The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-14
FANS REJOICE WHEN
MATHEWSON BRACES
Giant Pitcher Stands for All
That's Good and Clean In
Our National Game.
TRIBUTE TO FINE A Y
ny WILLIAM n. HANNA.

by WILLIAM u. HANNA.
When Matty beat the Cardinals In 81.
Louis last week and pitched a FIRST class
game in the bargain there was wide
spread rejoicing in the performance.
Not even Cobb 10 a more noted or a
more popular neure of the diamond
thar Matty, and baseball followers In
general. the red hot fan and those whose
interest runs more to the casual, were
pleased. II was a tribute to Mathewson.
this feeling. Always well liked by the
public and by the baseball Eoers OF every
city, there was more interest in his work
than usual because OF the talk that he
was near the end OF hia DISTINGUISHED
career as a player. The Mattys and
the wagners could 70 on forever with
out dispieasing the public.
Apropos OF M~athewson II would seem
from the fame earned by such pitchers
as him. Cy Young. Walter johnson.
Charles Nichols. Mordecai Brown. Bill
Donovan. Amos Rusie, Napoleon Rucker,
Rube waddell. Eddie Plank and Grover
/ Alexander among others. that by a big
majority the great pitchers OF the game
have been those who have employed the
spitball little or non No emery.
saliva, licorice or the like has been
needed by these gifted twirlera. Aside
from Ed Walsh. the spitoaller has done
little to make his name live a. have
those pitchers named.
Matty was the only Giant boxman to
pitch q good game in ST. Louis With
the Giants II Is a case OF a pretty good
ball club held in second division durance
vile by a wabbly and erratic pitching
stan. For a while Tesreau holds up
tho club 20 within catching distance OF
the others, then Marauard. but so far a
consistent pitcher has not appeared In
the corps and At no time since the
season began have two or three pitchers
been going effectively at the same time.
The Giants a v been Handicapped In
the points In more ways than one. They
have suffered through the disability Of
Chief Meyers. The Indian Is a valuable
man behind the bat. one OF the best In
the game. and the best the Giants have.
He Is now out for the second time on
account OF an injury and his general
usefulness. especially his ability to
handle pitchers, IL iniesed.
Here Il IL the middle OF June and the
Giants still at the bottom. II the Ma
ltional League race wasn't 90 close the
chances for the New Workers. to remain
In the second division would look pretty
good. But with this kind Of a race any
shifting IL possible within two weeks.
The Philiies by sticking up at the top
this long are entitled TO more respectful
consideration as pennant contenders
than people gave them for the nrst six
weeks.
However. the Braves with Evers
back and the pitching stan In last season
form look 10 be the strongest ! OF
the lot. They have only TO attain the
playing standard they set last summer
to be the class not only Of the National
League. but OF the country. II might
be mentioned that the Brooklyns are a
team OF much natural possibility. with
eheir excellent pitchers and two such
men as Wheat and Daubert, n that
Just at present the best teams In the
country are the Detro!ts and White SoN
Al least the Wolverines and Sox played
better ball at the Polo Grounds than any
team that has visited there this season
except possibly the Phillics. when here
In early spring. The Yanks are showing
symptoms OF convalescence from their
long slump and a revival of What they
Rave so badly needed. timely hitting.
The weekly averages bring out ths
anomaly OF figures The week closed
with the iants frst in the club bsttins
averages. the Reds second and the Car.
dinals third. II also closed with thu
Giants last in standing, the Reds seventh
ana the IaTUlUdlH nIt0s ne Nd1hht
City club. with a rank of seventh In the
Federal League batting, leads the race
in percentage. In the American League
however, the conditions are not OF this
parAdoxical trend. The Detroits arc
hrst in batting and the White Soy
second.
The situation In n nutshell II this
Two clubs are in the rear with veal
pitching and despite strong batting ont
,l.A A.. - . al. A~~ vyIsA x,vAaL hnttt.O h,,
with good pitching. and the two Ameri'
can League clubs which are up there
have both good batting and good pitch
ing. II there is any moral II is thai
good hitting helps, hut that good pitching
is essential. oh. yes. Hanlon and hi.
Orioles used 10 win remnants witt
mediocre pitching. but then there's nj
such team nowadays as Hanlon's Orioles
In New York National League games
move along faster han In any othe'
city. The Giants go through their worl
briskly. win or lose. They don't dawdl'
or waste time. Not that the fan objects
to long anne He doesn't 30 long Al
they nave action and are interesting
In that case he'll stick willingly for TIVE
hours and a half. It's slothfulness be
tween innings, slowness on the part o
pitchers and that sort OF thing that h,
! SpJNttS " h'a' ''N' 49, s"e ~
and with the games here, Fast WORKING
pitchers help to make short games
The Giants that kind. The ap
pended figures speak for themselves
They don't Include games OF more o.
less than nine innings. Oddly enougt
games have been shorter in an of tn,
Eastern cities than in the West. A. To-
the Giants they haven't had any excess
OF assistance not playing tho last hal
inning of the ninth. They haven't woi
at home often enough for that. Tn
table:
New York. twenty games, Average.
hour and 40 minutes.
Brooklyn. twenty three games, Average
I hour and ~ minutes
Phtladslphia. twenty games. Average
I hour and ~ minLtes
Boston. -thirty-one games. A~eraGs.
hour and IS minutes.
Pittsburg. fifteen games. Average.
hours
Cincinnati, thirteen games. Average.
hours and ! minute.
ct. Louis. fifteen games. Average.
hours ana . minutes.
Chicago, eleven samss, Average, 2 hour