Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-03-05

will drive the fans to the time-worn
battle cry of take him out" quicker
than any other thing that could hap
pen on the ball field. A fan will forgive
a pitcher for getting hit, for he realizes
he is making the batsman earn the
base but he can see no excuse for is
suing pass after pass. Lack of control
is the besetting fault of a great many
pitchers.
He will be great pitcher if he ever
gets control of the ball During the
playing season ! hear that expression
scores of times. 1t always has refer
ence to some pitcher who appears to
have every twirling asset. except the
one most essential to his success. Lack
of control is the greatest obstacle the
average tWirier has to overcome. With
out the least effort | can think of
about thirty pitchers in the majors.
who have all kinds of speed and
curves. yet are of little or no use to
their teams because they can't locate
the plate.
| have talked this phase of the game
over with number of the greatest
pitchers and all of them insist that 1t
is a fault that can be overcome, II the
pitcher actually has desire to remedy
the fault For the past ten years
rhristv Mathewson has been lauded
anv other feature of his pitching. FIRST
one account would relate how Mathew
son pitched nlne-Innlhe game ana
threw only so many balls to accomplish
it. Another story would tell now many
innings Mathewson had Just hnlshed
without allowing a base on:ballS. Hard
" week would go by without some
story being sprung. when hihsed on
the uncanny rontro! oil the palI pos
sessed bv the great MatheWSon. l SIM
fat.
assertion that control can he classed
as an acquired art. When Matty started
as "A pitcher he VAS about the widest
specimen outside captivity. III fari, 1ai!-
ure to locate the plate almost made
Matty decide he was destined TO Shihe
a, some other position. Mathewsoh.
however. figured practice ana effort
would make perfect he SIMPLY refused
to let old-man wildness force him to
take the count.
Pitchers Noted for Control.
When Bill Donovan was at his very
best, no pitcher had better control OF
the ball Bill was always willing I"
take a chance and try TO gel an ehee
because of his ability TO locate the pate
Few pitchers in the history OF the game
resorted to the curve ball more thah did
Donovan with the count three hal'S an"
two strikes on the batter. In TINS con-
nection it is rather interesting TO note
that at the beginning OF ms career ON
Donovan seldom heard the umpire cali a
strike. unless the batter swung ana
missed Lack of control caused him TO
be nicknamed wild Bill. aud II stuck
to him throughout his career, When
Mordecai Brown was the star OF the
Chicago National pitching staff. he could
make the ball behave just about as he
wished. yet at one time brownie was
much wilder than the average pitcher.
When Jim Scott joined the Chicago
White SoX he was constantly in the hoe
because of his lack of control. which
would break out a some stage OF the
game and rob him of a victory which his
superb work until the ill-fated moment,
certainly merited | have no doub; that
inability to locate the plate greatly dis
couraSed Scott early In his career He
never lost hope for moment. kept plug
cling away, and slowly gained the much
desired art. | regard Jim Scott as
wonderful pitcher. one of the greatest in
the game. His control now is one of his
greatest assets. He has turned his form
er greatest weakness into one of his
strongest points. SCOTS curve ball is a
thing of beauty. Any American League
ha tsman will testify to that fact. SCOTS
fast ball is no less commenda BILE. while
his spitball. which he rarely uses any
more is equally deceptive. Scott is a
pitcher who has everything, control be-
ing one of his best bets. Yet lack of
control at one time threatened to seri-
ously interfere with his success as big
league pitcher.