Evening star., 1922-01-03

He bases his reward of merit for 4
no-hit game in 1921 on the savage
manner in which the pitchers were
being handled in both leagues.
The batters got it into their heads
they did, said Ed. Yet you note
that the spit-ballers got along better
than the others. There were fewer
scratch hits made last summer than any
year l can remember. The ball was
met on the center all of the time.
It's my prediction that the batters
aren't going 10 have such a good
thing OF IL this coming summer. y
few of the kid pitchers of 1921 will
be throwing, better than they did last
season and every man who can curve
a ball Will have to get down to busi-
ness and show something or go back
to the minors"
The best pitching feat in the Ma
tional League in 1921, and the best in
both leagues. SO far as that goes, was
the two one-hit games which were
thrown by Phil Douglas of the Giants.
One Of them was in April against
Philadelphia and the other in June
against Pittsburgh, and IL Kelly
hadn't played safety-first. waiting
for Douglas TO get over>to the bag,
the lean southerner would have a no.
hit game and more about which to be
pleased. He is a spit-ball pitcher. SO
Odd Angle to Trades.
Two one-hit games were pitched
in the American League and oddly
enough both in August and within six
days of each other. Bush threw the
first. August l. and Collins of New
York the second, on August :. Now
note how history makes queer shifts
when club owners begin to trade play
ers. The one-hit pitcher of the
Yankees goes to Boston for the one
hit pitcher of the Bostons. and with
Bush. who pitched one-hit game in
New York. the two New York clubs
will still have the two low-scors
pitchers of last year. They had them.
Collins and Douglas. and they retain
them with Bush and Douglas.
The Yankees are even better off.
They have got one of the best two
hit pitchers of the American League.
Jones of Boston was the only pitcher.
except Faher OF Chicago. to pitch
two two-hit games. Jones threw one
of them in April and the other in
his early in the year. one in April and
the other in May. 1t is an interesting
fact about Faber's two best games
that they, too. were pitched with a
six-day interval. One of them was
April % and the other May 5. Faber
also pitched a three-hit game July IL.
A. L. Leads I'm Two-Hit Games
The American League had pitchers
good enough to throw twelve two-hit
games in 1921 against four for the
National League. and that would seem
TO upset the generally entertained
notion that the National League had
SO much better pitchers than its rival.
The Americans had thirteen three-hit
pitchers against fifteen for the Ma
tional-a close race between them
but when it comes TO giving all of the
laurels to the National for pitching
stunts it is evident that public opinion
skidded. as it often does. when facts
are produced against hearsay.
Once Carl Mays seemed to be headed
toward a one-hit game in 1921. He
couldn't quite make it. and Cleveland
got two hits against him July 81. The
New York Nationals had two pitchers
with a two-hit record. One of them
twas Ryan. with two hits in six innings
against st. Louis. Rain stepped in
! and helped him out. A real nine-inning
record was made by Toney against
Pittsburgh. September 16. when the
Giants so much wanted to win from
the Pirates, and it was on the
strength of that game in part that
McGraw was SO confident of Toney's
success in the world series. Benton
pitched two three-hit games for the
Giants in May, and then suddenly
drifted out into the minors.
Smith May Prove Star.
IL smith, the brooklyn pltchcr, GelS
good start in 1922 there are sono
who think that he will be one of tho
topnotchers of the season. The Cincin-
natl club still is trying to get Cadors
from Brooklyn. Cadore was unlucky
most of 1921. He started well now
and then. but he couldn't keep 1t up.
Pat Moran, who is a good coach Of
pitchers, IL he doesn't always win
championships with his team, has
notion that Cadore has a curve ball
I . IL, . IL ~
but he hasn't suggested anything to
Brooklyn as yet that seems likely to
wean him away from Long Island.
Moran is willing to give up Crane,
and while the Brooklyn club would
like some infielders with speed in
| their heels, they have enough light
batters without taking on any more.