The Washington herald., 1915-10-15


right down to an A'
argument. why should the National
League BE- the weak sister of the two
major circuits?
Both leagues possess the same
resources, scouts, equal advantage in
the draft, and about the same number
of sharp, shrewd managers, with
plenty of coin to back them up.
! AS a matter of fact the big leagues
are, and always will be, about on a
par, but when it comes right down to
| a world series there is one ball club
! which always stands out as the best
aggregation of the sixteen major
league aggregations, and this year the
Boston Red Sox had the edge"
There were those last season who
figured that the Philadelphia Athletics
could not be beaten. yet what hap
pened?
The Boston Braves cleaned UP in four
straight games How do you figure this?
When the Detroit Tigers battled the
! Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates.
which club won the verdict? If memory
recalls, it was the two National League
teams. while way hack in 1875 the New
York Giants kicked the tar out OF the
Athletics.
There is no doubt but that the Boston
Red Sox this season possessed the best
ball club in either league and the best
nall club won. but to say that the Amer
lean League is far superior to the Ma
| 4, -,-11, CT
facts although there are those who
claim that the first division teams In the
American Lea que this season could have
won a short series from the first division
! clubs of the older circuit.
ONLY actual conflict could settle such
questions.
The Phillies had bat one Grover Alex
"ndrr. The Red Sox had three. and that
Is why th,. Red Sox today rule as kings
of the diamond.
There are SOME who will say That the
I:ostonians won because they outciassed
the Phillies in every department OF the
game. but a study of the records and n
I..rusal of the stories will stamp that
statement as a libel
outside Of the pitching department, no
clubs ever We're so evenly matched. In
fielding the clubs were about on a par
in hase-running there was no choice:
behind the bat Burns shone as brilliantly
,s any of the Red Sox trio that per-
formed But in pitching the Red Sox
cxr-ll~d Their hurlers had the edge.
Ii WIS a slight one. yet it was enough
to carry them through to four straight
victories after they had lost the first
game and lifted them to the crest OF the
baseball world.
II was a tough series for any club TO
lose: the hardest fought and most BIT
terIy contested in the entire history or
the baseball classic. And it shall al
WAYS rank as the most sensational.
Three times the clubs went into the
ninth inning neck and neck and three
times fortune smiled upon the Red SoX
and enabled them. by timely hits. To
push over victory.
1t was series in which every game
! was in doubt until the last man was
out: series that was nc:"ve-racking for
the PLAYERS and the spectators as well:
a sensational series from that second
game on. and one that was lost simply
and solely because the Phillies could
not hit in pinches.
| Pat Moran pulled what seems to be
colossal homer In that deciding round
! of battling. On Tuesday in Boston the
Philles showed evidence OF having recov-
, cred their batting eyes They seemed due
! for a swatfest Wednesday. That seemed
hard to be the one real time for Moran
to work Grover Alexander: to hurl into
the breach the man who previously had
+held the Sox to three runs in two games.
But Moran tried a desperate trick-and
il failed. He showed In Mayer. saving
Alexander for the sixth game-the game
that never was played. The SoN belted
MAYER for six hits and two runs in two
and one-third innings. and then smashed
the offerings of Rixey often and far
enough TO win.
Had Alexander been on the firing line
for the Phillies in Wednesdays battle II
would have been safe wager that
those Red Sox never would have anna ssed
a total of six singles. one triple and three
home runs-and nothing short OF those
long and frequent hits would have won
that game for them.
The Phillles came back" with their
war clubs. but the come back" was
fruitless because their pitching defense
was weak: the weakest that had been
shown In the series. II Moran hadn't
made that reckless gamble with Mayer
but what's the use Of 'ff-ing." He gam
bled. he lost and the championship was
| won by Boston.
Cactus Cravath's miserable showing
at the ba: was the surprise OF the series.
| 1t was inability to hit with his usual
frequency that was one OF the main
| factors In the defeat of the Phillies. Cra-
vath was at the bat fourteen times and
gathered in just two hits for the woeful
average Of .1A. At least five times dur
ing the series Cravath walked to the
plate with q chance Of tieing up or win
| ming tho game with q hit, and on every
| occasion be failed.
Niehon. another Phillie who was ex.
pected to do some timely hitting. acquir-
ed just one lone single In sixteen times
] at bat. giving him an average Of .063