The Washington times., 1922-07-03
called up for winning teams and
nineteen for the nine losers.

That's what ma jor league baseball
has descended to.
1T requires super skill in pitching
to limit any fair hitting team 10 four
or five runs these days. The few
spitball pitchers Of class that remain
in the majors can do il because bat
ters do not hit "spitters" in practice.
and seldom in a championship game
any more. That is the reason why
old chaps like Jack Quinn. Stanley
Coveleski, Urban Faber and Urban
Shocker are getting by SO easily.
This Is the day OF the curve ball
and speed pitcher. Occa sionally a
master of the curve ball perfects his
control so well that he builds up a
winning streak. But he must also
possess the ability to outguess bat.
ters. Such a pitcher Is Dutch Rue
ther, of the BrOoklyns. Ruether
owns a wonderful curve and he can
cut the corners with II. Hence he
wins right along.
On the other hand, there are any
number OF smart right-handed pitch.
ers who are not getting by though
they possess a barrel Of stuff.
Mere speed is of no avail. When a
batsman socks a rabbit delivered
with speed, he hits 1t a mile. 1t Is
almost impossible for infielders to
knock down such hits when the in
field is playing up on the grass to
cut down runs al the plate.
MANY Of the woes Of the YAM
KEGS are laid to the lively ball.
In the early part Of the season
pitchers in the eastern wing Of
the American League curbed the
hitters. The, Yankee star mounds
men were allowing only one or
two or three runs per game and
il was not until the third week
Of the season that any Yankee
pitcher failed to finish a game
that he had started.
Ordinarily, veteran pitchers figure
that the hot weather of midsummer
will increase their effectiveness.
However, the Yankee slabbists who
were going so strong in the early
part Of the season are faltering now.
Take the pitcher who depends on
his control and his fielders and what
is he up against? Why, if he didn't
strike out all dangerous hitters in
tne plnCHeS he Is Whaleu lol q AioCh
of runs.
THE strike out artist used to be
more or less OF a joke in the big
leagues. There were few good ones.
Pitchers like Mathewson, Miner
Brown and the other good ones Of
another generation. used TO let the
batters hit and depend on their
fielders. If they had lead Of three
or four runs they could ease up.
"Try to do 1t now. 1t Is a common
thing for the modern pitcher to be
stung for anywhere from five to
eight runs in a single inning.
T can remember when the home
run was a rare occurrence. Bobby
Roth led the American League
one season with seven. Walter
Pipp was the champion Pnother
wear with eleven. Nowadays the
yeriest dub hits home runs and
pitchers equal those old records.
How often do you see a pitcher
prevent scoring now when there Is
a runner on third base and the In
field comes in? Once In while he
makes the hitter pop up, but five
either hit one through the infield
a mile a minute or sock a long flv.
Infielders cannot handle the ball at
close range when It is hit hard.
Look at the good pitchers who have
gone to the bad this season. They
have all their stuff, but 30 many
restrictions have been placed on
them, including the lively ball,
that they no ionger hold any ad-
vantage over the batter. How
many shutouts do you see now?''
There is food for thought in what
this pitcher says. Last season Ruth
made fifty.ninc home runs and the
grand total of the two major
leagues was 937. This year no
team has yet approached the mid.
way mark OF seventy-seven games,
vet up to last Friday 377 home
runs had been made. At this rate
the seasons output OF home runs
will total we'll over 900.
Aan a.. NNI