The sun., 1919-10-02
Combines Crafty Arm Of
Plank With Heavy Hit
ting of Gowdy.
REMARKABLE EXHIBITION
Has Favorite White SOx at His
Mercy-Cicotte Gets Worst
Beating of Career.
ny FREDERICK @. LIEB.

crack young left handler, for the opening
game. Ruether not only won the game
but INDICATED the judgment Of his fellow
players regarding his courage.
The youngster tonight ranks with the
Robes. Bakers, Adamses. Gowdys and
Collinses of worlds series warfare. In
TACT Ruether In his first worlds series
game was more than a Babe Adams.
In defeating the White Sox by a humili-
ating to / score here this afternoon
Ruether combined the pitching arm of
. Plank with the robust batting Of .
Gowdy. Such a combination was un-
beatable
It Is Questionable IL any individual
worlds series exploit compares with the
all around work of Ruether. the Pacific
coast lad. Not content with disposing
Of the hard hitting White Sox. who
hammered the ball for an average Of
.2S3 In the American League. with six
hits and one unearned run, Ruether was
o veritable demon at bat. In four times
up he drove out two triples and a single
and drew a base on balls. He sent in
three runs and scored q fourth
1t Il not surprising that the young
fellow owns the town tonight He de-
livered the same sharp breaking curves
League. and the White Sox could do no
more than nibble at them. OF the six
Chicago hits, all were singles. The
fences were there, but only the Cincin-
natl players especially Ruether, poled
the ball to these distant barriers.
A Strange Upset.
The first game of the 1919 series
assuredly was one of the singular upsets
peculiar to worlds series, 1t can only
be compared with the first game of the
1914 series, when Rudolph. pitching his
first world pennant game for the Braves,
beat the veteran Athletics, to 1. Chi
cago to-day was trounced even more
severely.
Eddie Cicotte. who piled up twenty
nine victories in the American League
this year. was pounded by the Reds as
though he were a busher. His famed
mystery ball had nothing mysterious
about it. Cicotte was in distress from
the start. Instead of polishing the ball
on his trousers he frequently held 1t to
his mouth. Whether he threw spitball
or just feigned could not be determined.
It was certain, however, that from the
start he was unable to control his de-
livery, and seemed to lack his customary
confidence. He was annoyed at his In
ability TO do anything with the ball. and
his fretfulness all the more obvious.
Chicago men said It was the poorest
game Cicotte ever has pitched. How
ever, he received a similar trouncing
once before this year. When the White
Sox made their second visit to New York
this year the Yankees turned on Knuckle
Ball Eddie in the first game Of double
header and pounded him for twelve hits
and eight runs in five innings. 1t may
be consoling news for American League
rooters that two days later Cicotte re-
covered and shut out the Yankees
Say Cicotte VIII Come Back.
Chkago supporters say Cicotte will be
all right by Friday. Nevertheless 1t Is
evident he is not much Of worlds
series pitcher.
In the 1917 series. after beating Sallee
In the first game. to l. Cicotte did little
sof note, and It required the sensational
work Of Faber to bring victory to the
Comiskey athletes.
Cincinnati did more to-day than Just
gain a victory in the opening game. Its
victory by such an overwhelming score
gives the Reds tremendous phycholog-
zeal advantage. They not only beat the
White Sox, but they tore Chicago's best
pitcher from his lofty perch. Then they
introduced a pitcher capable of holding
full of hits.
Attention has been called to the air of
ouiet confidence that prevailed in the
Red ranks. The men already believed
in themselves. The decisive victory can
only strengthen confidence, in their
powers.
Cincinnati now possesses the advan-
tage that In past series always has aided
the winner of the first game. In thir-
winner of the opening game also has
won the pennant One of the two ex-
captions to this rule was the 1915 Phila-
delphia Nationals, directed by the same
Pat Moran who now is managing The
Cincinnati club In that series Alex
ander beat Ernie Shore. to 1, In the
first game. but the Red .Sox won the
next four games.
The lengthening Of the series to nine
games may lessen the advantage which
accrues to the winner of the opening
game but even in 1903. when a nine
game series was played, the rule held
good The Boston Americans who cap
tured the first game in 1908, also won the
series.
Reds Play steadier Game.
Cincinnati to-day played a steadieI
Rame from the start than Chicago
Errors were one apiece, but the Reds
were more alert and took advantage OF
the break of the game when 1t came
their way.
That was in the fourth inning-that
same big fourth inning which proved
such a sensational, turbulent round iT
the 1917 series between the Giants an6
White Sox. The White Sox had two
chances to retire the Reds without a rur
In that inning before the big lombard
ment took place, and IT was the Eddi,
Collins Risberg combination that upse
the apple cart.
In the first three innings the Red.
tried a waiting game on Clcotte but ir
the fourth Moran suddenly switched nj,
tactics. He ordered his men to hit O.
the first ball.
Roush hit the first ball in the air t.
Felsch and then Duncan. the Redlaut
rookie, took one ball. He slashed tn,
next pitch to right centre for a singl,
which was as clean as that oft quote
whistle. And now came Cinc'nnatit
big break. Kopf. too. hit the first bal
and smashed II directly at Cicotte.
Veterans show Poor Team Work
Ordinarily smash like that to ,
pitcher with a man on first results n
an easy double play. Buth both Collin