New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-21
More Baseball Confessions BY
Johnny Evers, of the BrapeS
Leach and Richie Worked
Clever Scheme to Catch
Runners Off Base.
MGINNITY HAD
HIS OWN SPECIALITY
Matty, with Quick Throw to
Merkle, Nabbed Many at
the First Sack.

the First Sack.
situation was Jimmy Sheckard. One
/ Of his heady plays that come to mind
| was pulled off in a game ct ST. Louis.
There were runners on first and sec
ond, with none out. The batter hit
short fly TO left, which Tinker could
/ have gotten with little or no effort.
/ But Sheckard, who was nearly as good
/ as an infieder as he was an Outfelder,
ran in on the ball yelling, 81 got it,"
! Tinker kept away from the ball, which
( barred the umpires from enforcing
/ the inield fly rule. Sheckard trapped
| the ball, while the runners on first
and second stood still Jimmy threw
/ the ball to me at second and all | had
! to do was to touch the man and then
/ put my foot on the base, and there
/ were two out. Another Of Sheckard's
| favorite plays Of outguessing the other
| fellow was with a man on first and a
/ ball hit TO left on the ground. On
! this sort Of a play the man on first
usually overruns second TO take ad
vantage of any slip that might let
/ him reach third Sheckard was well
aware Of this, and when the ball was
hit on the ground toward his terri
tory, he would come in at top speed
and make use Of his Unfolding ability.
! Picking up the ball cleanly, he would
throw straight TO second, and there
were many occasions on which | was
able to get the put-out on runners who
had overrun the bag and were unable
70 get back.
Clever Play OF Pirates.
! One of the clever plays Of the Pitts
burgh team in the days when Tommy
Leach was on third and Claude Richie
was covering second base for the
Pirates was bluff TO catch a man at
third and get one at second. The play
was usually attempted when there were
runners on those two bases, and some
times was worked when there were
none, one or two out.
A signal was given for a pitch out
and the catcher would snap the ball to
third. Without making any effort to
touch the man on that base. Leach
would make a quick relay to second,
and many times the runner was touched
off the base. The idea of the play was
this: When there are two men on the
bases as mentioned above, they usually
lead off as far as they think they safe
ly can. When the play is directed to
the man at third the runner occupying
second usually becomes absorbed in
that play and forgets himself. 1t was
this that enabled Richie to sneak up
to the bag and get the throw from
Leach.
Joe McGinnity, the former iron man
Of the Giants, had trick that trapped
} many a runner who was on second. His
first attempt to get the runner would
be a feeble one, usually a throw that
would hardly go to the second base
man.
On the next attempt he would turn
suddenly around in the box and pur-
/ posely throw the ball over the second
baseman's head. The centre fielder
was in on the play, and, coming in on
the ball, he would get it and shoot it
to third, as the runner usually took the
play for a wild throw and would dash
! for third as the ball sailed over the
/ second baseman's head.
One of the old tricks that Mathewson
was successful in working many. times
was his quick throw to first to catch
runner mapping and Merkle's quick re-
/ turn of the ball. On the first attempt
/ Matty would toss the ball to Merkle,
and as soon as the latter would return
it Matty would make a quick delivery
to the plate, apparently to prevent the
runner from getting a lead off the bag
The next time Matty would throw to
first, Merkle would make the motion TO
return the ball to the pitcher, but
would hold it, and the runner, anxious
to get his lead, would scramble off the
bag, only to be touched by Merkle.
/ In connection with this story il is
I timely to relate some Of the tricks
1 of the trade" that Ed Reulbach
''nursed" under his cap. Although it
D Is not generally known, Reulbach was
/ one of the real comedians of the game
/ When things were breaking badly for
| the old Cub machine IL was Reulbach
who could be counted upon to do
( something to liven things up.
As is well known, Reulbach, while
/ one of the great pitchers of the game,
was erratic in his work. At times he
was as wild as the proverbial hare and
at other times-well, some of his rec
/ ords show what he was at other times.
One of his favorite expressions was,
81 have a scheme" He used it so
much that it finally got so It was greet
/ ed with the chorus from the Cub
bench: What? Anotherl" There were
many times when Frank Chance tried
| " w SNFNit win NculDdCn, only TO
have Ed say, 81 have a scheme" All
hands knew that something impossible
was going to be voiced, and Chance
. would have to turn away to keep from
laughing.
Two of Reulbach's Schemes.
never Will forget two OF his
schemes" The Cubs were in Pitts
burgh one day, and it was Reubach's
turn to work. He warmed up for the
customary ten minutes before the game
and seemed to have a lot of stuff on
the ball AS soon as he stepped into
The box, however, he lost it all.
He walked the first five batters that
faced him. Chance punctuated these
passes with verbal comments. After
two runs had been forced in Chance
could stand il no longer. He walked
over to Reulbach and said: What's
the matter with you? Can't you Law
the ball on the plate? If you can't,
get out of the game"
81 have a scheme" replied Reulbach.
al haven't warmed up enough. Tell
you what to do, Frank. Ask Umpire
0'Day to call the game for ten min
utes while | go behind the stand and
warm up some more"
Exit