The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-01-07
ALEXANDER
AGAIN KING
AMONG KIND
Great Pitcher Has Record of
1875 Earned Runs Per
Game in National League
schupp's Performance
Noteworthy One.

Grover Cleveland Alexander, the
former Philadelphia pitching star re-
Gently sold to the Chicago Cubs, re-
tanned his championship pitching
laurels in the National League last
season, though he was closely pressed
by Poll Peritt of the Giants. Alex
ander permitted SIS earned runs per
game, showing a slight falling off in
efficiency since he gained the top. In
1915, the year Philadelphia won the
National League peHnant, Alexander
permitted only 1.22 earned runs, and
in 1916 he allowed 1.55 earned runs.
Alexander is credited with 80 victor
les and Is defeats for the 1917 sea
son.
Alexander pitched S5 full games
last season, against SO full games in
1916 and Sc full games in 1917. Per
rift, who follows him among the reg
ular pitchers, permitted 1888 earned
runs game, though he pitched only
IA complete games. Perritt won II
games and lost seven.
Alexander, however, owes the lead.
ership to the fact that Secretary
Heydler divided the National League
pitchers into three groups in the 1917
pitching averages. The first group
includes pitchers who have taken
part in 10 full games or, more; the
second group takes in pitchers who
have been in 10 games regardless of
how long they were in, and the third
group includes such pitchers who
took part in less than 10 games.
Fred Anderson, the Giants relief
f%oI,
pitcher in the National League last
season so far as earned runs we~a
concerned. However, he took part
in only eight complete games, and
therefore had to be satisfied with
leadership in the second class, Alex
ander took part in thirty-eight games
during which he had an earned run
record of LA. Chief Bender, the
wonderful comeback hurIer of the
Phillies, also has a better average
than Alexander, but, like Alexander,
the 1.-THE Indian took part only in
eight full games. His earned run
record was 1.67 for twenty games He
| won eight games and lost two, four
of his victories being shutouts
Ferdie Schupp, the young Giants
the old style system of games won
and lost. He won twenty-one games
and lost seven, for a percentage of
$50. Schupp ranks third in the first
| class, with an efficiency average OF
| 1875. Ferdie took part in twenty-five
full games. A year ago Schupp, who
pitched only eight full games, was the
nominal leader with. an earned run
average of .090 earned runs.
Slim Sa1Iee, Schupp's fellow south
paw, would rank second under the
old system with eighteen victories
and seven defeats, for a percentage
of .72O.
The slump of the Brooklyn pitchers
is shown in the averages ,as only one
Dodger pitcher appears among the
first ten in earned runs and none in
the first ten in games won and lost.
Pfeffer had the best earned run rec
ord, ranking ninth with 2.23. Sherrow
| Smith, the Dodger left handler, stood
rext to last in class one, while the
old war horse, Jack Coonrbs, was
fourth from the bottom in class two
with an average of almost four earn
ed runs a game.
Douglas Worked in Most Games.
Phil Douglas of Chicago pitched in
the greatest number of games 81
followed by Barnes of Boston with
| so. Alexander scored mosts hutouts
| (eight), and he also led in complete
games pitched with IS. Alexander
! led the right handlers in strikeouts
with 201 out of the 1881 batsmen
facing him. Vaughn of Chicago led
the left handlers with the higher per-
centage of 1876 strikeouts out of 1916
| chances.
In consecutive victories, Saa1ee and
| Schneider tied with a run of nine
| games each, the former making his
record from June 80 to August 16,
and the latter during the winning
streak of Cincinnati from June 9 to
July 26.
Two victories in one afternoon were
scored July by Toney of Cincinnati
against Pittsburgh; on Sep. 3, by
Alexander of Philadelphia against
Brooklyn, and on Sept. Is by Doak
of st. Louis, also against Brooklyn
The outstanding pitching feature of
the 1917 season-if not of modern
baseball history-was the game play
ed in Chicago May 2, when Toney of
| Cincinnati and Vaughn of Chicago
went nine innings without allowing a
safe hit to either side. In the tenth
Vaughn allowed two hits, losing the
! game / to 0. Toney, however, con-
tnued unhitable and scored the only
no-hit game of the Nationals 1917
season.