Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-22

ell, the former ST. Louis star, used the
splitter" with splendid results, but he
slso mixed it up with other styles. Old
Cy Young, one of the greatest pitchers
the game has ever known. and who
lasted more years in fast company
than any other pitcher, seldom used
the spit ball, but was shining exam
pie of the successful pitcher who de-
his ability to mix them up Young had
a great fast ball and ranked among
the speed" pitchers of his day. Bill
Dineen. now an umpire in the Amer
lean League, was known as curve
ball pttcher-that Is, he used this style
almost exclusively.
Pitching Conditions Different Now.
Much has been said and written about
the pitchers of the present day and
how they compare with those Of twenty
five or thirty years ago, but the condi-
tons are not the same now as they
were when such stars as Radbourne.
who pitched seventy-two games in one
season; Burlington. one of the greatest
twirlers of his day, and others were
in their prime. The rules on strikes
and balls, the pitching distance and
other features of the game have under
gone changes and revisions so that
there is little room for comparison of
the pitchers of the last twenty-five
years.
it proved just as big sensation as
the splitter" or the emery bali has
as to who discovered the curve but
the most authentic records credit the
discovery to Candy" Cummings, a
then there have been. many deliveries
discovered that there is an endless va
riety of ways of pitching a curve
nowadays. Several claim to have dis
bro was the first to make good with
it and ranked with Walsh as one of
the most successful in its use. The
emery BALL" which has been banned
kenberg when he was with Cleveland.
and 1t kept the lanky twirler and
Russell Ford in the American League
for several seasons. Both are now IN
ten by tire fans ON the big circuits
The emery BALI Is said to break four
directions. always opposite from the
way the roughened part o. the ball IS
Another new delivery 10 the fork
ball" which Standridgeso of the Chicago
Cubs is credited with bringing into
the leagye. This deii LIVER however,
member of the Phillies back in 1911,
and was used by him for a whole sea-
son. Hall now is with Salt Lake and
cess This ball Is delivered with two
fingers, no grip being taken with the
hand. and served with sort of a push
from the shoulder WHICH makes it
"eessstter," but with more speed be-
None of these freak" deliveries.
more than the "fadeaway'' invented by
Christy Mathewson: The "fadeaway"
has made big Six famous wherever
base ball is known, and no pitcher the
game has ever known has been more
Matty's best bet has been appropriated
by pitchers In the National and
American Leagues. but while some OF
them have become adept in the use Of
1t. 1t is doubtful X any will ever do as
much with it as the Giants star. The
| "fadeaway" is slow ball thrown with
fast motion. 1t rolls OF the opposite
side of the fingers from which 1t is
held and is delivered with a reverse
motion from that which Is used for a
curve and drops slowly as it reaches
the batter.
The "knuckle ball." which Nap Ruck-
err and several other pitchers used with
which Is heavy strain on the pitch
er's wrist and therefore one that IL not
| used much today. There are several
ways Of pitching this ball. which Is
exander is using this delivery at pres
ent and making good with 1t. The
"knuckler" is thrown straight and the
| ball floats up to the batter and does
| not rotate like curve or fast one.
| These freak deliveries are very USE
| full in the repertoire of pitcher who
! is successful in the big leagues today,
for II he can master all OF them he can
mix them up so that batsman can
never become used to his delivery. This
| Is what makes Alexander the wonder
| full pitcher he is today, for while his
curve undoubtedly is his most eff
fective ball, he can inject a fast one
| with as great a hop" as Walter John
sons; float up "fingernaii" ball with
all the skill Of the man who first dis
covered 1t; use a splitter" with the
breaks Walsh got on IT.; "fadeaway''
with the cunning and control of a
Mathewson-fn fact, any kind of de-
| livery that any other pitcher can use
has been mastered by the Philiies' star
imoundsman.
! 1t is his ability to use this great va :
riety OF styles that not only places
| him about in a class by himself but
| promises to enable him to go on pitch :
| ing for many more years In order to
] get results from these various styles
pitcher must also have great COM