Evening star., 1924-10-05
Washington 1885 Pennan Winner Had Team of Famous Phone

Jack Lynch. who pitched the Ma
| tlonals TO victory on that day. Many
OF the old-timers claim that this was
| the most exciting base ball game ever
| played in the Capital CITY MorriSsev
| third sacker for the Nationals broke
up the game in the 18th when he
poled out four-ply wallop.
one OF the most heady and thrill
ing plays Of pioneer base bah was
| executed during this particular game
| In the ninth inning. with the score
| tie, McGary of Providence reached
! second base on a hit and "A sacrifice.
| Ward, the Providence captain, then
! sneaked a Texas Lacquer over second
| McGary advanced TO third. Ward
| then attempted TO get long lead
| and steal second. Geyhardt who
was playing second for Washington.
! maneuvered 10 d position only 40
! feet from first base. while the pitch
/ er and first baseman were worrying
/ Ward. Finally, Ward attempted to
/ steal Charlie Snyder, catching for
/ the Nationals. shot the ball to Ger
| hardt who tagged Ward half way
/ between first and second. and then
4 returned the ball to Snyder in time
! to nab McGary as he slid into the
! plate.
! This extraordinary game was the
/ curtain raiser for one of tho most
! successful seasons ever experienced
! by Washington nine The Ma
| tionals captured the Eastern League
! championship that year and We're re-
| Warded with special prize Of $500
| The bat boy of a world series con-
! tender these days receives more as
| his share of the extra dividends Of
| the game than did the entire National
| aggregation of approximately two
| score years ago. The contract Of
! Bob" Barr. the Nationals leading
! pitcher expired a the end Of the sea
son. He pitched the TWO exhibition
/ games against the New York Giants
! in as many days and won them both
/ for the sum of $50, which today would
/ not even recompense a reputable
/ scorekeeper for his services.
Z :: x
! The first base ball pennant which
ever flew over base bali dia-
/ mond in Washington was won by the
! following players, who composed tn"
\ Nationals roster in 1885: Cook and
/ Fulmer, catchers, Bob" Barr and
! Hank" O'Day, pitchers; Baker. first
/ base: Knowles. second base. Gladman.
| third base; White. shortstop: Powell.
! right field: Hoover. center field, and
/ Burch, left field. NJ. f. Scanlon. who
! for 29 years was the pilot of the
| Washington Nationals, was manager
ana HHdhclai packer OF theSe cham-
pions.
! In the early days of base ball play
| ing in the District, a large elastic
! ball and an underhand method Of
/ pitching Were used. Subsequently Il
/ harder, smaller hall came into popu-
! larty, and With il the overland sys-
! tenn of throwing. which still is fol-
! lowed. The catcher wore no gloves
/ and stood 10 to 20 feet behind the
! batsman.
! Arthur Candy Cummings of the
: Brooklyn stars was the first Ameri-
/ can hurler to master the art of curv-
/ ing the ball For some months the
! ordinary batsmen were helpless be
| fore his delivery. Rapidly other
| pitchers, observing his style of de-
livery. learned how to throw the out
| and in curves
An itinerant player named Delaney
| was the first pitcher to use a curved
! ball in Washington. He was very ef-
! fective about 1871. Pete" Bannon
was the first National moundsman
| who mastered the intricacfes of
| curved pitching. William Wise, a
! Government clerk of half century
! ago in Washington also made great
I success locally in haSe ball, as a re-
| suit of his ability % serve up a be
/ wildering assortment of weird and
| tantalizing hooks and shoots to th,
| opposing batterS.
| Since base bail has been played
! regularly in the environs of Wash
| ington. nearly all the occupants %
| the White House have been interest
| ed in the great national pastime.
! Grover Cleveland was one who never
| thought he could spare the time To
| attend base ball game. once Man
| ager Scanlon accompanied Adrian c.
| Anson and the other Chicago players
/ n a to Il ,NI
! then President, Cleveland. to attend
| the game that afternoon.
Mr.. Scanlon, what do you imagine
| the American people would think OF
me if | wasted my time going To base
! ball games was ClevelanG- +~Dly
! to the invitation.
James A. Garfield aided Washing
! ton during the early days to make a
I good showing in base ball. as he and
| his cotemporarieS assisted the ball
| players to secure employment in some
! of Uncle Sans Federal depar
! To begin with, the only reward the
| players received for their services
was in the form of travelling ex-
penses. All the athletes looked for
ward with great anticipation to the
| hotel meals, which were always
| served in bountifuI amounts after
each game away from home Tht.
| pioneer players gained as much pleas
ure out of these miniature base bail
banquets as the players Of the pres
ent realize from bonus checks
The first base ball armor for th..
catcher used in Washington consisted
OF rubber mouthpiecc to protect
the teeth This became popular about
lSS5- shortly thereafter. the catcher
began to use thinly padded gloves
he wore one Of these protectors on
each hand. Neither of these gloves
had fingers. From that small begin
ming. protective mttens chest pro
tectorS, shin guards. sliding pads
and the other paraphernalia of mod
ern base ball have been evolved and
perfected.
THE period from 1854 to 1856 was
chaotic one in the history of
| Washington base ball for the Ma
tionals played in three different
leagues during that interval The
nrst year Washington was mem
Der of the American Association. The
following season the Nationals ap-
peared on the register of Eastern
League clubs, while the third year
they signed up in the National
League. The Nationals continued in
the National League until 1901, when
they jumped to the American i.pagu..
where they have since remained.
Paul Hines, who still lives in
Washington, made his bow in pro-
fessional ball in the National Can't
tai and subsequently developed into
one of the games greatest players.
Hines was the best batsman of his
day, the Babe" Ruth of that period.
He also won everlasting fame as the
hrst player to make a triple play un-
assisted. This notable feat was ac-
n n 1ich had xtrhi