The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-05-10
CUB TEAM HARD
ON S0UTHPAWS
.Chicagoans Defeat Every
Left Handler They Have
Faced Except One.

CHICAGO, May 1O.-Why is 1t that
a southpaw is supposed to be invinei.
BILE for a man who stands on the
first base side of the plate?
Satisfactory ,answers have never
been given to this query. Many men
affiliated with the sport have declared
THAT there should be no more differ.
ence than when a right handed bat
ter faces a right handed twirler. Yet
there seems to be. a distinct difference
las a portsider is usually found to be
extremely effective against a club
containing three or more s%outhpaH
swtngers. This, however, is not al
ways the case.
The Cub team has dispelled the
idea that left handlers are strong
against left handed batters. This
spring the Chicagoans have defeated
every southpaw they have faced with
the exception Of me-. And in more
than half of the games in which the
Cubs have performed they have had
to contend with ,portsiders.
That left handed batsmen should
be effective against portsiders is the
opinion Of two OF the greatest pitch
ers of that style in the National lea
que. Jim Vaughn of the Cubs and
Harry Sallee of the st. Louis Nation
ais declare they know no reason why
a left handed batsman should not bat
= = .r{f,, = . na Ezck khnfr nHnFinDu aSl
do men who stand on the third base
side of the diamond.
81 find it as hard to pitch to a left
handed batter as l do to the other"
said Vaughn. LEFT handed hitters
seem to think that they cannot hit
our benders, and, in my belief, that
is the only thing that keeps them
from batting consistently. They get
the same balls to hit at that a right
handler does. 1t is true the curves
break differently to them, but hat
should not'make SO vast a difference.
What would become OF hitting II
right handed hitters felt the same to-
ward right handed pitchers? Why,
there would not be any, and the game
would be ruined by too much atrttght
twirling."
II do not fear a left handed hitter
because I know he fears mt" said
Sailese of the Cardinals. Nearly all
of them imagine they cannot a
southpaws, and that is where they
are beaten before they step up TO
the plate. If a left handler makes up
his mind, he can hit southpaws heScan
do SO. 1 do not say he will get q hit
every. time he comes up, but 1t IS a
certainty he will do better than for:
merly. The fact that they are weak
against left handlers is mostly tmagin-
airy. Safer of the Cubs bats south
paws as well az he does the others
because he learned when he entered
the league th%atltheres Is no difference
Manager Bresnahan Of the Cubs
holds the same opinion on the cues
Ition as do the two pitchers, dsis
unable5to giyela reason why left hands
led {batters cannot hit southpaw piteni
Eing. He belieyesJthey should, andlhas
kconvinceds his players Good, sehulte,
Safer and Williams, that they can
IIsIug left handed pitching as well as
the other; and they have been doing
he with consistency. The fact ttnat
each one has made more than hatt
'ofFhis fapsso on asldewheelers tssproot
iofs that's land falsosbearss out the theory
that as left handed batter should not
be dsplorably weak against south
paws, Observation-Disclosures hmsswhenl
right handed batters cannot nut tnenf