The sun., 1919-10-04
KERR, MIDGET
PITCHER, GAINS
T HALL0F FAME
Is One of Few to Win
Worlds Series Game First
2: Year in Majors.
ONLY THREE OTHER CASES
Hero of Third Game of Base
ball Classic Shows Remark
q ~ able Goodness.
BY FREDERICK G. LIEB.

~
So CHICAGO, ILL.,, Oct. s--Little Dickie
Kerr, 1919 yearling, proved the
savior Of the White Sox. The Chicago
pitching midget. who measures only s
feet I inches in his stocking feet to-day
turled the greatest game ever pitched
by a major league freshman in a worlds
series game. In banking the Reds.
National League champions, with only
three hits here to-day. Kerr goes to the
top of the class among obscure players
Who have leaped overnight to worlds
series fame.
&c There are only three other cases in
worlds series history where pitchers
won worlds series games In their first
year in the majors. Babe Adams In
1909, pitching recruit of the Pirates. won
three games from Detroit In the series
sten years ago: Hugh Bedient OF the
Red Sox beat the Giants In the 1919
series while putting In his first year
with the Boston team, and Joe Bush Of
the Athletics beat the Giants in 1918
IN his first real year out.
3 Bush Joined the Athletics late In 1919.
Dutch Ruether who beat the White Sox
In the opening game of the present series
last Wednesday, is starring for the first
time this year, but he has been knock
ing around the big leagues for the last
Ave years.
Kerr pitched good ball out in the
American Association for several years
without getting a tumble. Even after
the tiny left handler reported to the
White Sox at their Mineral Wells train
ing camp few persons took him seri-
ously. Kid Gleason himself looked at
Kerr as more or less of a Joke last
.spring. Hes too small for big league,
the Kid frequently conflded to chicago
reporters, but just the same when Giea-
Gsor, began to white down his squad
several promising youngsters were let
out while Kerr was retained.
One of SWEETEST Pitchers I'm Game.
Kerr is probably the tiniest pitcher
ever to win major league spurs. Inc
only twirler we can recall who was as
short In stature as Kerr is Jimmy Dy-
CERT, a spitballer. who was with the
Athletics ten years ago. After this
managers may not be SO quick to put
their thumbs down on pitching young
eters merely because they do not nap
pen to measure six feet
The writer was much impressed with
A game Kerr pitched against the yam
KEGS on the Polo Grounds on the last
trip of the White Sox to New York this
year. The Kid shut out the Yankees
with handful of hits and made fell
,lows like Baker and Pipp look SO badly
that everybody present voted Dickie a
real pitcher. At the time 1t was pointed
out that Kerr might cause the Reds
more trouble in thu worlds series than
Williams and Cicotte, the twirlers re-
garded as Gleasons two aces
:, One thing which was most impressive
about Kerr to-day was his GOODNESS, He
showed none of the nervousness that
nricotte and Williams appeared TO De
.laboring under the first and second
games of the series. Both Eddie and
Claude fretted about their work and
were III at ease. They couldn't control
their deliveries the way they used to
in the American League, and II upset
their game. Cicotte and Williams acted
like raw youngsters while Kerr behaved
like seasoned veteran.
.S,i'4
80 pitches without Effort.
AS far as he WAS concerned there
was no worlds series on Kerr pitched
without any effort and without wettne
the ball or shining II on his trousers
There was no camoufiage or subterfuge
20 his delivery. He just served 1t up as
II came from the factory and lost nc
time between his pitches. The entire
game was reeled off in an hour and a
half it being the fastest worlds series
aver played.
;a.as Rushe has control, and Chicag
men saw hdfs one of the smartest pitch
srs in the game to9day. even though nc
Mas been playing major league ball only
n year Like Cicotte. he pitches largely
With ''his head" and his splendid con-
troll enabled him to pitch to the weak
pesses of the Cincinnati batsmen.
Seldom did he let batters get him ir
the hole. He whipped the first ball acros:
the plate on almost every Red hitter
and It was up to the Red player r.
hit It or let II go for a strike.
The Reds learned early in the gamt
that nothing was to be gained in try
sng to wait Dickie out. In the third
inning Kerr pitched three successive
balls to Rariden, the first batter up
Then Dickie stuck over two strikes an(
on the next ball Rariden rolled an eass
Frounder 10 Weaver His one lapse Of
control came in the fourth, when HI
got over only one strike on Groh in i've
pitched balls and Heinie drew his only
base OH balls.
AlAa u,. c.w.
kfLAside from being the most eenSauona
game pitched by a worlds series young
ster, there have been only handful
OF world series games In which team
were held to three hits or less Ruelbaci
OF the Cubs pitched a one hit gam
against the White Sox in 1905. anC
sMordecai Brown hurled a two hit shut
out against the Sox In the same series
Plank Of the Athletics pitched a tw,
hit game against the Giants in 191.
and James OF the Braves held the Mack
men to two hits IN 1914. Mays pitched
D. three hit game against the Cubs las
year.
:, Kerr might have had a two hit gam
To-day had he not fallen down in field
Ing a slow bounder by Fisher. Onl
thirty men opposed the little fellow a
Eroh's pass was cancelled in a doubl
play. Duncan's single in the second in
hing also would have been wiped out o.
n double play had Risberg nelded Kopf'
s-ounder clearly. The swede tumble
II long enough to spoil a double play
though he recovered the ball in time I
retire Kopf
Ray Fisher, the former Yankee, ais
pitched tidy game. He held the So
fpluggers to seven hits, and his own will
Throw helped spill the beans. 1t CAV
the Sox a chance to score two runs 4
tine second inning and they were plenty
Fisher was good enough to have wo
rither Of the games played In Cincin
patti but Moran preferred to save tn
veteran for the opening conflict her,
Fishers knowledge OF the Chicago par
Rnd his long experience In the Amarica