Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-05-06
By JAMES J. CounErr.

Connie Mack holds nrmly 10 the be-
lief that rs ptchifE tsat def Na,,
Fielding ana great batting power are
= but incidental factors.
ANY ball club that goes into battle
equipped with a splendid pitching star
as one that always must he rcckoncd
as a flag probability" declares the
great eat, Leader Of the Ath Il, Md
of great filters and fine feeders, but
lacks first-class pitchers. cannot be re-
garded dangerous.
Ihirty-hvc years OF participation :
player or manager in big league fight
Ing has conYinced me that pitching IS
a r6se,r to 20 per cent Of h1sebali,
seen some truly great offensive clubs
beaten-and badly-because they lacked
pitchers T,1tsa A1d in that sam" sweep OF
equipped with great pitching staff
ssk immed through 10 worlds cham
-fpionshp.
Good Pitching wouId Win.
TT is my opinion that a ball club
only fairly good in fielding and hitting.
4 but with Johnson, Alexander. Vaughn
and Ruth making IN IFS pitching staff,
that carried such splendid folders and
Wonderful hitters as Cobb. Speaker.
SWhe at. Collins Groh, McInnis and other
stars of the first offensive macnitude,
but pitchers OF only mediocre calibcr.
History shows that batting strength
alone me cannot VIII pennanis bn' that
can accomplish the trick
"A fair ball club vii! score an aver
age OF about three, runs per game and
than fraction beyond two
The feat OF the 1906 White Sox
Eiu never be forgotten Tho team
the io~ly mark of .?25 l; made
tewer hits than any club in Ban John
sons circuit. Il scored only SO runs
In Il
Club. Yet the sox won the pennant
by fairly healthy margin
So1 outbntted But Victor>.
. 'TGw did it happen; The answer
Owen and Smith we're a; Their best ,
that year Their work was superla-
tive, Their mates day after DAY, gave
then, .,,n1,~S only run or Two; but Il vas
were outbatied from IS TO 80 points
and didn't top the league in fielding,
( they ~on a worlds champ !onship.
1907. 1905 and 1909, winning flags in
those years. Through all the time
since then they have possessed just as
slumped IN fielding skill. But their
pitching staff has been weak-and the
result; has been many second division
Summers. K.iiiian and the other ot'ei;
rnoundsmen faded the Tigers were
through even though they skill re-
i
others.
Cleveland Never Won Pennunt.
There was time, not so long
ago. when The Cleveland club boasied
OF nine 500 hitters during .mid-s Season.
In October Cleveland topped the league
by huge margin in batting percent
age. But they We're many notChes re-
moved from the top Al! throush the
gan. Cleveland has had great hitting
club. daresay II the grand batting
average Of all the clubs since l9o! Was
near. or at the top. Bu; Cleveland
ns SThe '1 Req o sos 4 ftiefiad seventh in
nant and worlds championship. They
just nosed out my taileNd team by five
points. But the Sox had the pitchers,
and didn't The Cubs Won the Ma
To the wire 10y l2o points--but the Reds
won the batting championship with
.27S against 200 for the Cubs
Give Athletics statistics.
Let me cite the comparative cases
OF my 1910 and my l@l7 clubs; one
machine Of a! time, the other G9lO
called the worst ball club that ever
represented Philadelphia. Here are the
statistics covering both
Won. Lost &c. POS. Av7. A. ~
1917 49, 81 sss IS, SO .353 .S 3$t
although my 1917 club batted only
II points behind that OF 1870 and was
almost as starry aiield. IL finished 32l
points lower than did the team OF 1919
THE sole reason is that IN 1910
had some really great pitchers ana in
A1917 i didn't
..And go i, VIII always be in base
ball; the team with the pitchers is ever
dangerous team and the one that
4 lacks real moundsmen IS a club that
). ninety times out Of 100 VIII nni.h IN
Ntne. uck. "--copyright 1919 King Fea-
lures Syndicate, Inc.