Imperial Valley press., 1924-08-16
THREATEN N.
GIANTS GRASP
ON LEADERSHIP
Pittsburgh Pitchers Are
Consistent This
s Year
BY FRANK GETTY
United Press staff Correspondent

NEW YORK, Aug. 16.--The mid
season threat to the Giants supre-
macy in the National League came
from a not entirely unexpected quar-
ter--Pittsburgh
Bill McKechnie had been promis
ing us al season that if he could
just get his boys out of rut and
start them hitting the whole Pirate
machine would start to function CO.
ordnately and just raise all kinds
of trouble around the older circuit.
Sure enough, once the Pittsburgh
aggregation got over the hill they
sailed along with scarcely a break
causing all kinds of trouble for the
rest of the clubs and transplanting
some of the creases in the Giants
pants to their brows.
McKechnie was justly proud of
his infield. Grimm, Maranville,
Traynor and Wright, in mid August,
looked equal, in point of mechanical
perfection and quick thinking, to
any set of inficlders in the league.
When it came to batting, Traynor
and Wright were outhitting Groh
and jackson of the Giants, although,
of course, Kelly exceeds Grimm as
a first-sacker and sticker, and
Frisch can bat rings around the
Rabbit. - Perhaps. everything
considered, thc Giants infield is
strongest in the long run, but ON
mid-August form it had nothing on
those hustling Pirates.
The Pittsburgh outficlders cannot
hit with those Of New York, but are
faster. Meusel, Wilson and Young
were hitting around .315, .343, and
.342 respectively, when Cuyler,
Carey and Barnhart could not pro-
ducc better than .375, .276, and .272.
Good Backstop
Gooch and Earl Smith have been
doing good backstop work for Me
Kechnie, and hitting well over 800.
Gowdy and Snyder of the Giants are
also pounding the ball
With a bad start, the Pirates
clambered up out of the second di-
vision and into the runner-up posi-
tion in less than month in mid
summer. ,,F t.a Ft.ssS
The Pittsburgh pitchers were con
sistent and this in "a large Sdegree
was responsible for the success of
The team. McKechnic has seven
iwTlcrs-7Yde, the ,unbcaten south
paw; kremcr, who has pitched we'll
pll season; the veteran Cooper, who
was at his best in August, another
south-paw: "Spec" Meadows, who
needs no Introduction; Morrison,
curvcball pitcher; Pfeffer, card
east off and Stone, a rookie. The
idea is to keep the first five rotat-
ing with the other two in reserve.
The Pirates have been doing, some
nifty base-running, McKechnic be-
ing one of those who believes that
Il little pilfering here and there,
and hit stretched now and then,
may mean the difference of the win
ming or losing column before the
scoreboard boy goes home. The Buc
cancers lead both leagues in stolen
bases with more than 100 to their
credit. The Giants have stolen less
than 80.
Another team that demands at
tention, coming up out of the ruck,
is the st. Louis Browns. Out in st.
Louis, month or SO ago, George
Sislcr drew raucous razzberries when
he warned the wise ones to watch
his men work; before mid.August
he had them up to within five games
of the pacemakcrs; and there was
trouble galore for any club that
went up against the Browns.
The, American League race has
developed one of the best in years
The Red Sox made their threat,
and looked like world bcatcrs; over
in Boston they glided up the sacred
Goldfish and elected Lee Foil mayor
but the joy WAS short-lived and the
beans grow cold as father waits
nowadays for d Boston victory.
Then came the Senators with rush,
and, forF time, they upset tradi-
tion by making the pace. Detroit
took up the white man s burden
for bit, everybody figuring on
some way to beat the Yanks. But
the latter, thanks almost certainly
TO Babe Ruth s magnificent ex-
ample, kept climbing back up to
top. Now the Red SoX are gone,
and the Browns are come as . late