Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-08-30

fast when it disappeared behind the
stand. Incidcntally, because most of
my hits have gone to right and close
TO the foul line. the American League
officials decided this year TO con
tinuc the white foul line clear UP TO
the roof Of the RICH, stand at the
Polo Grounds. In some OF the parks
on the circuit. where the sloping
roofs OF the stands can be seen by
the umpires, the foul lines have been
striped across them. know that
two or three home runs made at
the Polo Grounds this year really
were fouls, because they were go
ing foul as they crossed the roof.
In fact. one OF my own hits which
went for four bases would have been
nothing but strike IL the umpire
could have seen where 1t landed.
AT Navin Field. Detroit, in the
summer OF 1919. ] caught ball on
the hcfty part OF my bat and
slammed it beyond the street wall.
and at Sportsman's Park. the home
Of the Browns. in ST. Louis. one OF
my hits. which disappeared bcyond
the Grand Avenue ,lcachers. very
close to center field. was said to be
longer than the famed hit OF Pop
Arson. which had become baseball
history many years before.
Another Murdcrous Ciout.
There is one hit OF mine which
will not stay in the official rec
ords. bat which l believe 10 be the
longest clout ever made off a major
league pitcher. At least some of
the veteran spor, writers told me
they never saw such wallop. The
Yanks were playing an exhibition
game with the Brooklyn Nationals
at Jacksonville, Fla, in April. 1920.
Al xMamauN was pitching for Brook
lyh In the first inning. the FIRST
ball he sent me was a nice fast one.
4 little lower than my waist, straight
across the heart Of the plate. II
was the kind | murder, and swung
to XIII IL. The last time we saw
the ball it was swinging it's way over
the tcn-foot outield fence OF south
side Park and going like a shot.
That Jall cleared the fence by at
least serenty-iSe feet. Let's say the
total distance Travelled was 500 fee,
the fence was 4a9 feet from the plate.
II such hit had been made at the
Polo Grounds. | guess the ball would
have come pretty close TO The top
of the green screen in the center
tieli blcachers.
There was another blow this year.
and the blow almost killed the White
AZ. ~ IT,
mound for Kid Gleason's o!io. Any
way. the pitcher served me one with
a home-run ticket on it and ! punched
the ticket for round trip. ! knew
by the ballyhoo that had put it
over the fence somewhere. but was
pretty close TO second base before
got my eye on the ball again in
time to see II drop over the wall
close to the dividing line between
center field and right. They say it
landed on soccer field and broke
UP run or something.
Predicts Is Circuit Clouts.
The 1919 season was a shor; one,
you know. The schedule called for
( 40 games, of which ] played only
| $50. Normally the schedule reads
Isl games. SO you see | got my
twenty-nine official hSme runs and
my thirty-one actua<~Snes on short
rations. l felt sure I'd be able to
beat tina; record this season, ami now
have proved H. with long time
to go. don't make any prom
ises. but at the rate I'm going now
think | see something hanging up
thae looks mighty like a forty-nve-
If the pitchers behave.
And now. while were buzzing
about records. don't remember that
any other player has ever made a
home run on every park in the cir
cult in one season. Fenway Park
is said to be the most difficult in
the league in which to make home
run. and some of the heaviest hit
tiers in the game have always fallen
short OF the rHht and center-field
bleachers. j got nine home runs at
Boston in 1919. and two or more on
every other lot in the league except
Washington, where tailed only
one. There were FIVE in Detroit.
four in New York. three in Chi
cago. three in lSt. Louis. two in