The sun., 1919-08-03
BABE RUTH HOT ON
TRAIL OF FREEMAN
Has Third Of Season to Get
Nine Homers and Tie Bucks
Record Of 20.
CRAVATH POLED OUT "a
Red Sox Slugger Now Joint
Holder With Seybold in
American League
CRAvATH POLED OUT "a

ut Fenway Park. Boston, last Tuesday
he tied home run record American
League maulers have been shooting at
Il, vain for the last sixteen years.
II was Ruth's sixteenth home run Of
the season, and it tied the American
que record for ramming out four
baegers Socks Seybold, the former
roly-poly right fielder Of the Athletic
Champions of 1909 and 1908. banged out
sixteen home runs IN 1902, the first year
Connie Mack won a pennant in Phila-
delphla-
With more than a third of the season
still ahead OF him Ruth should have
little trouble in passing Seybold's figures
and producing new record for the
American League.
Ruth also has chance to break the
major league home run record. estab-
lished by Buck Freeman OF the WASH
ington National League Club in 1899,
when he knocked out twenty-five home
runs. This is the mark that all sluggers
have been aiming at Twice within the
last eight years National League slug
gers have approached It
Nearest Approach.
Frank Schultz hit twenty-one homo
runs for the Cubs in 1911, while Gabby
Cravath Of the Phillies Just missed tying
Freeman's home run record by one in
1916, the year the Phillies won their
only pennant Old Wooden Shoes helped
them along that year with twenty-four
slaps for the circuit
Frank Schultz and Chicago baseball
reporters always claimed that Wild
FIRE was euchred out of two home runs
in 1911 or he would have come within
two slams Of matching Freeman's fig-
ures. Schultz never forgave John Fos-
ter now secretary of the Giants. for
taking a homer on him that year.
II was the year of the Polo Grounds
fire, and the Giants were playing on
the rock plateau of the old Hilltop, the
American League park. With Devore
in right field Schultz whistled one to
right that bounded along on the rocks
and sped through Devore. Schultz made
the circuit, but Foster. then official
scorer for the Giants, gave Frank a
single and Josh a three base error.
Schultz nearly burned up next day
when he saw the papers failed to give
him a home run.
Various athletes now in the big
leagues have beaten Freeman's twenty
fvs record in the minors. Ping Bodie.
the Yank centre fielder. hit thirty homo
runs for San Francisco in the Pacific
Coast League in 1910, but the Coast
Minor League Feats.
Les Mann OF the Cubs hit twenty
seven home runs In 1912 while he was
member Of the Seattle club of the
Northwestern League. Before Cravath
started on his home run rampage In
the National League he banged out
twenty-nine home runs for Minneapolis
In the American Association in 1911.
. A., - k,Gw
run records IN the minors that Bodie.
Mann and Cravath landed In the majors
In the seasons following their great
minor league home run harvest Bodie
Joined the White Sox in 1911: Cravath
came to the Phillies for his second big
league adventure In 1912, and Mann
became a Brave in 1918.
1t Is Ruth's misfortune to try to match
Freeman's record in a year in which the
season has been shortened fourteen
games. Cravath Schultz and other slug
gers who went after Bucks twenty-five
record had 154 games to do 1t in. while
Ruth has only lao. In view OF the high
ly prosperous state of baseball at pres
ent It Is amusing to look back to last
winter when the club owners cut the
season, thinking 1t would take several
years for baseball to get back to normal.
Looking over the home run records of
inc last nineteen years II - luuoE0biuB
70 note how the home run crops have
nuctuated In different years. For In
stance, Tommy Leach, the little third
baseman of the Pittsburg National
League champs Of 1909, hit oply six
home runs that season. but II was
enough to put him on top In homo runs
In the National League that year. It
was the same year that Seybold ere
ated the old American League record Of
16.
Yet coming down to 1915. we find that
cravath led the National League that
year with ~ homers, whereas Bobby
Roth. playing that season with Chicago
and Cleveland. led ths American League
with only T.
A Lean Home Run Year.
About the leanest home run titles
were won in 1909. Jack Murray, then
Of the Giants. won the National League
home run crown with only Z, while Ty
with Q. That is the only year that Ty
took home run honors
OF the modern maulers Cravath, the
new manager of the Phillies, is far In
the lead. and Ruth will have to go some
IN the next few years to match Cravath's
home run figures in Philadelphia II
must be admitted, however. that Cravath
played seventy-seven games each year
IN one Of the easiest parks TO hit home
runs in the major leagues.
II Ruth played half the season In that
Philadelphia bandbox or on the Pole
Grounds, there is no telling how many
home runs he would grab in a year. The
right field stand in Harlem has beer
Ruth's pet home run shooting gallery
ever since he came into the American
League. Long before Ruth ever thought
or playing the outfield, and appeared
mere only as pitcher. he used to punch
nome runs into that stand regularly or
his visits TO New York.
Cravath won the National League title
I'VE times, though in 1915 he was Obliged
70 divide It with Dave Robertson. He
took honors in 1913 and 1914 with nine
teen home runs in each year. In 191t
ne Jumped up to twenty-four. In 1915
he came down to eleven, and was nosed
out by Davey Robertson and Cy Will
lams, both Of whom hit twelve. In 1917
Cravath hit twelve and Dave Robertson
also hit dozen. SO the former Giant
star had to divide honors again Las,
year Cravath won his home run hoport
cheaply. as eight was enough to beat
out the field.
Led Both Leagues.
Buck Freeman and Sam Crawford
are the only players who have the dis
Junction Of having led both major
leagues in hitting home runs. In both
cases their American League majorities
Were much smaller than their National
League figures