Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-30
CRAVATH RATED
ABOVE SPEAKER
AS RUN GETTER
Philly Slugger's Average
Not So High, But the
Hits Count
DOPE ON WORLDS SERIES

From the Buffalo Commercial.
No phase OF the forthcoming worlds
series TIT between the Phillies and the
Red Sox has aroused more speculation
than the question Of the probable relative
effectiveness Of the big guns OF the rival
attacks, Iris Speaker, Of the Carrigan
crew. and Cactus Cravath, OF Moran's
Maulers. Countless arguments are being
wagod over the two, and doubtless count
less more will rage whenever fans gather.
until the series is history.
Figures, of course. never tell all the
story regarding the merits OF ball play
er or ball club. They can be juggled
TO show anything. But the batting figures
on the two rival swatsmiths, who will
meet In the blue ribbon struggles of the
diamond that begin in about 10 days, are
interesting TO a student or even an Or
dinary patron Of the pastime.
In the first place, mere batting aver
ages, would seem to make Speaker stand
out so far beyond his rival that COM
parisons we're idle. In point OF average
Cravath has not had one of his best
years. He has hit for mark of .279.
Speaker is second to Tyrus Raymond
Cobb, hitting for 1923.
An analysis Of the batting Of the two
rivals. however. throws a different light
on things. IL would seem to tip the bal
ance decidedly the other way, and make
Cravath the choice In estimating proba-
BILE effectiveness In the big series.
The Philly slugger has made 12s hits
yield the astounding total of 234 basesi
His record shows 20 doubles, triples
and ~ home runsl These were the flg-
ures up to September 90
Speaker to the same date had made 162
hits. They yielded him only 206 bases.
He made % doubles and II triples.
or course, there are those who will
maintain tnat the difference in the mum.
Der Of bases secured by Cravath is largely
due to the nature of the Philadelphia
ball park. Most Of his home runs, they
will tell you, were hit over the short
FENCES in Quakertown. They are right.
BUT-half of those worlds series games
are to be played in that same little park,
where Cravath has worked havoc on
twirlers of the National League.
To show how effective Cravath's Ions
distance swatting is 1t need only be cited
that Gavvy has been tied with Larry
Doyle for the run-scoring honors of the
National League. Can you imagine big,
numbering Cravath a champion run
scorer? Not il he had to work his way
around on singles and steals. But a home
run is always worth one tally and as
many more as happen to be on the bags
when tine hit is turned loose. 1t takes
quite number of singles to produce the
same result.
In short series hltkr like Cravath
Is as deadly as dynanlHe. Frank Baker
proved that conclusiVly to the satisfac
tion of the populaE and of Mathewson
and Marquard. Cravath is even a more
prolific walloper than the ex-Athletic
satellite.
Speaker is the Cobb type. And Ty, with
all his brilliancy and effectiveness through
a seasons play, has never been a star in
a worlds series. Speaker may upset the
grandolddope. 1t has received many a
jolt In baseball. Apparently. though, Iris
must yield the palm to Cravath, long-dis
tance swatsmith incarnate, PhiladelphIa
Pa.
From the Brooklyn Citizen.
Although Brooklyn fans regret the in