Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-02-09
LEFT HANDED
PITCHERS CAN
, USUALLY HIT
Many SouthpaWs Have Stuck
in the Game on this AC-
count Alone

One of the inexplicable mysteries oil
baseball is how and why so many left
hand pitchers become famous as great
batsmen after their days OF usefulness
as hurlers are over And, on the 9th
her hand, baseball history gives the
names of very few righthanders thai
become noted as willow wielders and
hold jobs as such after their days oil
effectiveness as boxmen were over.
The very first lefthanded pitcher the
game ever had and the father of al
the tribe, De Lee Richmond, was a IA
nous swatsman, and was used in the
outfield by several teams because OF
his ability to hit the ball and hit II
hard. Mike" Tiernan, the great hit
ter of the New York Giants back in
the 1'S0s and '90s, was signed by the
New York management because of his
wonderful hurting for the Jersey City
club, then a member of the old East
ern League. Tiernan didn't do much
pitching for the Giants, for his pitch,
ing arm went wrong early in the sea.
son of 1886, but his batting eye made
1t possible for Mike to hold his job. In
q short time he was q fixture on the
team and for many years afterward
was considered one of the best bats,
men In the country. ri.
Gap" Arson of the Chicago Nation
ais brought George Van Haltren all
the way from California, believing he
had in him the greatest lefthander the
game ever had George lasted about
three seasons in the pitchers post
ton, batting much better than he
pitched during the time. He came to
the front as finished batsman while
member of the New York Giants; In
fact, he was their star hitter for many
years, Van lasted nearly score of
years after he lost his pitching ability.
One of the games most famous bats
men pushed into the game by the
pitching route was Jess Burkett. the
man who led the National League for
three seasons. He received his first
job with the New York Giants through
his ability to pitch, having stacked up
wonderful pitching for Worcester, then.
in the old Atlantic League in 1889
Burkett was strictly left-handed per-
son, so much so that he had heaped
upon him the appellation Of the HUI
man Crab" However. Burkett failed
as pitcher, but he could swat the ball
in manner most delightful. In three
seasons of his career Burkett batted
400 and over.
Elmer Smith Of Cincinnati was CON.
sidered one Of the greatest lefthand.
ers IN the game from 1887 until 1892.
and he was wonderful hurler. In.
1898 Elmer quit the pitching game and
took up swatting the ball as means
Of livelihood II was the best move
he ever made during HIS baseball ca
reer. for, by his effective hitting he.
held good jobs for many years on some
of the big teams, notably Pfttsburg
and Cincinnati. Billy George was
signed by the New York Club as a
pitcher back in the late sos. Billy
was horrible pitcher, but as a bat
ter he stuck in the game for years
and years.
When "Cy" Seymour was first DIS
covered he was a pitcher of no mean
and New York signed him
as such. ICY" wasted about five
years in trying to be pitcher. He
possessed a batting eye that was
worth mint of money to any team,
but New York didn't find it out until
'Cy' opened their eyes to the fact by
swatting the curves OF all Manhattan
hurlers to the four winds when al
of the Cincinnati Reds-the
team that the New York management
dumped 'sCy" on with an N. q. tag at
tached to him. After starring for Gin
for several seasons and hitting
q 800 clip Seymour came back to old
New York, where he ended his big
league career as regular player. For
seven seasons he batted 800 and bet
ter. ....... ,.s4~ -. -
Mike" Donlin was taken out of a
bush league out in California during
the season of 1899 by the st. Louis
Donlin didn't pan out as a
hurler; in one game he passed nine
men to first and hit few more, but
he made four-base hits and this gave
Tebeau his cue. The young recruit
could hit, and 50 Patsey tried young
Mike in the infield. He made four
errors at short in one game When he
was tried at first he wasn't there, bat,
IN the meantime, Donlin was swattingi
the ball in all directions. Patsey got
desperate and tried Mike in the out
field. He held, but it was because he
showed the stuff that pleased his man.
ager. Donlin made IS errors in less
than so games in center field, about
twice as many errors as a finished
outfielder would make in three times
that many games, but what would
any manager do with "a young bear
who could swat the ball for 1929 in his
first season in. the big Show"
Other notable examples are Theo-
lore Breitenstein, Jesse Tannehill, |
Jake Weimer, Sam Crawford and Har-
vey. - r.. -.