Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-09-01
Gives Whiteman Credit for
Saving Him in the Den
of the Cubs.
i ELLIS HOW HE FELT
AS CHICAGO GOT TO HIM
Describing Close of His Career
as a Hurler, Pays Tribute to
Other Stars.
BY BABE RUTH.
Copyright by United News)
tAil Rights Reserved By United

Chapter Nfnc.
AS far as we have gone 1 am still.
strictly speaking, n pitcher have
done some outiiei1::E and am taking
turn on first. but have not vet
achieved ms ambition 10 play every
day and bat every day. And, as the
life OF pitcher is measured on
tables OF figures. we can't cscape a
few more fast and dizzy rounds OF
arithmetic.
Now, in 1916. | had pitched eight
shut-out games. two two-hit games
ana three of three hits. in winning
nay leading position over the Amcri-
can League twirlers. In the proceed
ing year. out OF thirty-two games
pitched, turned in only one shut
OUT one two-ht game and a three
hit contest in accommodating an aver
age OF g.4i earned runs per game
THIS placed me far down in the p!tc
ing roster. But in 1917 was get
ting more work in the outneld and.
consequently, more exercise with the
stick. So | didn't mind finishing the
season as number nine among the
hurlcrs, because I stood fifth in the
batting list and was reckoning on be-
coming heavy hitter. This season
split n no-hit game against Wash
inEton with Ernie Shore. held De-
troit to onehit session and let
Washington down with only two
binglcs. There were seven shut-outs
TO my credit for the year, including
the one split with Shore. and there
were two threc-hi; games. This was
done In forty-Onc starts
Out in the Meadow.
The next season was the one in
which I began TO figure as rea
first baseman and outfclder. wit,
thirteen games at number one cor.
ncr and ffty-cight In the meadow
I pitched only twenty games. turn
ing IN a iivc-inning affair in which
! got credit for shut-out. and alst
a Utrecht; game. My average O
| earned runs allowed per game wa.
c.2e. At first base ! made five err
rors and my hcldinG average wa:
.96j. In the outhcld l was prett,
bad, with seven errors chalked uT
| against me, and l stood about hal
way down the column with per.
centaSe of .949. 1t made me pretty
| low in my mind to be way dowr
there.
| But the batting eye was getting or
the bail at last. The home runs were
beginning 20 rattle off the old as.
and the newspapers started in TAX
| ing notice Of mo as n sluGger / got
only eleven that year. dividing hon
ors with Walker, OF the Athletics. but
had eleven threc-baEgcrs too. and
twenty-six two-basc hits. scoring
/ ar
Sox in winning their second pennant
in three years.
Worlds Series of 1918.
We went out to Chicago to open
the worlds series on September 4
1918. in the Cubs den on the North
Side. before the smallest crowd that
ever saw a worlds champio hip
| game. The game had been postpon ed
! for Il day on account of bad weather
and. the season having beea short :
ened, the series somehow was not ex-
citing the same enthusiasm as in
normal years. But what a ball game
that first one turned out TO be.
Vaughn was picked TO work in the
box for the Cubs and he was right"
that day. Both teams played abso-
lutely nawless baseball There wasn't
single error on either side, hut we
forced over run in the fourth inn
ing. which saved me from having Il
go into extra sessions and perhaps
from taking a beating. We scored
our run when Shcan. the first man up
in the fourth inning. took a walk.
Whiteman, the only player in the
whole game TO get more than one hit,
came along with his second and las:
single. sending Shean to second. Then
came Mclnnis and he cracked n nice.
clean single to left field, brinEin &
Shean across the pan
We all won that ball game but !
think that Whiteman deserves most
of the credit, for he might have been
excused had he lost IL on either OF
two tense occasions in left field. In
the first inning Whiteman saved the
game by long run with the ball for
great catch. preventing homer by
PICK with the bases loaded This
made the third out, and my string OF
scoreless worlds series innings was
saved. Again. in the sixth inning.
this same Whitcman was forced TO
run with long drive in order TO pull
1t down But he did the trick, and
the two runners who were ready to
score died on base. They gave me
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