Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-08-31
Used the Old Think-Tank
and Decided a Slugger
OutlastS a Hurler.
TIPS HIS HAT TO CICOTTE,
RUSSELL AND ONLY WALTER
Counscls Youngsters to Keep
Eye on the Ball and Smash
1t, Not the Umpire.
ny "RABI:" I,Ij'rt,.
Copyright 1920, by United Ncws,)
(All rights reserved by United Fea-

ny "RABE" RUTH.
Copyright 1920. by United Ncws)
(All rights reserved by United rea-
ture Synd;catc)
Chapter VIII.
The season of 1916 was my best
as q pitcher 1t was really ouly my
second session in the big league and
my third out of the old school lot.
but when the averages were cast up
At tho end OF the year, my name,
like Abou Ben Adhem's. led all the
rest. You remember Abou--pitched
for the Clod-hoppers in the days
when the second bounce was out;
This was the season of that rare
worlds series game in which Sherrod
Smith. of the Brooklyn Dodgers. and
battlcd for thirteen innings before
u shuttle in the batting order by Bill
CarriEan showed across a run fer the
Red SoN. winning the game. Smith
pitched twelve scorcless innings that
DAY, including ten consecutive rum
less sessions. Myers. the Dodgers
center fielder, smackcd one OF my
fast ones for L home run in the very
first inning. He was the last man 10
circle the bases for Brooklyn tina;
memorable day. | went thirteen in
ninGs without being scored on, and
We won the ball game. = to !. Smith
gave six bases on balls and | gave
only half that number. He struck
out two, and doubled his mark.
with four to my credit The Dodgers
collected six hits and we had only
one more than that.
Topped eddie" CIcottc.
In the league season. Carrigan
pitched me in forty-four games and
won twcnty-threc of them. bcin.
charged with the loss OF twelve. For
the entire league schedule, gave
an average OF l.75 earned runs per
game. topping Eddie Cicottc. OF the
White SoS. the second man on tho
list. who gave LIS. All told. during
The year, l.l+6 batters faced me. and
OIL these l struck out 10. Myers, of
Philadelphia. was the only pitcher
who struck out more men than ]
did. He whitfield IS: battcrs. but he
stood near the end of the list in
piichinE effectiveness, because II.
mad allowed an average o. $50
earned runs per game.
" ''''' "'"cNeI' the season of 1916
was the poorest of my major league
career. My average was only .21n. I
had the swing. the position and the
hcet--eNerything but the batting eve.
so All could gather in were three
home runs. AS :. pitcher | had reason
10 iccl satisfied, but my poor showing
at the bat gave me a whole LOT 10
worry about, because | knew was
Just missing balls and bou0ue,s nv
the width of a Gnat's cyciash. The
pitchers were foolinE me. and guess
inc secret OF II is | wasn't Keeping
my eye on the hall. The power was
III my swing all right, because when
M them they sure did go. and
mad three three-baCrers and five
doubles TO prove it. But there was
something wrong. Hero was. a
young fellow with a minor league
record as fence buster. UP in the
Bis Iime with about two hundred
pounds of physique. big bunch of
muscles and all the confidence of a
cock-surc kid-and was either miss
ing them altogether or sending up
sky-rocHcts for easy outs. had
scored only eighteen runs. and had
y
seasons work at tho plate
Speeding Up His WALTON.
had to find out about this. because
knew that the life of pitcher in
the big leagues was much shorter
than that of a slugginE outhclder. If
! could get my eye on the ball again
and hold it there. | was sure ] could
KISS the mound goodbye and turn
myself out to pasture in one of the
out-meadows and stay there for
years. Bat my bat was the only thing
that could win this for me. A batter's
eye ordinarily lasts longer than a
pitchers arm, unless he gets eve
strain looking through the bottom of
glass As wasn't hosting en-, or
even using straw. there was no
danger to either my eye or my elbow
That winter l took my bat off in
the corner and talked 80 it like a
Dutch uncle. Whenever I got a
chance during the winter I would 70
out in the lot and slam funCoes II
wasn't the best sort of practice. he
cause I wasn't up against anything on
INC ball, hut learned to keep my
eye on the darn thing. And. OF course,
! specded up my wa!lop.
1t must have done me some good.
as finished NTH in tho individual
batting list next year with an aver
age of .325. had pounded my way
up again from twenty-cighth place in
1915. That 1916 record was certainly
bad slump. because in 1915 7 had
mt .3l5 for eighth place in the sea-
sons batting honors. So they do
come back sometimes. don't they?
Had fcnr for Homo Run.
Altogether. 1917 was an cncouras-
ing year. AS pitcher. I finished
ninth, with an average or zoe earned
runs per game, but 1 nelded 9S4 wi:a
only two errors. while the Red SoX
finished the season with a club field
ing average of ore leading the
league. safely ahead of the White Sox
who won tho pcnnant and then bea,
McGraw's Giants for tho worlds
championship.
That average OF .325 with tho bat
or which have just written. included
only two homcrs. three three bagEcrs
and half dozen two-sackers. was
at bat 1923 times for forty hits and
fourteen runs in ffty-two games
You see. still was unable to not
over tho four-bass clout as I wanted
to, although L felt sure I had It in
my eye snd my bat They -versn,,