Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-12
NATIVITY RIGHT FIELDER HAS
HAD AN ERRORLESS SEASON
Billy Whitman, Haggerty's
Star, Also Has Hit Above
800 All Year
HDID you ever attend a baseball

"D1D you ever attend q baseball
game at Nativity Field, Ontario
and Miller streets, up in Port Rich
mond?"
Yes? Then perhaps you have noticed
the expression Of relief on the faces of
the thousands of fans who gather there
four times week when the home team
is in a tight hole. bases loaded. two
men down and the pellet Is slammed
toward right field.
| The boy that covers the sun garden
in the northeast has never dropped a
ny ball in his baseball career. neither
mas he made an error In the seventy or
more games he has played with Phil
Haggerty's club. This right fielder Of
Nativity is Billy Whitman. considered
by many the fastest fielder in sempro
ranks in Philadelphia. Whitman is a
center fielder. used there by all mana :
gers for his wonderful speed. But up
at Nativity they never had any one
who could cover right field on account
OF the sun. and that is the reason why
whit is assigned to that pasture.
Roy Thomas Again
William Charles Whitman is twenty
two years of age. weighs 146 pounds.
height five feet eight inches. throws and
bats left handed and reminds one OF
Roy Thomas in his actions. He hits
to left field. is a good bunter and waiter
and was a pupil of Thomas when he
} played with the Stetson club. where he
began his baseball career.
Whitman played with Stetssn for
two seasons and was considered the hat
makers best bunter and leading hitter
in 1917-1S. In the two summers nj
Stetson he accepted 102 chances and
had but five errors. two on ground balls
and three on ovcrthrows.
In the season of 1918 he also wa,
manager of the finishing department
team, which went through the schedule
without a defeat. winning the Conni,
Mack trophy and seven other.
Joins Merchant Ship
Billy was signed by Earl Mack tc
play with Merchant Ship in the season
of 1910. While the Shipyard League
was in existence. he batted $40 ant
[ had fifty one chanSes for fieldinl
average Of 900. When this leagu,
p went f1ooic and Merchant played indie
? pendent ball. Whitman was still re
, tanned During the remainder of tn,
2 season he had forty six putoutS, will
, only one errer. that on n ground ball.
{ In the shipyard circuit he was par
/ ticularly effective against the best hurl
ers- These included Waite Hoyt. wit
q Baltimore Drydocks and now of tn
i Boston Americans; Bower, Of Harlan
now the International Leagues home
=, run king: Frank, Of Baltimore Inter
|, nationals; Seeds. of Rochester. nov
, with Pat Moran's Reds rs an out
{ fielder; Faircloth. of the Phillics. an
,, O'Keefe and Jing Johnson. while wit
! the AS. He had hits off all those
/ hurlers.
Merchant Ship quit baseball las
! Labor Day and then Whitman jope
= Nativity. He finished the season ther
making twenty two putouts without Il
error and batted over 300.
Whitman made n wonderful hit wit
2 the Richmond fans and he was one {
q the first men to be signed this year. )
. far he has batted above 300 and ha
7 accented 11G chances without an erro
! in the sixty three games played b
Z Nativity to date.