The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-06-09

during 1903 and 1904 that enabled the
Bostonians to win two pennants and
one worlds championship
But in 1905 something went amlss
with Young's arm. The old whip
wouldn't crack as II had in the other
years; the old zipp was gone from
the ball. The opposition clubbers
found little or no difficulty in swatting
the heaves of the veteran.
Just about then the wise ones be-
gan to chant the swan song. They
pointed out that Young was through.
Hes been pitching for sixteen
years, and no matter how good a man
is he can't go on forever" they de-
clared. Furthermore, Cy is SO years
old--an age far beyond the athletic
prime"
YOung's Great Record
When Young turned in his 1905 av-
erage it was found that he had won
only eighteen of the thirty-seven COM
bats in which he had figured. Young's
showing for 1906 was even worse. He
won only thirteen out of thirty-four
games. and didn't seem able to go the
route. He finished the season with an
average of .3S2-the worst he ever
amassed That convinced the bulk
of the fans that Cy was through.
But the Red Sox manager wouldn {
"can" Cy He figured that his great
work for the Red Sox in the other
years merited his keeping him for an
other season, even If Cy did nothing
but coaching duty.
And so Cy, then 80 years old, was
kept on the Red Sox roster, while the
fans clamored for his Establishment to
the Old Mems Home. That probably
peeved him a bit, because, after hay;
ing his arm tinkered here and there,
he begged for a chance to display his
wares in 1907. He did-and won
twenty-five out of thirty-seven COM
bats, for pitching average of .595.
The next season-19OS-Cy won
twenty-one out of thirty-two games,
for an average of $50. which is quite
a healty showing for a forty-one-year-
old hurler. On June 80, 1908, he shut
out the Yankees without a hit only
one man reaching first.
In 1909 he went back to the Cleve-
land Club and won nineteen out of
'thirty-four games. The following
year-19l0-he figured in seventeen
games and won ten. In 1911 he took
unto himself job with the Boston
Braves and won four out of nine
starts. He decided then that he was
getting bit too old to pitch, being
"A years old at the time, and he re-
tired from the frolic.
Reviewing Young's record from the
end of the 1906 campaign, when he
was considered "all through, until
the time he actually quit. we find that
he won seventy-three and lost only
fifty-six games, giving him a grand
average of 567 for the five years
from 1907 to 1911. inclusive.
The Case OF MathewsOR
Now let us consider the case of
Mathewson:
Matty joined the Giants in 1900.
Over a sweep of fifteen seasons-from
1900 until the end OF the 1914 season
the big blond hurler was the king
pin of the Giant pitching stan. But
late in the 1914 season he contracted
"armitis", as did Young at the end of
his sixteenth year
In 1915 Matty, then in his sixteenth
year as major performer, was OF no
real value to his club. His arm seem
ed gone, He won only six out Of his
twenty-five starts, some OF those vic
tories were of the fluke order. Be
ASAN 'hN oVdpOh CiAuSd inc NiAo Oucb
declared that Matty was about
through.
Hes been pitching for sixteen
years, and no matter how good a man
is. he can't go forever" they said, re-
peating what their associate men,
beers said about Cy Young back in
1906. The folks pointed out, also,
that Matty was quite an elderly per-
son, as baseballers 60. then approach
!nF his thirty-sixth birthday.
But Matty in 1915 seems to be du-
plicating what Young did in 1907. He
has started on this season at a great
rate. His arm trouble seems gone.
In his first try-out Of the year "BiR
Six" didn't look overly good. That is
because he merely was giving the
wing workout. But since tnen ne
has been pitching real baseball He
hasn't the old speed OF hygonc years.
but he is using a splitter and his brain.
and by mixing up his delivery he is !