Evening star., 1915-08-01
BY ERNEST J. LANIGAN.

Walter Maranville of the Braves will
have to hustle if he again intends TO
lead the major leagues in starting
double plays. Last season the RABBIT
set a new record by making the Initial
move in fifty-eight duplex killings, all
prior performances being knocked into
1nfinitesimal smithereens. The mystic
words, 'Maranville to Evers TO
Schmidt" haven't appeared in the sum-
maries of the box scores nearly as ire
uuently this season at last, one reason
of course, being the long absence OF
Trojan Johnny Evers from the Braves
line-up. Now that the X. X. again is
playing regularly the probabilities are
that Springfield, Mass.'s, notable con-
tribution to the list of base ball heroes
will get busy and go out and overhaul
the able athletes who at present stand
credited with having instituted more
double plays than he has.
Said able athletes are Shortstops
Roger Peckinpaugh Of the Yankees. John
Lavan of the Browns and Charles Her
zog of the Reds, these men and the
Rabbit being the only pastimers who
have passed the quarter century mark
In starting two-ply killings. The two
American Leaguers each have put thlr-
ty in motion, the leader OF the Heos
has made the first move in twenty
eight and the private of the Braves
follows along with twenty-seven An
oddity regarding the double plays man
ufactured by the world champions TINS
year is that up to Wednesday not one
had been started by Evers.
Thus far this season nine players
have instituted twenty or more dou-
bic slaughters. the other men being
Arthur Fletcher of the Giants ana
Of ha
shortstops, and Bert Niehoff of the
philli.s, Larry Doyle of the Giants and
Derrill Pratt of the Browns. second
basemen. Fletcher has started twenty,
three NiehoH twenty-five Ga good
showing for man who has been trans
formed into a second baseman in
years time), and Pratt, Doyle and Ban
croft. each twenty.
At present Johnny Lavan and Derrlll
Pratt of the Browns. both colleg gians'
one from the University of Michigan,
the other from the University or Aia-
bama. hold the honors that were the
property of Tinker and Evers in 19lo,
of Fletcher and Doyle in 1911, 1912 and
1913 and of Maranville and EVers IN
1914. Rickeys two highbrows have
between them started fifty double plays
Other swift moving combinations at
the middle of the infield are Peckin-
paugh and Boone of the Yanks and
Fletcher and Doyle of the Giants. Ihey
each have pulled forty-three dual
s1aughters on the opposition. Bancroft
and Niehoff of the Phils take credit
for having started forty-two double
plays; Maranville and Fitzpatrick of
the Braves for thirty-seven, O'Mara
and Cutshaw of the Superbas for thir-
ty-six; Herzog and Olson of the Reds
for thirty-six; Fisher and Zimmerman
of the Cubs for twenty-six; Weaver and
Collins of the White SoX for twenty
four; Bush and Young of the Tigers
for twenty-three; Wagner and Fiox or
the Pirates for twenty three: Kopf and
Lajoie of the White Elephants for
twenty-five; Butler and Huggins of the
Cardinals for eighteen; Mcbride and
Morgan of the Senators for seventeen;
Scott and Wagner of the Red Sox for
fifteen and Chapman and Hammond of
the Indians for thirteen.
Eest Of the third sackers at starting
dpoule plays this year are Heinle Groh
of the Reds and Jimmy Austin of the
Browns. Each westerner has put
eighteen in motion. Znn Beck of the
Cards and Walter Barbara of the In
dians have each made the first move
in ten and Douglass Baird of the
Pirates has taken the initiative in nine.
Beck, Baird and Barbara have not play
ed regularly at the hot corner this
season else their records in double
plays might be just as good as Austin $
and Groh's.
OF the first basemen Jack Miller of
:hc Cardinals is the pace-setter in dual
killings, with six to his credit. Fred
I.uderus of the Phils. has started four
and SO have Arnold Gandil of the
Tashineto and Anthony Brief, who
was with the White SoX and who now
is with Salt Lake. Vic Safer of the
Cubs has instituted three two-ply re-
tirements and, incidentally, in each
one of these he played lone hand.
Twenty nine unassisted double plays
have cropped up thus far this year,
SAFER as told, taking credit for three
of these tricks. Doc" Johnston of the
Pirates and Jack Miller of the Cardi-
mails, first basemen, each have pulled
two unassisted double plays, and so
have Shortstop Herzog and Third Base
man Groh of Cincinnati. Outfielders
Elmer Smith of the Indians and Pete
Daley of the ianks have taken flies
while on the dead run and then kept
on sprnting and added to their put
out records by stepping on the bag
runners had vacated. This is the list
of unassisted double plays:
FIRST BASEMEN.
Safer. Cubs, 3: Johnston. Pirates. 2: Miller
Cardinals, p Dsubert, Superhas 1; Mollwttz
Ecds, 1; Brainssc, Giants, /; Luderus, Philiies