The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-09-21

, to beat They won the Worlds Series
| from the Cubs in 1905 after ranking alb
soutely last in team batting that year
| with an average OF .22S. Yet their pitch
: ers were So good that they set an AM
! criran League record Ut nineteen con-
secutlr> victories that year
| Tho Spx are still playing the same
system to some extent. though those
great pitchers have passed on. Today
they mako up for any loss in pitching
! strength. Ivy their ability To hit l know
+! Of no mtrc dangerous batting combine
ti", than Collins. Jackson anh Felsch.
ANY time those birds com" with men on
has,, 4 pitcher may we'll trernble.
Tho habit OF sacrificing runners to
second has" with none Quits prevalent
in the American League rs is tho
"su,i.rzc play" There is merit in this
system when tho score Is close. but IN
the National League the majority Of
managers prefer tho hit md run In the
early stages. Perhaps this is because
bunting Is not tho art i'll IN" National
that II is the American. The Boston
R,d Sox. they tell me- arc wonders ut
I ''S,,ueranc in runs from third base.
hut there IS no National League team
that is prohcientIto a degree ut surety
at this play.
, the squeeze" is a. risky proposition uu-
less the batter Is clever enough 10 foul
off Il ball that he can't lay down.
! When tho play fails it makes foolish
victim Of the runner.
7 know McGraw- never liked the
Squeeze" and l can't recollect that l
! ever saw tho Giants pull it unless th>y
| were up there using their own judg-
! mont Mac belongs 10 tho old school OF
nervy players who believed In hitting
! the runs around.
"r don't believe In tho sacrifice from
/ first To second" hc ono. told me- "hH-
! cause II still takes n hit 10 score the
run If there are no errors. Now. hit
! ran he delivered with out out and a
runner on second. il can h. delivered
| when there are none ont and man on
| first. y single puts the runner on thri
| with none ont and long fly scores
| him. Long flies WON'T score him from
second base
! OF course. McGraw always ngurrs
his batter. and often they follow their
! own Judgment and hiInt when the In
| field is drawn bnck and they have
| chance TO turn tho hunt into hit
| Msrkle and Doyle often us"d TO pull
| those unexpected hunts and get away
with them.
! For these reasons tho GIANTS naF9
always been schoolcd in the art Of hit
! and run That certainly Is a more
slightly play and that is discon-
! c+riing to pitcher when II go"s
/ through. because the runner often gots
around 10 third on a short single. 1t Is
also. good way to avoid double plays
on rho lnfeId. Another point Ia that il
| furnishes an element OF uncertainty
! that worries the opposing battery
! 1t hns been my observation that In
tho American League the helders are
| seldom crossed" when the situation
! seems 70 call for a sacrifice hunt. Tn"
are expecting tho play whereas nobody
on the team afield knows when the
| signal Ia given for the hit and run"
! Catchers can only guess and often get
] their pitchers In hole by calling for
! nItch-outs when they think runner
/ on first haso has been ordered TO beat
/ X for second.
! To my mind. ono OF the interesting
! side lights in the coming series Is the
probable conflict Of these two styles
/ ns advancing runners.
| Copyright. 1917. by The Bell Syndicate,
! lnC)