South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-05-03
EARLY PITCHING
FORM IS UNUSUAL
Ideal Training Weather Be-
Iieved Responsible For
Performances of Men.
By Jack Neiock

early season pitching in the big
leagues this spring has been a revel-
alton
Seldom. if ever, have such a large
per cent of big league pitchers shown
the early form that has been dis
played so far this year and when
the hot weather comes the batters
are bound TO find themselves up
against even better hurting.
The big surprise in the American
league was the pitching of two no
hit games within the first three
weeks of the race. Eddie Cicotte
broke into the hall OF fame his first
time out this year by tanning the
Browns in a no-hit shutout, which
he won IL TO nothing. Less than
two weeks later George Mogridge.
Yankee left handler. turned in a no
hit game against the Red SOx in
Boston. though the Sox got run.
That further nO-hit performances
may be expected is the belief in
baseball circles now. because of the
wonderful condition OF the pitchers
i'm general The weather down
south was ideal for training, and
most clubs sent their battery men
ahead Of the main squads. so that
in all they had nearly two weeks
start on the felders. The wonderful
southern sunshine. then. must be
given credit for the showing Of the
pitchers.
From the opening of the season
until the firsl day of May no less
than 20 corking games of ball were
turned in by the pitchers. and Is
Of these games were won with hurl-
ers holding opposing batsmen in the
palm OF their hands In addition TO
the no-hit games pitched by Cicotte
and Mogridge. there was AL Sothor-
on's one-hit game against Cleveland.
four two-hit games and six three
hit games The pitchers who turned
i'm two-hit games were-Anderson
of the Giants. against Boston; Vau-
ghn. Of the Cubs, against Pitts
burgh: Faber. of the White Sox,
against Detroit. and Stanley Covales-
kie. of Cleveland. against the White
SOx. in a game which he lost ] TO 0.
Jim Scott pitched against him and
allowed five hits.
The hurlers who held the opposi
ton TO three wallops were-Babe
Ruth. against the Yankees; Walter
Johnson. against the Athletics; Fred
Toney, against the Cardinals;
Grimes. Of the Pirates. against Chi
cagO: Leslie Bush against Washing
ton. and Claude Cooper versus the
Cards. and all these games have
been pitched with the mercury
lowering around 60 degrees.
The four and five-hit games are
piling up fast this spring. Ferdie
Schupp. Allen Russell, Shocker. Boz
land. Barnes and Schneider have all
pitched four-swat contests and the
Dodgers won a game from the pills
on four hits. garnered off Oescharger
and Mayer.
Some pitching? Well. rather. And
when the rays of Old Sol start burn
ing up the grass the batters will be
looking at pea balls. from present
indications.
\ Slant at Cyrus.
While pitchers, young and old.
have been burning up the major
leagues with a world of stuff, vet
eran whose bean-pole frame is we'll
known TO American league fans has
startled the American association by
performing like a colt.
This lanlxy individual is none other
than your uncle Cyrus Falkenberg,
the human string bean, whose fame
as an emery ball manipulation in the
Federal league was on every tongue,
and whose work with the Indianap-
oils club last year and TO date this
season has been marvelled at by
lot of baseball folk who had
bunch he was through
Falky recently hauled his elongat-
ed carcass TO the mound in Toledo
and let Roger Bresnahan's club
down with two hits in Il innings,
only To lose his game. Previously
he had turned in victory. and his
work acted like a magnet on several
big league ivory hunters who are
securing the country for more pitch
ing talent TO bolster some Of the
weaker teams.
That Falkenberg is still good
enough TO fool big league batsmen
throughout a long season may be
doubted. but when il is remember
ed that FaIky. like Cy Young.
pitches more with his head than
with his arm. il isn't hard TO believe
that he could get by with club
behind him which could turn in
from two TO four runs a game.