The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-03-12

when RuCker was In MS PRIME puI
many OF his pitching feats will long
be remembered. Ruckcr pitched "a
no-hi game against Boston when Joe
Kelley was manager Of the Hub team,
In another season Rucker had the
distinction OF shutting out every club
IN the league. Up to 1918 Rucker
, stood among the greatest southpaws
the game has ever produced.
AS a rule right-handers have always
been hailed as the greatest pitchers,
but the southpaw has developed in the
major leagues during the last few
seasons to a place of prominence y
left handed pitcher has always peen
regarded as being more or less or
ratio. No less a Judge than Frank
Chance had little faith In southpaws,
for he always insisted that the con
slant strain on the left side OF the
BODY weakened the heart. ard for
this reason they all had over taxed
hearts and were never normal
In spite OF all the talk about I'M
reliable southpaws. the fact remains
that nine out OF the first fourteen
fingers in the National league last
season were Icft-hande
Ferdie Schupp OF the Giants was
rated In tho averages as the most eff
fective pitcher in the league. with
Grover Alexander, a right~hander,
second. Next came three southpaws
or. Naxt IN the list were two right
handlers. Pfeffer and Cheney Next
came the three Boston southpaws.
Nehf, Tyler, and Allen. Slim sallee
and Jim Vaughn, also southpaws,
were high up in the ranking Man
ayers are realizing the effectiveness
OF southpaw pitching. esnecially
against left-handed batsmen, crd In
every major league training camp this
spring II will be noticed that there
is a big representation of left-handed
pitchers among the host of yoUr s9ters
who are being tried out for regular
positions.
1t is notable fact that three of
the greatest pitchers tho modern game
of baseball has known have never at
tanned that greatest honor which all
pitchers seek-a no-hit game. Val
ter Johnson, Grover Cleveland Alex
ander. and Eddie Plank are the tree,
and not one OF them has ever pitched
n no-hit game. All have come close
TO It one time or another during their
long careers. but some hitter has al
ways como up at the inopportune mo
ment to spoil their chances. Plank
has been pitching for more than fif-
teen years--this year will be his six
teenth--but the no-hit honor has al
ways eluded him
walter johnson has pitched any
number of one-hit and two-h.t games
since he first Joined Washington in
1907. but he has never been able to
hold an opposing club hitless Often
In his successful career Alexander has
kept the number of hits down to two
or three, and som etimes TO one. but
never has he had the honor which has
come to pitchers OF far less skill.
II IN also another remarkable fact
that the New York Yankees Rave
never had a pitcher who has twirled
q no-hit game. And the Yankee list
since he08 includes the names of
many master boxmen. such as Jack
CHESHIRE, Al Ortiz, Jesse Tannehill.
Clarke Griffith. Russell Ford. jim
Vaughn. Ray Caldwell. and Ray Fish
or. The Yanks. however haG two
pitchers who pitched no. hit games AZ
ter they passed to other clubs. These
were George Davis and Tom Hughes,
both Of whom twirled no-htt games
for the Boston Braves.