Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-08-10
71|iH|AJOR LEAGUE HITTERS
!. GOING FULL SPEED NOW
American Circuit Swatting Leader
.,sShip Has Changed Hands Many
Times During Season.
JACKSON HAS HIT sTR1Dl
Crarath's Retirement to Bench as
Manager Of Phillies Affords OPP
z" portunity for New Star to Appear
, and Top National.
BY JAMES j. coRBErr.

'% NEW YORK, August a.-The annual
battle for the batting championships
of the two major leagues is still going
on full tilt. with the season gradually
drawing near the home stretch
During the last few years the field of
contestants for the honor of leading
the major leagues has usually been
narrowed down TO two rivals by this
(. time Of the year, but the struggle this
season is red hot and promises TO con-
tinue that way practically up to the
close Of the pennant races.
In the American League the leader.
: Neach: and Jackson have been string
Ing along neck and neck. jackson
but since he has come TO the fore his
VICIOUS hitting has caused many
tion whenever the game happened to
be a nip. and tuck affair, and he has
T. been bouncing the ball off the outheld
walls, with regularity.
Crarath RetIrcs to Bench.
The race for the National League
Championship is just as hot though
IGrsXaths retirement to the bench
than than, $50: While Wills; HI Meyers. Zach
the real leadership in the old league
to switch back and forth.
t.Cravath's wonderful hitting. practi-
cally up TO mid season, indicated that
he might have held the pace through
out the summer had he continued in
the. game as a regular. But his retire
rbent from every day playing VII
leave him out of the running when the
zeal champion for the year comes to be
for any one of the leading hittsrs to
start streak that Will land him out
IN front Of the pack. for the batting
Hal Chase did not. find his true stride
until the National League season was
hall over. but he has arrived now. AT
consecutive games and without streak
of bad luck his batting rampage prom
Uses sas, to Put him into the running for
when he hit 500 for the championship.
Roush' and Wheat Smuggling.
Eddie Roush and Zach Wheat bat
spectively. with .34l and .3s5 as their
final averages. are both very much in
the running again this year. They
Great and there hss9 no
tinx around the fact that any bats
man who beats out either Of them
will"have TO do some phenomenal hit.
Little Benny Kaur. whose ambition
TO lead the hatsmen OF his league is
9iM., as 4, keen as ever. still finds it
300 mark-a mark that has never won
batting championship in either
league In order 10 be a champion
It. a player must hit better than 800,
and. this average won the batting ti,le
but once, when Larry Doyle grail bed
TIE henors by hitting an even 500
IA figure better than 325 is a low
average for the marks set by champion
batsmen who have won honors with
League with .4o3. Duffy, OF Boston,
set the high batting mark in the Ma.
Honal League since 1870. when he
age Of .43s in 1894.
In the American League Nap La
Der Of the Athletics in 1901. still stands
supreme, though Ty Cobb. the greatest
oatsman Of ell time. closely approach
ed that fgure on one occasion when
that Cobb and Jackson staged such
thrilling race for the championship.
Cobb beating his rival out by virtue
o. his immense average Jackson hit
on Cobb's tran again.
Cobb Out For Another.
Having been the batting champion
years: in nine OF which he held the
title just that many consecutive times.
me veteran Tyrus; still agile and cap
h
championship 10 his string. No player
in baseball! history has ever approached
Cob6s record as batting champion,
and il Is doubtful whether any player
OF the future Will ever be able to come
close TO II
There Is no logical way in which
to attempt comparison between Cobb
and Lajoie. who preceded Tyrus as the
greatest batter in American League
history; They played a different times
and they faced different pitching
When Cobb bloomed forth as the mar
vel OF the age. Lajoie was on the wane.
and 10 compare their efforts during
those few seasons would be unfair.
The most promising rival on Cobb's
horizon today is George Sister the
sensational star OF the ST. Louis
Browns. 1t has often been predicted
that Sisler Will be Cobb's successor
when the days OF Tyrus the Great as
champion hatsman are over. This
eounds logical, despite such players as
Jackson and Speaker, for by the time
Cobb's batting lamps start dimming
the o-bs Of Shoeless Joe and sir
rristram Will also begin to wink AT
major league pitching. Copyright,
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