The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-03-04


recent experience. During the
world series 1 gave Frisch a high
fast ball in the ninth inning Of the
final game. I had been assured
Frisch would fall all over himself
swinging at a high fast ball. But
- slammed it for q three-base hit.
fhe whole trouble was didn't
have any stuff on the ball and so
Frisch just reached up and hit 1t.
Another world series example
made interesting history. Fans will
remember the famous series between
the Giants and the Athletics, when
Frank Baker made his reputation
as first Of the 'FHomerun Kings"
Rube Marduard was. pitching and
Baker caught one Of his shoots on
the end of the bat and 1t went for
q homer. The following morning,
in a newspaper article, Matthewson
pointed out that Marquard had
put the ball in the right place.
As everybody remembers. the
very same day that article ap-
peared, Matty pitched and "HOme.
run" Baker slammed his fadeway
for four bases despite the fact
that Matty claimed TO know
Bakers weakness. aSsw that
game and meeting Matty after
the game said: "Matty, 1
think you lost your stuff by try
ing too hard TO keep Il out Of
Bakers reach"
OF course, confidence is some
thing that no pitcher can win
without There win always be
certain batters to trouble a pitcher
more than the others, but if the
pitcher permits himself to think
that way, he had better retire
from the box when ever such bat
tiers come to the plate. Frank
Baker did more damage to my
pitching perhaps. than any other
batter. Once he beat me out Of a
no-hit game that looked like a
cinch. On my very best days,
when batters like Eddie Collins
and McInnis were comparatively
easy for me, Baker would come
along and often get three hits.
And yet / never let it worry me.
I never gave a thought to what
Baker had done in previous games.
was never unsettled when Baker
came to bat and the result was.
often made the. great old slugger
look bad.
Two examples of the value of
confidence occurred in the recent
series when l was pitching.
In the first game George Kelly
hit me for a home run which was
no accident, for Kelly's smuggling
had much to do with the Giants
winning the pennant. One day in
Chicago he got three home runs in
q single game. I knew all that but
IL ~ IL
which really cost me the first
game, he might have gotten an
other in the final game and won
the series. Instead, he struck out
twice in succession. The same thing
applies to F'rtseh. When he tore
loose with a three-base hit in the
ninth inning, which referred to
above, might have lost the game
by loss Of confidence. Frisch has
one of the best batting averages
in world series history. 1 think
he averaged close to 400 in the
three series against the Yankees.
To show how good he was, he
had the record of never striking
cut in world series game.
Had I let all those kind of
things crowd into my mind, /
might IS well have walked from
the box. But ] didn't. / Just
kept on pitching, as though
nothing had happened and when
Frisch came up again i'm the
eleventh, he was struck out, the
first time in four world series.
Confidence in baseball, is Just
like confidence in any other bust
ness. You can't succeed without
It. But Of all positions on a team,
the pitcher needs it most.
Besides the curve and fast ball,
there Is what you call the freak
delivery. Freak deliveries really
come under two headings, II you
include the spitball. But l don't