South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-08-27
PITCHER HIT IN
HEAD BY BALL IS
GIVEN AN ASSIST
Steps in Way of Throw to Sec
Ond But BaSerunner is
Caught Trying to
Reach Third.

NEW ORh, Aug. - - NlduuC
Berry. catcher for the Pittsburgh + eds
tells this one:
"One day while / was catching for
the Dallas. Texas, team runner on
first started to steal second. j pegSed
toward the base but our pitcher
Walker-had moved out of the box
after he delivered the ball, and walk
ed right into the throw.
The ball hit Walker on top of the
head, and as Walker dropped TO the
ground, bounded high i'm the air. The
runner had reached second by that
time and not seeing the ball in play.
raced for third. But our shOrtstop
saw the ball. caught il as ii came down
and whipped II to third in time To put
out the runner.
THE official scorer credited three
men With an assist. He gave me an
assist because l had made the original
throw. he gave one To the pitcher be-
cause his head had detected the ball
to the shortstop, and, of course, he
gave one To the shortstop for making
the throw to third"
Berry, by the way. is believed to be
the only catcher now in the big leagues
who jumped into a grandstand after
foul ball-and caught it. He per-
formed the trick when he was in San
Francisco in 1908.
Berry's other claim to fame is that
during the season of 19OS-1909 in Cal
ifOrnia-cOvering a straight stretch OF
II monthS=he caught 334 games,
while with the San Francisco team.
That means he worked nearly every
day for a year.
Neal Ball. once with the Indians
and Red SOX, broke a base runners
jaw with a thrown ball during a game
between the Bloomington. Ill. and Ce
dar Rapids, Ia, teams seven or eight
years ago.
Ball was playing second base. The
other team had runners on first and
third. A tipping grOunder was hit
toward Ball and the man on third
raced for home while the man on first
-O'COnnor by name-scooted for sec
ond.
Ball made 8 dazzling stop OF the
grounder and threw toward home.
O'Connor ran right into the ball. IL
caught him flush on the jaw and
broke the bone in three places.
One Of the most brilliant youngsters
in the Federal league is Johnny Tobin,
the fleet outhelder of the St. Louis
club
Tobin. who is 21 years old. was q
pitcher until the latter part Of the
1914 season. He played on the sand
lots and with some prep school teams
in st. Louis. In 1913 he was offered
a job with the Sloufeds and accepted
it.
1t was soon seen that Tobin's
physique could not stand the strain of
big league pitching. He was too
small and too light. But he looked
like 2 real ball player, and Fielder
Jones decided to try him in the out
field
Tobin was an immediate success as
an. OutfieldeT. He can cover ground
with the fieetness of a jack rabbit, he's
a wonderful fielder and thrOwer, and
he's one of the timeliest hitters i'm the
Gilmore circuit.
The determination of the Federal
league TO get managers who can make
their men play real baseball has
caused three shifts in club manage
ment since the 1915 season opened
Bill Phillips, who piloted the New
ark Peppers, was the first TO go. fol-
lowing an argument with one of his
bosses over the running of the team.
Larry Schlafy was next to walk the
plank, being succeeded at Buffalo 10y
Harry Lord. And now it is Lee Magee
Of the Rrnnlfp6C UhO his