New Britain herald., 1924-12-04
WALTER JOHNSON
 TAKES TOP PLACE
PennOck and Baumgartner Also
 Rank High

lcomp1od hy Irwin NJ. Howe. Chicago)
 Walter Perry Johnson. who won the trophy as the most valuable player to his team in the American loague in the season of 1924 by pitching Washington to its first pennant, also won the honors Of highest percentage of victories of any pitcher in the league, and for being the most effective, allowing fewer earned runs per game than any other pitcher who is classed as a regular performer.
 Tire relation Of effectiveness to winning ball games is indicated in the fact that he first three pitchers In the list rated according 10 per centage Of games won also were the first three rated according 10 earned runs allowed per game. These three are Johnson, Herb Pennock and Stanwood Baumgartner, Also these three were the only regular pitchers in the 1924 season to allow loss than three earned runs to the game.
 Walter Johnson is credited with having won 23 games, while he snf- fered defeat in but seven, giving him a won and lost percentage of .767. Ranking next to Johnson in per centage of victories, Herb Pcnnock likewise ranked next 10 him in num- Der of games won, as well as in ef- fcctiveness. Pennock won 21 games: he lost nine, two more than charg- cd to Johnson. Two pitchers won 20 games. They were Shaute of Clcye- land and Thurston of Chicago. For a part of the season these two stood ahead of Johnson in number Of games won, but as the season progressed they lost ground. How ever, their performances are remark able considering the positions in which their teams finished in the pennant race,
 Johnson, as might be expected, led in number of botters struck out, having famed 15S in 27S innings he pitched. He showed his good control by giving but = bases on balls, but there were other pitchers who gave i fewer passes per game. Pennock record was notably better in this respect. Sherrod Smith of Cleveland showed fine control, the veteran left-hardcr allowing but 42 passes in 248 innings anu he also ranked fourth in effectiveness.
 Howard Ehmke of the Boston Re1 Sox was the hardest worked pitcher | in the league last season, pitching q i total of 315 innings. He stood eighth in effectiveness and ranked well UT for control. He took part in 4 | games all told and pitched 26 com
 plete games. The honor Of pitching the most games from start to finsf went 10 Hollis Thurston, who was 1T
 :g complete games and who rankcC
 ncx, to Ehmke in number Of inning
 pitched in the season. Penncck wa
 in a complete games. Johnson wal
 in but %,
 Will men Of the season, amont ! regulars were AloX Ferguson Of Bos
 ton and Leslie Bush of the IanhoeS
 Tn 235 innings Ferguson gave I"
 bases on balls, In 252 innings Busl
 gave 1Q9.
 Pitching as whole estimated
 from the averages was about on
 par with that Of the previous sea , son, and still is far from the effec ttcncss of several years ago "he' the noundmcn were more in contro , If the situation. This statement in luIe with the natung averages c Inc season. Johnson's record for ef fortivcnezs in 1924 was four point better than that of StanBood Cove
 Icskic, who led the league in l9@'
 hut barring the few high rankin
 tvIrIers in 1924 the earned rnn per
 ccntaras for regular pitchers "'r
 not as good as they were in 1925 In 1923 there were = pitchers
 tho list of those who worked in te
 or more complete games, In l2C | the list vas one less. Going into { h
 lis, Of pitchers who worked in A. (
 more innings but were in less tha
 .rn comp'otc games there is an r crease. Forty pitchers workcI In 4 or more innings each, ilt in l'' I ran ten cump.,te games TN'a'l ,ar,c pitchers were in less than , innings. oul doiug cnough work P ga- in the won and lost c9iurn, Q .am5er Of pGah.rs w1) hata h't t,.rl m :ao "rog1'ar" class n p> ,.ans showed signs o' G1D 2 f getting in r-ss than t.l 91'i pam' O m I9-t
 I Fr. 2'a-unrv of Waslt-'' IL oas fine c,mpon Tstjsf pi'r'"r Y taa zoasol. He took part in ;" gam b a.I told and pitched l q tota. c' ],
 innings. yat was in but six gam that started and finished for jums' Relieving other pitchers he gof 2 won and lost record of Il Nictori S and r defeats
 American league pitchers as h. Q been the custom, are divided m r four groups-those who pitched
 len or more comP,ete games, tho
 in more than A innings, but We
 not in ten compete games, those $ less than 45 innings, but who We $ given verdic;s in games, and tho - who had so little part in noun work that they got no decisio .' either way.