The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-08-23
PITCHING KEEPS
up ONLY SOME
HURLE:RS SLACK

By JOHN B. FOSTER
(By the Consolidated Press


Copyright, 1922, by Tho Argus.)
New York, Aug. 23.-When the
statement is made by some weak
hearted brother that the pitching
this year in the major leagues is
going back don't let it worry you.
The pitching is not going back,
though some pitchers are. Age will
tell but the art of pitching ID about
where it plastered itself over the
baseball diamond in 1921.
In spots it is better. For in
stance there 'weer four pitchers in
1921 in the National league who
had a better winning average than
700. There are seven this year SO
far. That is going better, with a
vengeance. All the way down the
list the same condition is manifest.
In 1921 there were 30 who finished
with winning averages of 500 or
better and there are SO to date in
1922. The American league does
not hold quite az we'll as that for
they had 80 pitchers In 1871 who
were 500 or better and they have
only ~ this year with. little hope
that they will 60 better as the sea-
son wanes because most of their
pitchers begin to show the effects
of wear.
They have one big head line in
the American league. Bush Is the
star of both organizations. With
his winning percentage Of 800 he
is the pitching Hercules Of the
year.
The Yanks needed him to help
them out because their top liner of
1921-Carl Mays-has sasged like
a wet circus tent. Mays won 81
games and lost nine last season.
To date he has won 10 and lost is.
Jones disappointed the Yanks and
all the home folks too. He won %
games and lost 16 in 1921. He was
to lead the American
league this year because physical
ly he has all that a high class
pitcher should have. He has been |
able to win only nine games and |
has lost IL.
Shocker and Gov. Go Bad.
Shocker of st. Louis has lost as |
many as last year thus early. Co.
velskie has lost one more.
Neither Of the pitchers will come |
through much better than their
present rating, unless they squirt. !
Rommel of the Athletics has won
more to date than hs won all last !
season and has been a helpful and
1utiful child all the summer.
Bush would have fortified him.
self for the month of August if he
had not been defeated by the
Clevelands Tuesday. His percent
age would have climbed SO high
that he would have stood in a fair !
way of making new record.
However, his luck was not much
worse than that of Uhle, the Cleve-
land pitcher, who won the game.
Uhle was hit for two singles in the
first inning and after that the
fanks, Buster Ruth and all, never
scratched him. That is what may
be called downright tough. A pitch
sr goes through most of the game
1T a hitless rate knowing that the
can never be hitless,
The Yanks are back again in the
neighborhood Of st. Louis. They
could not play much ball against
Cleveland and if the whistle of the /
Dig drawbridge on the Harlem had
not blown everybody would have
tallen asleep and forgotten to 20 /.
home. st. Louis defeated Boston
but got a bit Of a scare before it
|,
Speaker Explains Long Clouts.
In the first inning of the game in
New York. Speaker batted the bali Il
INTO the upper stand for a home !,
'un. Asked how he accounted for
20 many homeruns this year he
answered: They're about all due
o hitting the ball. We used to tap
because there was SO much melt
"a licorlce on it that you couldn't
ut anything except a glancing ;
'low.' That's about as good a rea-
ION as any which has been given,
The Giants smothered Cincin-
lati, using McQuillan to pitch. By II
md by it will begin to dawn upon
'ome that when McQuillan was
licked off by the Boston plum tree
he New York team had been
pretty well informed as tn What