Evening star., 1923-02-09
Great Catch Made by San,
Mertes, the Master Sun.
fielder, and Fielding
Feats Of Keeler, Hooper
and Cunningham.

THE one big factor i'll that 1905
team. which in many ways ]
consider my greatest ball
club. was team spirit-that indomi-
table determination to win games
regardless of who got the individ-
ual credit Naturally, a ball club
had TO be smart to sec the force OF
that policy.
That very idea suggests to me the
answer to one Of those who have sent
in filled out questionnaires. He says:
What was the greatest catch you
ever saw made
To my way OF thinking the answer
TO that depends largely upon the inn
portance of the result. ! have seen
many. The one that remains most
vividiy in my memory was made by
SAM Mertes in Cincinnati. 1t is in
delible because it decided the pennant
of 1905.
and arrived in Cincinnati with just
one victory needed to cinch the pen
nant.
A God-Given Faculty.
If you will remember. Sam Mertes,
being d great sunfielder. played left
field, while Mike Donlin played center.
Mike was not an expert in the sun
field. Very few players are. That
ability to look into a blazing sun and
keep sn eye on the ball is IA sort of
God given faculty. ] think the
natural strength of the eye has much
to do with it. To appreciate what l
mean walk across the field of any
ball park after the game. Then turn
suddenly and look into the sun, which
is usually sinking back of the Grauu-
stand. Ntnety-nine men out of II
hundred will be temporarily blinded.
come this. but the average person
could not follow the course of ball
even with that aid.
In this game with Cincinnati they
were pushing us close and ] noticed
that Mike Donlin was having trouble
with the sun in centcrfield. lie had
narrowly escaped IL couple of errors
! that would have been disastrous.
Mertes Switches to Center.
In the next inning ! realized that
| ronE hitters would be coming up.
It's tough out there. Mae Mike
said TO me. AT this time of year
the sun is directly in the center
tielders eyes and just over the top
of the grandstand.'
"All right. you move over into left.
Mike" I directed. And, Mertes, YOU
go and play center"
Sure enough. in the next inning. the
Reds got a man on. A long hit would
beat US. And. mind you. the pen
nant was almost in our grasp. That
one game was needed
The next batter caught one on the
nose and it was a wicked line drive 10
deep center. Mertes, having antici-
pated the danger of q long hit, played
very deep. A short hit-say, a single
would not be SO disastrous, but a
three ba gger or a home run would
= f,t,
played accordingly.
Jumps TO spear the Ball.
Starting with the crack of the bat
ran with the ball 1t seemed certain
that it would go over his head. BY a
sprint, though, he got back and with
a jump speared the ball with his bare
hand, crashing into the fence as he
fell. But he had saved the game and
won the pennant.
That was the greatest catch l ever
saw. II was doubly great because
nothing but the shifting of outfielders
at the psychological moment would
have saved us. Donlin would never
have been able to see the ball and
make the catch.
From 4 purely spectacular point OF
View the greatest catch ] ever saw
was made by Willie Kecler while our
old Oriole team was playing one DAY
aied unexpectedly on New Year
eve Of this year. while the present
memoirs We're being written
Famous Stab of KceIer's.
do not recall the exact status of
the game. as the result was not so
important. Anyway. the Senators
got a man on base and Abbey. l be-
lieve it was, took a vicious swing and
slammed a drive toward right field
that seemed a sure home run.
On top of the railing in front of
the right field bleachers there were
three or four strands of barbed wire,
just a little higher than the out
fielder's head. 1t seemed sure that
the ball would clear this barbed wire.
Willie keeler started with the crack
of the bat and got to the fence in
time, but it looked as If the ball
would go into the stand over his
head. That's what it did do-almost
Seeing the predicament Willie
lcaped in the air and fearlessly stuck
his bare hand between the strands
of barbed wire. The ball struck in
his hand and he held .it. He held it
Cespitc the painful cutting Of his