Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-28


RED SOX
Offensive Defensive Total
S4S 467 1915
CLEVELAND
Offensive Defensive Total
S27 46O 1897
CUBS
Offensive Defensive Total
s21 ATS 1896
CUBS
Offensive Defensive Total
sac 4T6 1914
There is class concentrated in the
shortstops who still have a chance
at the pennant and glancing over the
lists of all the clubs, it would seem
that the war demands have dealt
more leniently with the shortstops
than they have with players in any
other position.
All three of these great shortstops
are waiting for the summons to duty,
and it is probable that two at least
would be at their posts now but for
the chance of playing the big series.
The astounding part of the dope Is
that this kid Hollacher, a first year
man, shows in the figures as the
equal of the great Scott and in some
points the superior of both Scott and
Chapman, who have, with Rockin-
shortstoppers. There probably will be
some protest in many cities over the
high rating of youngster who never
has been under fire in big series
against a cool, fighting and uneXclt-
able man like Scott.
Comparing these two players is
like comparing fire and water. Scott
is, l believe, the coolest cucumber IN
the patch. He is not a good hitter,
but in a series like this he becomes
dangerous because he has what we
call the gamblers nerve and the
harder the position, the greater the
strain, the more apt he is to come
through. In defensive work he is one
of the greatest short tielders the
game ever has known, with pair
of hands the like of which has not
been seen since Lee Tannehil drop
ped back. He is practically unshak-
able, the savior of his team in times
of panic and a fellow more likely TO
hit in a pinch than he is when the
bags are clear
Contrast him with Hollacher. a
huStling, aggressive, superbly con-
fident without swell headedness and
in the matter of covering ground he
can beat Scott. He throws from any
position, goes in both directions and
self that it will take a lot to smash
his nerve and bring on a panic.
The hitting of Hollacher this sea-
son is too good to be entirely true.
He has held up in the 300 class In
a major league weakened, 1t is true,
but still a major), and hit far ahead
of where he was able to hit in the
coast league. He has gone through
his first season as big Lacquer with
out one slump either in batting or
fielding.
Rather to my astonishment 1 dis
cover from Hollacher's games that
he has been hitting the good pitch
ers as we'll as the bad. True. he has
grabbed several clusters of four hits
per game, most off weak pitchers,
but he has hit the good ones and has
done fairly well against some of the
lefthanders.
In spite of these facts it is impos-
sible to figure Hollacher against the
Red Sox pitchers at the strength he
has shown in his own league. Two
of them, at least, are certain to slow
up his batting attack. Ruth certainly
will trouble the little fellow terribly
and Sam Jones, with that puZzling
slow ball he has developed, will
worry him. AS to Mays, that fellow
always is troublesome to dopester.
He is like that little girl who had a
little curl. When his underhand
swift is under control he is prac-
tically unhittable, unbuntable and
uneverything else. Any club which
Mays to shift to overarm pitching
has him beaten right there, and
about the only way that happens is
when he loses control of the un-
derhand delivery.
Mays will worry Hollacher. The
nearest thing to Mays style the kid
ever has seen is Fred Toney's
swift" and Fred no longer uses that
except to waste or as a beaner. No
tice Hollachos'S work against Toney
and you will discover that he has
troubled Toney and besides drawing
passes has hit. 1t is plain that Hol-
lacher's value against Mays would be
in trying to worry him into wildness
rather than by hitting.
The fact that Vaughn and Tyler
must carry the brunt of the Cub
pitching in order to stop Ruth, Nc
Innis, Hooper,, etc., plays into the
hands of Scott and compels us to add
many points to his value as a hitter.
The figures show that he has hit the
Iefthanders about 40 points better
than he has the righthanders, but in
this my own records are not COM
plete, as it only goes to prove he
does hit them better than his reg
ular average against the run of mi
nor pitching.
1t .; an odd thing in studying the
Cubs and Red Sox that we find each
team strong in the same spots that
the other is, and weak in the same
places, and the further we go with
the dope the more that truth be-
comes evident.
And to some extent the same ap-
plies to Cleveland as we find Chap
man in the same class ass the two
rivals. In some ways Chapman is a
better player than either of his ri
walls, but for the purpose of series
between Chicago and Cleveland the
youngster shows a lead of a few
points over the Cleveland wonder
and Hollacher shows to be more val
liable for a series against Cleveland
than he would against the Red Sox,
because 1t figures that he would hit
the Cleveland pitchers harder. The