New-York tribune., 1922-07-16
Rogers Horns5y
Hornshy on Way to
NewHomeR uaMark
I'm National League
By Joseph Val

1t is now practically certain that
Babe Ruth will not break his home
run record but while the Babe is rest
ing on his 1921 laurels, another home
run hero looms on the horizon-one
who is just as certain to shatter a
record as Ruth is certain to fail. The
prospective record wrecker is Rogers
Hornsby, Of the st. Louis Cardinals,
who will this year establish new Ma
tlonal League home run record unless
he is injured or develops paralysis in
his husky arms.
Almost unnoticed the right handed
slugger of the Cardinals has vaulted
to top ranks of the home run hitters
Of both leagues, and now ne is on the
threshold Of a new mark in the older
circuit, Kenneth Williams. of the
Browns; Bing Miller and Clarence
Walker, of the Athletics, in turn
created furor by their husky hitting,
mainly because they loomed as pros
pective rivals of Babe Ruth. But
Hornsby maintained the even tenor Of
his way, rapping out home run now
and then, and soon the other clouters
were forced to give way to the premier
hitter of the National League.
Hornsby, with the season barely past
the halfway mark, has accumulated
twenty-four homers, and at that rate
OF speed he should hit the fortv mark
before the passing Of the 1922 cam
paign. Forty may be too much to ex-
pect-it would put him we'll beyond
the National League top mark, but
Rogers does not need that many The
national League home run record
stands at twenty-seven, and, gtranpe
to say, it has withstood the attacks Of
all corners since 1884. 1t was in that
year that Ed Williamson, playing with
the Chicago White Stockings, estab-
lished the National League record.
Hornsby, consequently, needs only four
more homers to better Williamson's s
mark and it should be a matter Of
about two weeks before Rocers gets
on his way to new record.
When Hornsby hit his twenty-fourt
homer Friday he equalled the modern
mark set up by Gavvy Cravath, of the
Phillies, in 1915. George Kelly. of the
Giants, came near Cravath's mark last
year when he knocked out twenty-three
big clouts. Hornsby was also in the
luiiilHB last year ana LnOuRn few may
realize it, he hit twenty-one circuit
blows in 1921.
Hornsby is, of course, a familiar
figure to the baseball reading public.
He has been in fandom's eye for the
last five years, but he hung up his best
performance last season with his won
derful batting average of .397. This
was the highest figure recorded in the
National League in many years, and it
easily earned for Hornsby first honors
in his circuit.
Hornsby is a natural hitter in the
true sense of the word. He hits the
ball hard and to all fields. His home
runs, unlike those of Ken Williams,
have been hit to left, center and right
fields. Moreover Rogers does not need
to clout the ball over the fence-he
has made several home runs. inside the
field.
Of the twenty-four homers he has
hit thus far seventeen have been made
at St. Louis, but it must be remem-
bered that he has played more games
on the home grounds than in any other
city. However. Rogers has hit for the
circuit in four other parks, getting
three in Pittsburgh, two in Chicago
and one each in Brooklyn and Phila-
delphia.
The st. Louis slugger is at present
holding down the second base berth
with the Cardinals, but he has shown
himself equally efficient at shortstop
and third and first base. He even
patroIed the outfeld for the Cards
last year.