
his career Burllett batted 400 and over.
Elmer Smith of Cincinnati was con-
sidered one of the greatest left handlers
in the game from 1887 until 1892. and
he was n wonderful huvler. In 1898
Elmer quit the pitching game and took
up swatung the ball as means Of
livelihood. 1t was the best move he
ever made during his baseball career.
for by his effective hitting he held
good jobs for many years on some of
the big teams, notably Pittsburgh and
Cincinnati. Billy George was signed
by the New York club as a pitcher
back in the late eighties. Billy was
horrible pitcher, but as batter he
stuck in the game for years and years.
When Cy Seymour was first discov-
cred he was Il pitcher of no mean rep
utation. ana New York signed him as
such. Cy wasted about five years in
trying to be pitcher He possessed a
batting eye that was worth Il mint of
money to any team but New York
didn't lind it out until Cy opened their
eyes to the fact by swatting the curves
OF all Manhattan hurlers TO the four
winds when member of the Cincin-
natl Reds, the team that the New
York management dumped Cy on with
an n. G. tag attached to him. After
starring for Cincinnati for several sea
sons ana hitting a 300 clip Seymour
came back to old New York. where he
ended his big league career as q reg
ular player For seven seasons he bat
ted 800 ana better.
Alike Donlin was taken out of a bush
league out in California during the sea
son of 1899 by the st. Louis Nationals.
Donlin didn't pan out as a hurler. In
one game he passed nine men to first
ana hit few more, but he made four
base hits, and this gave Tebeau his
cue. The young recruit could hit. and
so Patsey tried young Mike in the in
field. He made four errors at short in
one game. When he was tried at first
he wasn't there. but in the meantime
Donlin was swatting the ball in all di-
rections
Patsey got desperate and tried Mike
in the outfleid. He held, but il was
because he showed the stuff that pleas
ed his manager. Donlin made thir-
teen errors in less than fifty games in
center field. about twice as many err
rors as a finished outfelder would
make in three times that many games.
but what would any manager do with
young bear who could swat the ball
for 800 in his first season in the ''big
show
oher notable examples are Theodore
Breitenstein. Jesse Tannehin. Jake Wei
mer, Sam Crawford and Harvey.