The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-06-17
SAM SOLVES MAJOR
LEAGUE BATTING PROBLEM
Takes ThySix Pitchers From Big Circuit Teams Including
MANY of the Stars

Uncle Sam seems TO have solved the
batting problem of the major leagues
Your uncle down in Washington con
Guided the big leagues were top heavy
with pitching talent, SO he executed
neat little raid on the twirling corps
of the circuits OF Messrs, Tener and
Johnson and swore the captured
pitchers into his own service. by taxi
ing thirty-six men the various big
league STATS Uncle Sam has made the
hitting much easier for the survivors
OF the thrty-sx twenty-one are from
the American league and ffteen from
the National
Every club in the big leagues has
given up at least one pitchers
The pitchers of the various big
league clubs now members of Uncle
Sans hghtinR forces or who viii be in
the national army before the end Of
the month are as follows:
National League-Brook1yn Pfefter.
Smith. Galore Mljus. Mitchell; Cin-
cinnatL Toney. Ruether. Chicago.
Alexander: Philadelphia. Rixev; st,
Louis. Hortsman, Goodwin; Pittshurg,
Evans, Ponder; New York. Jones,
Stryker; Boston. Scott
American League--Cieveland, KEEP
fer. Lambeth. Dickerson, Torkleson
Boston, Shore Pennock Bader, Phila =
delphis. Johnson, seibold. Noyes, Nay
lor; New York, Fisher. Shawkey
Smallwo6d; st, Louis. Koch, Ftncher;
Detroit, Ehmke, oldham; Chicago
Scott; Washington. YinglipE.
Jim scott Captain.
| One OF the tvirlers in Uncle Sam .
service. Jim Scott. OF the white Sox
| has risen highest, as he emerged from
training camp last summer with the
rank of captain Fppa Rixey. of the
| Phiiies. and Len Galore are the only
| other pitchers to win commissions
| Rixey Is lieutenant in the gas and
| flame brigade, and Galore second
| lieutenant In the infantry Fppa al
ways had hankerirg for chemistry
and his knowledge of that science
! enabled him to win shoulder straps.
1t was necessary to replace many oi
these nfen with minor leaguers, while
regular pitchers probably will be-
worked harder this season than ever
| before. The Brooklyn staff seems Il
be the only one dented badly. Uncle
| Sam took all Of Connie Mack's kie
| pitchers hut he has bobbed up witt
the best STAFF he has had since III
broke IN his old championship team
The Boston National STAFF look.
| about the weakest in the game, bu
| Stailincs wrecked this himself.
He traded his two pitchers. Tyle,
and Barnes, while Dick Rudolph Is e
| holdout. leaving him only few SECOND
strnRers, like Hughes, Hearne. Raglan
| Crum and Caravan.
Many Hating Feats.
! Already there are signs of big bat
! ting fests, While several pitchers have
! come close to pitching noshit games
| Schneider MAYS and Vaughn pitching
| one hit affairs, on the whole the bat
| ting has been heavy. Both the Yam
| KEGS and Giants are battering all op-
ponents. and Individual batting aver
ages are mounting high. The two ole
! slusgers, Doyle and Baker. are batting
as though they intend to break all past
| batting records.
Batting averages have steadily
! dropped in the major leagues during
| last I'VE years. but this season there
! should be a strong upward trend The
| big leagues have secured the minors
| for talent, and numerous twirlers OF
| the type OF Hearne. Hogg, Main and
| Griner have been resurrected. Nat
urally such pitchers will prove much
more httable than men like Alexander
| Pfeffer and Toney.
! The work Of several players who
! switched from one league to the other
last winter is affordng some interest