Evening star., 1924-10-02

II is generally understood that Gri
art of pitching from Charlie Radboul
Griff certainly acquired the fine
, points of the pitching game from
) some master hand, for few hurlers,
before his day or since. have made
such remarkable record as a WIN
ner of games. and that is what counts.
clark Griffith wasn't pitcher of the
phenomenal type by any means, few
games that he pitched during his
long career ran to the sensational.
Griffith held more in reserve to stop
the next batter when the game was
at the danger mark than any pitcher
the game ever had, not excepting his
famous tutor = Radbourne. Clark
learned the strategic points of the
game early. and his record, extending
through ~ seasons. shows many
games won on purely strategic lines.
In 1895. with percentage of .65S in
games won Griff was touched up for
an average of II hits per game.
This will show how Griffith could
keep hits scattered. In 1895 he hurled
three games in succession-the double
number in hits was made in each
game--yet this terrific hitting yielded
only one run in each game.
How He Acquired Control.
Griffith didn't have very good con
Charlie Cushman. manager of the
Milwaukee club, in 1889. Cushman
suggested to Clark that he make
plate. or rather cut out of canvass a
piece the size of home plate. and
nail il on board fence at the height
of the waist line. The device worked
to perfection. Clark developed con-
troll so fine he could shoot ball from
} the waist to shoulder. from the inside
corner of the plate to the outside,
times out of 10. and it was this
svonderful control that made c. Crit
nth famous, as one of the great hurl-
crs of the game.
The first time Clark Griffith was
put on the base ball market the sum
If 500 was paid for his services. Jim
Hart, president of the Milwaukee
club, was the buyer. and he consid
cred that big sum to pay for a
rookie who had only three months
experience.
After three successful seasons with
the Milwaukee club Clark was sold
TO the St. Louis club. and the now
famous Griffith found himself work
ing for Charlie Comiskey and they
didn't get along a all. Griff was
successful, winning l , out of the first
s games he pitched for the peerless
manager of the Browns, but he was
stingy about pitching out of his turn.
y ldl ~ DeiItN'l lie idu Il SIU,UUU Htdu
but not much of an arm and he had
to favor the latter.
Griff Baked at shift.
This didn't appeal to Comiskey
and Clark was sold to the Boston
club of the American Association but
he refused to stick and the season
Of 1892 found Mr.. Griffith pitching
ball for Tacoma of the Pacific North
west League. Clark was so eminent
~ successful during 1892 and 1898
that the Chicago club, under Adrian
{. Anson signed him for 1894, and
the lad from Nevada Missouri. began
his real career in the big league
which was blazed by many exciting
! episodes
1t was wonderfully successful
career that Griffith began under An
son in 1894 and it brought him into
real fame
, The master of strategy whom Bos-
ton and other teams let slip away in
order to hold old stars who had moth
ing nut q ad arms and q long list of
pFgone achievements to recommend
them proved a magnificent asset to
the Chicago organization. For seven
seasons Clark pitched such successful
ball for Anson that he was rated with
the great hurlers of the times-Nfch-
ois. Rusle, Hutchinson and "Cy"
Young. 4 percentage in games won
of ,62f while with the Chicago Ma
tonais was wonderful achievement.
considering that hurlers were handi-
capped by stringent rules enacted a
few seasons before.
Led White Sox in 1901.
In 1901 Clark Griffith cast his lot
with the White Sox of Chicago, then
in the newly organized league headed
he signed a contract to play under
the leadership of Charles Comiskey
and to show that he had implicit con-
fidence in him, the "old Roman" as
signed c. Griffith the position of man
ager as we'll as depending on him to
head the pitching staff. Perhaps no
hurler or player contributed more,
single handed, toward team win
ming pennant than Grif. did that
season. AS the commander of a crew
he was sublime as a batsman and
fielder Che batted 800 and fielded
.941) he was a power. In the pitch
ers position he led all others. Griffith
had another grand season with the
White Sox in 1902, although it did not
yield the results that his first sea-
son did.
PiIoted Yanks in 19O3-O7.
Clark Griffith was manager of the
New York club of the American
League from 1903 until 1907. and dur
ing that period his career as a hurler
was ended. On August 13, 1907, Clark
Griffith performed for the last time
in the capacity of hurler, working
four innings against the Cleveland
team. In that farewell game Griff ex-
hibited wonderful assortment of
deliveries in the four innings he
famed five batsmen, and to produce
a hit was an impossibility. With the
last ball hurled in that game the ca
reer of great hurler ended, and just
such a pitcher the game will never
see again. Possessing marvellous abil-
ity as a ball player and every quail
fication of a great hurler. Clark Grif-
fifth framed up wonderful record,
but built upon entirely diffe rent lines
from that of any hurler the game
ever had.
Clark Griffith was manager of the
Cincinnati Reds in 1909. His name is
linked with those of Buck Ewing,
Charlie Comiskey, Hank O'Day, Nor
decai Brown, Joe Tinker and Christy
Mathe wson, famous ball players and
managers, who tried, in turn, to give
Redland a winning combination. Clark
did well in his first season as leader
of the Reds-the team finished in the
first division. In 1910 the clever Grif-
fifth again led the Reds, but it was a
disastrous season for the man from
Missouri; the frequent outburstS of
the Redland fans got on c. Griffith's
nerves.
1t was a stormy season for Clark
Griffith, the season of 1911. Every
. criticism from fan or magnate meant
a gray hair, and when Grin packed
his belongings and bade farewell to
old Redland he had headful of gray