The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-11
Pitching the Main Factor
In the Major League Race

Other things being fairly equal, it
is the club THAT is strongest in the
box that wins pennants, and it is in
terestingN to consider the coming ma
jor league race from that viewpoint
When the great struggle begins to-
morrow. PIuvius permitting-there
will be no great change in the pitch
ing staffs of the various clubs, due
to the acquisition of Federal or minor
league talent. With a few brilliant
exceptions, the Gilmore circuit twir1-
ers did not show any great class, and
the recruit crop this year does not
promise anything sensational. OF
course, the Mathewsons, Johnsonss
| and A1exanderS of the future may be
ment of rushing to press they are not
visible to the nude eyeH
| In the American League, the pitch
| ing honors seem to belong past
form to the Red Sox- On a paper
| judgment the worlds champions seem
to have a considerable margin over
the best of their competitors The
Griffith hurting staff, headed by the
great Johnson might be chosen as
standing second to the Sox. Row
lands White Sox loom more formid-
able in other departments than in
| pitching. and the same is true of the
! Tigers. With an alright defense
1 their pitchers may be classy enough
to give the Red Sox a bitter struggle.
! Great as is the Washington club in
! the twir1ing department it does not
look like a pennant possibility. If old
Gettysburg Plank can do as we'll in
the American as he did with the Feds,
and Davenport and AWei1man live. up
to expectations, the humble Browns
I are very likely to lose their taste for
4 cake. The Yanks, Athletics and
Cleve1ands don't look dangerous in
the. pitching department when view
| ed from the front elevation of the sea-
SON. Comics youthful slabsters4 look
promising, but there is little IkeH-
hood that the redemption of the prom
| ises will occur in 1915.
When the National League gets
away tomorrow, the one best bet in
| the pitching department seems to be
Brooklyn There are a lot more ifs
Connected with the Tener twir1ers
than now appear in the American
| League, however, and the pitching
strength of majority Of the clubs
seems very problematical Dell
| Pfeffer, Rucker, Smith, COMBS
Mails, Marquard and Cheney look
like very nice stable for Uncle Will
bert. Marquard, of course, is per
| arnbulating Interrogation point, and
Cheney and Coombs are also in the
| te'if'' class. If Robbie's veterans come
4 across with the goods, the triumphant
song of the Robins is going to be
heard in the land. The BRAVES have
! a large 'sif''- in Bill James. If the big
| Californian should succeed in get
] ting rid of the kfnk in his shoulder,
StaIhngs would have pitching staff
almost invincibIe. Pat Moran's pros
poets in the pitching division are all
| sicklied over with doubts and mis-
givings. Alexander was the big noise
in winning last years flag for the
Phillies, and If he is as good this year
as last all may be we'll along the
Delaware. Without the best, services
of Grover the Great, it is difficult to
see where the Pills will have a
chance to repeat. Joe Thinkers outfit
includes several good pitchers, but
no star of the first magnitude. The
| Cubs have Vaughn Pierce, Lavender,
and Hendrix, Mcconnell, 9Seaton and
4 other Feds on their pitching staff. The
Giants can put little dependence on
their old standby. Christy Mathewson,
! and will have to depend on Benton,
Tesreau, Perritt, Stroud and Ander-
son: The Reds look to be consider
ably improved in pitching, and Gala
han has four good men in Mamaux,
Harmon, Adams and Kantlehner. The
Cardinals will depend on the old staff.
which measures up pretty we'll