The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-07
"Babe" Is Aiming at Seybold's
American League Mark
of Sixteen.
NEEDS ONLY FIVE TO TIE
Boston Player May Yet Pass
Frecmen's National League
Figure Of 25.
ps sHoRTsTOP.

II Manager Ed Barrow Of the Boston
Red sox Permits Babe Ruth. his sensa-
tionai home run pitcher. to play In
enough danes in the Boston clubs reg
ular lineup, a new American League
home run record would be established
this season. Were Babe to appear In
154 frames he also should have little DIFF
f,cnity in breaking the major league
home run record Of Buck Freeman. out
fielder of the washington National
League club in 1899. Incidentally. Buck
made his record In the last year that
Washington was a member of the parent
major league and had a short right HELD
fence to help him.
To date Ruth has made eleven homo
runs in less than fifty games. In De-
troit, Washington and Cleveland kape
made hits that were record breakers. 1t
takes a terrific wallop to clear the hish
walls on any of these grounds.
Were Ruth to play on the POLO
Grounds seventy-seven days year ne
would undoubtedly set up home run
record for posterity to gaze at. This year
he has played in five games on the Polo
Grounds and in three Of them he has hit
4 home run. In a fourth six inches
more would have given him another. his
high fly hit the concrete wall for q
double.
The right field stand on the Polo
Grounds has long been Ruins faVorite
rife range There seldom was series
at the Polo Grounds in which Ruth mas
not hit a home run in game In whicn
ne either pitched or played outaeld. JACK
Wayhop several years ago was Ruins
,fayorite victim. Ruth has hit home runs
In 7b per cent. of the games he has par.
ticipated in on the Polo Grounds ana
not once has he hit into the lower STAND.
All his homers have been powerful HICKS
,pstairs. Ruth really disdains the lower
Polo stands and says a schoolboy shouio
be able to hit them downstairs.
Great Force Behind Hits.
Men who have seen all the stars OF
the game say Ruth hits a ball haroer
than any man that has ever played Dig
iea0ue baseball. Ed Delehanty. Nap
I,aiole. Frank Baker. iris Speaker, sam
crawford and Sherwood Magee IN MS
prime all met a ball with terrific force.
hut Ruth hits a ball harder than any OF
the above players
TO beat the American League home
run record, Ruth at present needs only
Ave homers The record Is sixteen mace
by old Socks Seybold OF the Phiiaoei-
phia Athletics in 1902. the second year
the American League spread to the East.
II was the year Mack won his nrs'
championship. Seybold mad ram.
easy fence on the old Columbia avenue
Grounds in Philadelphia, though SOCKS
surely could hit the ball some.
Connie Mack always has been fortu-
nate in having one or more Famous
home run mauers In his outht. In
nine out Of seventeen American League
campaiens. the Athletics have had the
leading home run hitter. Harry DAVIS
ruled supreme for four year stretch,
from 1904 to 1907. while Frank BAKER
was king for four more years. rom
1911 to 1914. To-day Mack has Famous
.pair of home run sluggers IN neorse
Burns and Clarence walker.
After Freemnn's Record.
Several players have gone after Free
mans record with vengeance during
the last six years and twice 1t was al
most reached. Frank Schultz. the Tor
mer outfeld star of the CUBS. now
.r,na,ng ont his career in Washington.
vent on an extra base tear in 1911. and
knocked out twenty-one homers.
Cactus Cravath came within one
home run of tying Freeman's marx
three years ago, when the Phiiiies won
the National League championship. Cac-
tus banged out twenty-four home runs
IN 1915. Cravath has now l01 big league
home runs to his credit, of which ninety,
nine have been made in the National
League. without having any old rec
ords available. 1t is pretty safe to say
that Cravath has more big league homo
rms to his credit than any man tnat
ever has played in the fast set WINE
Cravath has gone back lot as hitter
and has hit only three homers .his
.sason up to date, he should pick up
Ssw MORE before the eeason Is over.
Cravath's homcrs were distributed as