The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-08-27
MERRY BATTLE !.
FOR LEADERSHIP
IN THE LEAGUES
Players Strive To Better
Marks AS Season Draws
Toward Close
(By Associated Presa.l

Chicago, Aug. 27.-The big drive
for premier baseball honors in the
major league is in full sway, with
leaders in the various departments
measuring strength in the race for
the top.
Eddie Rousch, the hard hitting
Cincinnati outfielder, with but six
days Of the season remaining is at
tempting to crowd "zack" Wheat,
the Brooklyn veteran. from the
coveted top rung Of the National
league batting ladder.
Seventh in the list OF leaders a
week ago, Rousch today is in Sec
ond place as a result OF collecting 16
hits in his last eight games. He is
10 points behind the Brooklyn
veteran, who is leading with an av-
erage of .343. Charles Hollocher, the
young Chicago star, batted his way
from sixth to third place, with an
average of 1922, while Jake" Dau-
bert, another Brooklyn veteran, fell
into a. batting slump and slipped
averages published today include
games Of Wednesday,.
Rousch also took a squirt In sacri-
flee hitting, going into a tie with
Mollwitz of Pittsburgh for q total
Of %. Heinie Groh Of Cincinnati is
giving Burns OF New York q fight
for scoring honors, Burns having
registered rs runs as against u for
the Cincinnati star. Cravath of
Philadelphia tops the home run hit
ters with seven.
Max Carey the fleet footed Pit
tsburgher, is in a class by himself
in base stealing. He has 55 thefts to
his credit, while Burns, the New
Yorker, his nearest competitor, has
only SO.
The leading batters:
Wheat, Brooklyn, .343; Rousch,
Cincinnati. 1928; Hollocher, Chica-
go, 1922; Groh, Cincinnati, .817; J. O.
Smith, Boston, .S17; Merkle, Chica-
go, .309; Daubert, Brooklyn, .304;
Young, New York, .299; S. Magee,
Cincinnati. .2S5; Paskert, Chicago,
.294.
Contest In American.
There is a wild scramble on in the
American league for honors in
scoring and base stealing and Ty
Cobb, the Detroit star, is getting the
worst of it. Cobb, Of course, is GER
tain to bag the batting champion
ship, but Chapman of Cleveland, and
George Sisler Of st. Louis are leas-
ing him in the other departments.
Chapman is, showing the way in
scoring, having counted n times.
Cobb has registered 73 runs. Sisler
tops the base stealers with SO, with
Chapman and Cobb tied for second
place at "a. Chapman also is tied
with Shean OF Boston for the lead
in sacrifice hitting. He has 81.
Cobb's batting mark, according to
figures including games of Wednes-
day, is 1873, which gives him a SO
point lead over Burns of Philadel
phia, who Is second with .343. Sisler
10 back into third position, displac-
ing Speaker of Cleveland. Smokey
Joe" Wood, the veteran pitcher, who
has been playing the outf1eld with
Cleveland, climbed from tenth to
fifth place within the last week. His
average is 300.
Babe" Ruth Of Boston and
Walker OF Philadelphia remain tied
for the honors in home run hitting
with II each.
The leading batters:
Cobb, Detroit, .S79; Burns, Phila-
delphia, .S43; Sisler,, st. Louis, 1856;
Speaker, Cleveland, .S19; Wood.
Cleveland, 800; Pipp, New York,
.804; Murphy, Chicago, .304; Baker,
New York, .S02; Ruth, Boston. .29s:
Walker, Philadelphia, .29S.