Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-03
IE)0MBS TALKS
or OTHER SERIES
I'.d "A" TwirIer Gives His
Impressions of Games in
Which He Figured
PITCHERS REAL STARS
By JACK CooMRs


In Baseball Magazine.
INitEN the season opened rather hoped
w that october would find me lined up
once more for the big games A pennant-
winning club usually repeats and Il didn't
seem unreasonable TO suppose that I
would get one more chance in the world
are. another club than ours will have TO
carry the banner of the National League
and hope they do II more successfully
than we did in 1915.
80 Tar as am concerned suppose
have no unjust complaint There are
famous players who have passed their whole
career without getting close enough to a
pennant to know what one rocks like. Larry
La1oie was one of these. Hal Chase is an.
other. I have been on five pennant-winning
clubs, which is rather more than my share
can well remember my first world
series game. The Athletics were then a
thought. The Cubs were stolid old vet
Grams with the scars Of many campaigns
and the banners OF many hard-won battles.
They were the favorites. we the runners-up
before the series. 1 had had a very good
year and certainly ought to have been used
70 the idea of facing strong clubs. But
there is something in worlds series game
which gets you. 1t got me all right. hit
two men and gave eight bases on balls, but
strangely enough won.
That is one comforting thing in baseball
NO matter how bum your own work is
somebody else may be a little worse and
tnen you snow up well by contrast. But L
am not going to take all the blame fer my
rather Indifferent pitching that day. l had
been used to pitching entirely to my catcher
The man at bat didn't matter looked
7 to see where my catcher was and pitched
accordingly
Ira Thomas Bothered Him
This particular afternoon, however, Ira
Thomas was assigned to catch me He was
couple OF feet taller tnan my regular
catcher and somehow or other when I
looked at him II threw me off balance
couldn't seem to locate the platter and
very nearly threw the game away. But
the long hits of Collins and Baker and
NcInnis got busy and smashed out VIC
tory and they repeated twice mere that
series. so that when the shouting was all
over found 1 had won three of the four
necessary games. That was my first
worlds series experience and my best
The next year we tackled the Giants and
/ was good deal better pitcher than 1
had been in the previous attempt 1
hooked up with Mathewson in a very good
game in which was fortunate enough to
Z come through. My second try, however.
proved disastrous. It was the sixth inning
and things were breaking very we'll The
score was three to one in our favor.
Then, somehow or other, got my spikes
tangled up in the rubber and twisted my
leg. 1t was an odd accident Two of the
muscles seemed to be entirely misplaced
After the inning was over the club doctor
tried to fix me up My leg was red where
those two muscles had separated, and very
painful
thought It best to quit then, but Connie
said to me, They're not hitting you so
stick II out while longer. If you can"
went back in the box, but couldn't pitch
] couldn't throw a curve. In fact, I could
do little but shoot over fast balls but still
they did not seem to hit me. 1 stuck Il
out till the tenth inning when they tied Il
up.
Raa an u;a TTr1os,~
Oldring lost a hard-hit ball in the sun
and IT got away from him for two bases
That let In two runs. He felt badly about
IT, He came to me and said that he was
very sorry, but he really did not see the
ball at ALL ] told him not to let IL worry
him as 1 should have quit sooner IL I had
had any sense. BY that time my leg wac
black and bothered me good deal. 1 went
home and went to bed and stayed in bed
for over two weeks as a result of that curl
Gus injury.
believe am the only pitcher who was
ever injured in worlds series game and
my injury was probably one of the most
peculiar that has ever happened.
Oddly enough, It seemed to be the be-
ginning of lot of hard luck. got typhoid
fever, and when the next worlds series
rolled around found myself strapped to
a cot in a hospital 1t was a great disap-
pontment to me TO be a winning club
and not be able to do my share in the
big games, but was just much inter-
ested as IL had been present and had the
reports read to me as fast as they came in
The following season were again q
winner, and this time was little better
OF than tbe previous year, though not a
great deal could not pitch, but coulo
take my place the bench and did my
share Of the coaching.
Last year l pitched what suppose will
be my last worlds series game. 1 was
lucky and got credit for the victory
didn't feel in very good condition that
day, and when they began to get to me in
the later innings told Robinson that he
had better send younger pitcher in to
save the game.
One curious thing about the series, per-
haps the most curious TO a ball player, is
the expert articles, 90 called which are
written about the big games. Every paper
sends its best man to cover the series, and
of course, suppose they have to pose as
authorities on baseball. / remember II
particular criticism which was directed a.
certain pitchers for the kind of ball which
they used In pinch. Take the famou,
case where Baker broke up a game with q
home run.
hlathewson was criticized for pitching tn,
kind OF ball he used on that occasion 4,
Baker, though why he should have beer
criticized 1 have never been able 10 see
He had two strikes on Baker at the time
He had given Baker a curve and Bake
had missed 1t by six inches He CAV
Baker another curve and he drove II int
the stands for home run. II he WASH
Justified in giving Baker this curve, the
have learned nothing about pitching In m,
thirteen years Of experience.
roeT ANN EorrAur,