Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1922-05-19
HEAVY H|TTERS
UNABLE To GIVE
. SET RULES FOR
CL0UT|NC BALL
BY Billy Evans

Ed Delahanty in his day was one
of the greatest hitters i'll baseball.
When player achieves greatness
as hitter everyone is interested in
the secret of his success.
1t is rather difficult matter for
any ball player to give a working
| formula of his success in being able
| to do certain things little better
than anyone e.se.
The story goes that once upon a
time reporter, seeking an interview
with Delahanty on how to bat, fl
nally cornered the big fellow, who
was not given much to talking.
After listening to score of ques-
tions from the reporter, Delahanty
was ready for the count. but before
the bell rsng to start play Ire man
aged to reply:
THE only sure way to make base
hits is to hit them where the fielders
~ That reply has stood for years as
a baseball classic. Now when some
batter hits terrific liner directly at
some PLAYER he will usually hear
three or four players in the field
shout:
Hit ,e-n where they amt Why
don't you use some Judgment"
I once heard fellow who was in
terviewing Babe Ruth prior to the
start of the game at the Polo Grounds
ask Babe how he happened to hit the
ball farther than any other player in
the business.
Out of the Lot
"Darned if I know" said Ruth.
Il just think / can do it, swing with
all my might and am terribly disap>
NJ
the ball out of the lot You must be
swinging where the ball is coming,
and be swinging hard"
The bell rang for play and that
ended the interview. 1t was Ruth's
formula Tor making home runs, but
wasn't very enlightening solution.
There have been and still are a
few players in baseball who really
have the faculty of hitting the ball
where the fielders amt Such an
art is known as place hitting.
OF course these players are not
always able to turn the trick, but in
great many cases they are able to
make the bali behave.
Willie keeler, was one of the great
est place hitters | have ever seen.
doubt if ] viii ever see better
one
Knew TITS oEye
The opposing teams knew keeler's
style. His hits always travelled just
over the infield The outfield played
In close The infield knew he was
great bunter and always on the
lookout
Keeler never had the opposition
crossed. yet Keeled could chop the
BAH and make it take those high diff
ficult bounds so difficult to handle,
tap it Just over the infield, or bunt
just out of the reach of the infield-
er, that he always batted better than
800.
Hal Chase was another great place
hitter On the hit and run, no mat
ter who covered or how the pitcher
pitched to Chase. he invariably hit
the ball through the spot vacated by
the infielder.
Study and Effort
Eddie Foster of the Boston Red
SoX is another great place hitter,
Stuffy McInnis has also proved that
study ana effort will make it pos
sible for batter to place the ball
McInnis was once dead left field
hitter Now he hits to all the fields.
Johnny Tobin of the Browns also
mixes them up. Tobin stands flat
footed wheG he wants to hit to a
certain field and then seems to
push the bat at the ball. Incidentally
he is a wonder at the swinging bunt
so placed between the pitchers box
and first and with just enough speed
that it has the pitcher. second base
man and first sacker all in doubt as
to who should handle the ball
1t is possible to hit 'em where they
amt but I takes lot of study and
effort