The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-02
Barons Lose Hard Game 10 Chicks
BasebaN's Super Dreadnaught Babe Ruth, Cruising in High
Giant OutelderPtcher Batting Over 300 and Winning More Than Half His Games-May Break
 Home Run Record
By JAMES J. CoRBETr.

The super-dreadnaught of baseball IS cruising along serenely this season. He
 is having an exceptionally good year.
 Babe Ruth is the player in mind; Ruth,
 the southpaw pitcher; Ruth, the terrific slugger and outhelder He is making good
 with the Red Sox i'll his double role ot
 pitcher and fielder, thereby putting to route predictions that were made earlier in the season that Manager Ed Barrow
 would find it necessary to play him in one position or the other If he Wantea him to perform consistently.
 The batting averages show that. at this writing, Ruths pitching efforts have netIed him better than q :500 percentage average. He hasn't pitched in a great number of games, and his total for the season probably will be less than twenty full games at the outside But he has proven to the satisfaction of the Boston mana cement that he can go in there and pitch good enough ball to win when his serVIceS are needed.
 While the Red Sox were down in Florida this spring there was a story circulated to the effect that Barrow planned to play Ruth in the outfeld because he was prac- tically through as pitcher. It was sali that he had lost his effectiveness on the mound, and. considering the reputation he once had as a star chucker, he prob ably is less effective today than he was from 1915 to 1918, during which period the Red Sox annexed three pennants and as many worlds championships.
 But like good many stars, Ruth Is lii- clined to be temperamental at times. Ills natural love for hitting and his ability to bang the ball out of the lot must De figured as an asset. Barrow could not afford to overlook this part of Ruths s pail playing repertoire, especially when the big fellow begged to be allowed to play
 the outfield or first base in order that
 he might get into the game every cay Here was the question with Barrow; Whether to accede to Ruths wishes ana give him a chance to get into the lineup
 daily, where his hitting was bound |"
 be a big help to the club, or whether to continue using him as pitcher, WltE
 the chance that his services on the mound might prove of less value, no mat ter what the cause.
 Barrow made no definite decision at
 the time. He simply kept an eye on Ruth's work, both in the box and in the outfield. Then when the season opened and the Red Sox plunged into the pennant race, Barrow sent the big slugger to the
 outer garden and has played him there almost continually ever since
 OVER 300 NOW
 Ruth is hitting better than 300. His
 great slugging ability caused Barrow to
 place him in the cleanup position in the batting order and there he stays, regard less of whether he is pitching or outfield- ing Most of Ruth's hits are long ones
 He takes mighty swing at the ball and although he is not highly effective against the good left-handed pitchers of the American league, he simply murders the offerings of the right-handers. His chances of establishing a new sea sons record for home-run hitting are bril- liant.
 Players of Ruths ability to fit into two or more positions as important IS the pitching box or an outfield berth are not often discovered. The average young [ pitcher who comes up to the big show i cannot hit the size of his hat and if he | is the kind who thinks more of trying to | get hits than win games he is shortly sent | back to the tall timber.
 l Of the many hard-hitting players in al
 positions in the major leagues I don