New Britain herald., 1926-04-24
LIGHT HITTING IS
 DUE TO SLOW BALL
Batting in Both Leagues No, where Near as Heavy as Before

Chicago, April 24 Pt--The major league pennant races arc under way with all the fervor of other years but not the hitting.
 Whether the light hitting is tenn porary and due to the irregular training of the spring CT the result of slower" ball in usc In the two big time circuits. to be reflected throughout the year, will be shown only as the season progresses.
 The fact stands, borne out by cold figures, that the batting so' far has been phenomenally light, Some few major leaguers have piled up unusually high carly-season aver ages in their stick work but the teams. as teams, are hitting pretty well down in the column as averages go for this stage of the races.
 Records of the first week of the season and including last Wednes- days games, is! d today, show the IPhillies leading the National clubs with an average of .2H7 and the Yankees at the top of the American league standing with a 1928 percent age.
 The Giants show a team batting average of .26G to place second and ICincinnat comes third with .262. The world champion Pittsburgh Pirates trail them all with the cX- tremcly low team percentage of .lS7.
 In virtually q direct reversal or their final 1925 pennant standings arc the American league clubs. Next Ito the Yankees come tho Cleveland Indians with a team average of .296 and Boston stands third with .212' The champion Washington Senators are last with q rating of PIT.
 One of the few veteran leading hotters near the top of the indlVld- ual standing at this time is Rogers Hornsby of the St. Louis Cardinals, who holds his old post at the top of the National players with an aV' craze of ABS. Next is Zach Wheat of the Brooklyn Robins with .al7, made in six games, and Heathcote Chicago outtiolder, is third with .39l Bottomley. St. Louis Cardinal. who finished second among the hitters i'll his league last season, is down III Ithirty-second place.
 Strangers 10 their posts held the : ranking places in the American in dividual standings after the first week. Bennett of St. Louis had $ : rating of 600 out of five times al bat and Flagstcad of Boston one O : .5l6 as an active player. Dykes o Philadelphia being third with .4S5 Babe Ruth stands twelfth and a
 that well above others of the vet erans, Speaker of Cleveland, Sim
 mons of Philadelphia, Heilmnn 0
 Detroit and George Sislcr of St Louis placing well down. The bat
 tlc-worn Ty Cobb didn't figure. hay ling appeared only as a pinch hitter
 So far there has been an eVid . cnt absence of cxtra-hase hits an' two circuit cloEts stood as the hom J run record Three National hitter made that many. Leach of Phila
 delphia, Williams of the Phillies an
 Bottomlny of St. Louis, while in tn '' American Pat Collins and Meusel 0 l the Yankees tied with pair eacl " Babe Ruth lifted one out of tn ; playing field during the week.
 I'lagstead of Boston collected .
 bases withhis safeties in the Ameri '' can 10 lead both leagues, Wilson c , Chicago. topping the National wit ? 22 to his credit. Ruth ran up l. total of Ii runs in the Yankees
 games, stand of Philadelphia farin
 rest in the National games with 1 /. runs to his credit. a record equalle 1 hy both Combs and Gchrig Of th 1 Yankees.
 Continued On Following Page)