Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-23

was seen the next day that Miller
was credited with a hit. Personally, l
am glad OF IL. That play Is scored a hit
uay IN and day out. and I would not have
bcen satisfied had an exception been
mace IN order that 1 might realize my
ambition
In addition to the contest In ST. Louis,
there have been about four other games
this season when | Just missed my no.
MT game. / remember one against Brook
lyn when Wheat got the only hit for his
ciub In the eighth inning. In this in
stance ] was outguessed by the Superba
left helder I had been throwing curves
to Zack and he had been looking over
one or two. figured that this time
would slip the FIRST one over straight
and get him in hole so | could work
or him better He igured that | would
do Just what 7 did and was waiting for
the fast one. He cracked 1t in the middle
and 1t was as clean a hit as ever was
made
OUTGUESSED BY MERKLE.
In the game with New York on July
Fourth, when Merkle got the two-baggcr
which was the only hit credited to his
team, was outguessed again The
Giant had me in a hole, for the first I
pitched to him were balls. He took II
for granted that my control was good
and I would put the next one over. [
pitched fast one, and II was my in
tention to cut the inside corner. I did
not put the ball where l wanted It, for
It went straight over and he swung his
bat against IT as true as ever he did
IN his baseball career-result, a double.
The element OF luck is made more plain
by what happened in the two games men
| toned above. | pitched to Wheat and
| MeTkle just as I had pitched to them
! before, and as ! would probably pitch to
| them again, and IL was because they
| outguessed me that they spoiled my
| chances for a no-hit triumph.
| Naturally, all the fellows on our clut
! are anxious to see me win a no-hit or a
perfect game, and it is rather amusing
! to see how they act when l am on the
| road TO the accomplishment of my aim
| 1t is an old baseball superstition that II
| player happens to mention that the op
| ponents have not got bingle, they
| will get one soon afterward. Therefore
( the Phllies are careful to talk abou
| anything except the scarcity of hits
In S.. Louis that day, after each in
ming when l would come to the bench
they would begin to discuss the scor'
| of the game being played in Cincinnati
and other things that were happening II
the games being played. Not once tina
day was the word hit used on our benol
so that 1 heard it. And some of the fel
! lows seemed more grieved about Butler'
hit than l was.
The fans are not so particular. Th'
! game was not half over before they be
gan to shout at me that day i'm st. Louis
I was retiring the side in each inninl
with only three batsmen facing me, ant
heard one man with a voice that coul'
! be heard in East ST. Louis, across tn
| Mississippi, shout: Cant you coun
above three, Alec?" And along abou
the eighth inning they began to chee
and applaud every time a batsman wa
retired We had the game won and al
the spectators seemed to be pulling 70
me to land a no-hit victory.
1t is a fact that in some games whe
/ have just missed the realization of m
ambition, | have not had time to thin
about hits / have been compelled [
work hard on each batter because m
club was not hitting and either had n
runs or only one run. Although L ha
a pretty good idea that they had no
made a hit, | was too busy to give
much thought, even between innings
That was true in the game with Brook
lyn, where we had only one run, think
To assuage the fears of some of m
friends who think 1 may be wearin
myself out trying to win perfect game
I will say that there is not the sightes
danger of that. 1t is not often that
pitcher gets such a safe lead that he ca
ease up. Therefore, 1t is the first dur
of man to prevent the opponents fror
getting a man on first base. When
runner is on the paths, anything is likel
to happen to allow him to reach tn
. home plate. / would work just as har
when on the mound II such a thing as
) perfect game we're unheard of.
PREFERS CHICAGO CUBS.
might add that ! pitched a no-h
game when | was with the Galesbur
club in 1909. However. that was in
Glass y league. and, of course, does nc
appear in the record books. What
want is big league triumph.
Don't you agree with me, though, ths
: il was one of the saddest moments OF IN
| life when ! saw that hit OF Buffers sal
ing over my head in St. Louis? But If
live and my arm holds out and III
J goddess Of luck smiles on me, I'll Ian
that no-hit game. And | want II to b
J against one of the hatdest-hitting club
: I'm our league--the Chicago Cubs woul
suit me, for they are about the TOUCHES
! team for me to beat.
This IL the first Of n series Of articles
by Alexander on his experience In base