The Washington herald., 1921-01-11
'ALECK THE GREAT
LEADS PITCHERS OF
BOTH BIG LEAGUES
Worked in 46 Games and
Allowed Average of \
1.91 Runs.
By JACK NYE-

NO wonder they call him Alex
ander the Great.
That title fts him like the paper
on the wall.
Now hat all the oficial returns
are in, the great slabber of the
Chicago Cubs once more stands at
the head OF the list
His work last season was su-
pertor to that Of any pitcher in
either league by quite a healthy
margin.
Though Alexander took part in
more games than any big league
heaVer, with the single exception Of
Doc Ayres, of Detroit, he allowed
the fewes truns to a game. His
average was 1.s1, as compared with |
246 to Bob Shawkey, the American
League leader.
Alex was a horse for work. He
participated in forty-six battles, |
completing thirty-three Of them. |
He was used as a hnisher on six
occasions and pitched the amazing |
total Of 1853 innings, which is an
other seasons record.
In the won and lost column the |
Cub star was rated second in the |
National League with twenty-seven |
wins and fourteen defeats, giving |
him more victories than any rival
in either circuit, except Jim Bagby. |
As a strike-out artist, Alex again |
carved a niche for himself with a |
total of l73, which exceeded by a |
healthy margin the total of Stan
ley Coyeleskie. the American
League leader. who whitfield 1873 will
low wielders.
-.
tised batting weakness in the Ma
tional circuit, but the fact remains
that three OF the older leagues .
mOundsmen, in addition to Alexan-
der, bettered the earned run aver |
age Of Robert Shawkey, the Ameri-
can League leader. These gentlemen .
were Babe Adams Of the Pirates, |
Burleigh Grimes of the Dodgers. /
and Wilbur A. Cooper, another
Pittsburgh finger.
Grimes failed to set the world on |
fire in the recent world series, but .
his record proves that there is basis
enough for the compliments passed .
his way. Babe Adams is still a very
active person, despite the fact that
he was once Classed as a defunct
party as far as the majors were con-
Cerned, and baseball men will tell
thk ablest left-handed party in either
League.
Babe Adams is in almost a class .
by himself when it comes to control .
Last season he permitted but eight .
cen Of the 1895 batters who faced .
him to reach first in bases on balls. .
He pitched 263 innings while this .
record was being hung up. In 1919 .
Babe pitched a like number of in
nings to l.O17 batters and issued !
but twenty-three passes.
Ole Erickson's efforts to win un-
dying fame by topping the hurIers ,
Of both leagues in wildness went |
for nauEht when Dixie Davis .
walked l+9 foemen. 1t is not sur
prising. however, that in the race |
for second honors Grifr's lean side
arm expert should win by a nose. |
Nature gave him a decided edge .
there. Anyhow, he was runner-up /
to Davis with 12S walks, while |
Ferdie Schupp. the champion OF the .
National League, came in third |
with 127.
What pitcher hit the most bat
tical fan.
Well. it wasn't Carl Mays. de-
spite all that has been written .
along that line.
The blue ribbon is claimed equally .
by Howard Ehmke, the tall Detroit T
youth. and John W. Scott, Of the .
Boston Nationals. Each soaked 10 |
batters- Claude williams, Of the .
White SOX, was second with l2,
while Mays was far behind with 7. |
When one recalls how Jim Shaw /
used to uncork a wild pitch mos,
any old time he found himself in .
a pinch, it is not surprising to find |
him bidding for first honors in that
department Jim threw the ball .
away just 13 times and Hub Leon
ard duplicated the stunt. That |
beats anything the National League
has to offer. as the worst offender =.
in that circuit was Charles E. Pom
der, of, Pittsburgh, with a measley |
10.
There is nothing particularly
mulish about jeremiah Tecumseh |
Zachary, our own young southpaw,
until he gets into the box. But he
III Jain "Aeh ne wants TO. In !
fact he was the baIkiest hired hand
in the majors last year. He COM
mitted the offense three times,
which left all his competitors in
the ruck.
Ordinarily Zach kept his head
fairly well, but now and then when
he caught sight of somebody NOV
ing down the paths some inward
urge told him to balk. He baked
a couple OF runs in, as we recall
1t, and was at his worst against
Cleveland Those Indians seemed
to always be working on his weak
ness.
They all balk now and then. how
ever. Even Walter johnson turned
the trick once in 1920.