Evening star., 1923-03-11
THREE KNUCKLES PLACE EDWIN ROMMEL
AT TOP OF AMERICAN LEAGUE HURLERs
Freak Delivery Baf-
fles Clouters; Gives
Macks a PhenOm.

tame and tOrf lie. bdDc Nutu SdI
ried more than 200 pounds of swat
and swing to get his diploma.
Christy Mathewson mastered a
fadeaway that made him supreme.
Tyrus Cobb sprinkled the aggressive
stock of Georgia along the path.
Iris Speaker, George Sisler, Walter
Johnson, Mordecai Brown, Honus
Wagner and many others knocked
on the door and entered. And now
three knuckles, apparently no dit
ferent from any other hand, nave
created a phenom.
Edwin Americus Rommel owns the
knuckles. Hundreds-in fact, thou-
sands-before have possessed the
same number of knuckles, but none
has applied the lower extremities OF
the pitching hand with the same sue
cess.
For Rommel; by discovering and mas
tering a freak but legal knuckle pail
shoot, not only won more games tnah
any pitcher in the American League
during the 1922 season, but caused
another stampede in the direction OF
Connie Mack and gained extra dis
tinction during the past summer Dy
rating next to George SlSleT dS lhc
most valuable player.
turned the trick. By gripping the
ball with the lower knuckles of the
first three fingers, balanced by the
thumb and the last finger, Rommel
created such a mystifying assortment
of benders ! that rival .Amerlcan ian
League owners are crowding the
Athletics with offers in the neighbor-
hood of 100000 for the latest pitch
ing prize.
With 1922 practically devoid of any
sensational individual records, Rom
mels feat of registering twenty
seven victories with seventh-place
club practically stamps his perform
ance as the most brilliant of the year.
Surpasses Pennant Pitchers.
1t is natural for pitchers on pen
nant winner and a contender to come
up with A high percentage. 1t is the
support of the team more than the
miraculous work in the hill respon-
sible for the string of victories.
There is Joe Bush. who had a per-
centage of .7S8, with twenty-siX vic
tories and seven defeats for the Yam
KEGS With this record Joe was No.
in the list. But consider the other
actors in the Yankee cast In a way
1t did not require much pitching stun
to maintain an average of three vic
anu OHS WIN tiooC
Yanks.
Now turn over to the page present
ing the Athletics. They had been the
blenders for seven consecutive sea-
sons, and Connie Mack was becoming
desperate. Everybody, knows the
quality of the material Mack placed
on the field each day.
And with a seventh-place club Ed
Rommell won more games than any
pitcher in the American League dur
ing the 1929 season.
The knuckle ball tells the story. 1t
1t does not completely disappear
from the view of the batter. There
are no tattoo marks on the seam II
leaves the palm and is on its mys-
terious journey. 1t has been known
to start in the general direction of
the left, hop upward around the chin
and even change its pace from slow
to fast and fast TO slow.
Isn't Strike-Out Ball.
1t is all through the manipulation
of those knuckleS on the three fin
gers.
1t isn't a strike-out ball. This fact
is brought out in the records of the
American League pitchers. Rommel.
He walked So. Base ball sharps in
sist that successful pitchers have a
higher average of strike-outs than
walks. Bush, Walter Johnson, Urban
Faber, Urban Shocker. Bob Shawkey,
Stan Coveleskie, Waite Hoyt, Howard
Ehmke, Hubert Pruett and others
averaged more strike-outs than
walks.
There was Guy Morton of the
Cleveland Indians, with the highest
strike average last season, get
ting only 102 in 203 innings-more
than one to two innings. But where
Morton had 4S more strike-outs, he
walked % more than Rommel and
pitched in 81 fewer innings than the
star.
A closeup analysis of Rommers
knuckle ball was given by George
age of APO during the past season,
therefore is qualified to speak on the
subject of pitching and batting
Sisler Comm ents on Delivery.
The bat has to meet the ball
for clean wallop." remark
ed Sisler. II have found myself not
only topping Rommel's knuckler, but
getting under it. Which results in
grounders to the inf1eld or soft flies
The ball does not seem to do its stuff
until 1t is about six feet from the
plate.
IF it made one-way hop the bat
ter would be able to set himself and
familiarize himself with the break
But that's just where Rommels sue
time and the next will take an up
ward break.
II believe I hit more infield flies
against Rommell than any other pitch
er in the league. With the golfer, who
hooks and slices, it is: What am
doing against Rommel. I'm getting
under 1t too much. I'm prepared to
meet that sharp drop the next time
and Rommel is giving me that break
which shoots from the belt to the
sholders.
THAT isn't all. Rommel is a pitch
ing student. In a year or so he has
studied his batters and you seldom
get a good ball from him"
Ihe knuckle-ball shoot is the re-
suit of Rommel's fancy as a kid to
invent something out of the ordinary.
was tinkering with toy engine,
freak kites, building little
wagons and bicycles and trying to
make his dads eight-day' clock run
for life.
Experiment as a Kid.
Like most all kids, I played base
ball." explained Rommel. There
wasn't enough to do in the game in
the outfield or the infield. so I went in
ball do something that the other
fellows couldn't. The first time
pressed the three knuckles against
the seam the ball dropped more than
two feet. I experimental with all
sorts of deliveries. I pitched 1t with
q side arm motion, underhanded, over
handed. moved the thumb and little
finger to different parts of the ball,
and that's all there is to 1t.
1t is impossible to get much speed
with the knuckle-ball. The delicacy
or the touch prevents it from getting
the full power of the arm. It Is this
sioW-motion speed which throws the
batter off balance.
THE successful pitcher must have
a change of pace. If he Is always
fast those fellows up there at the
plate are going to finish him in a
hurry. If 1T is always a slow ball
they're going to write out his release