Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-29

YN connection With the twentieth
anniversary Of Walter Johnson 5
debut as National, to he cele-
Il hrated next Tuesday at Clark
Griffith Stadium. old-timers will re-
call that his mastery pitching
against Detroit. August >. 1907, set
local fans hU&zing. The young
mountlSman from the Idaho state
8 League looked like the proverhial mill
lion dollars from the time he sent his
first smoke ball whizzing plateWard.
Using principally his lightning speed
the Big Train let the smuggling Tigers
down with six hits. three of which
were ScratChy.
After scoring a run in the second
Inning Detroit was unable to again
count until the eighth. when it began
bunting attack. which upset the IN
experienced Johnson and resulted in a
run Hughes took Barney's place on
the mound to start the ninth. and De-
troit showed across another tally. and
won 3 To >.
If Johnson had any real weakness
other than that of fielding his position
particularly hunts. they We're not evil
dent It was predicted by scribes that
he was going to prove the find of 1907.
and one of the best twirlers in the
league for wears to come. This was
not only the view of the newspaper
mer but of members of the Detroit
team.
Charley OIPary's Estimate.
Charley O'Leary. Tiger shortstop.
had this to say the next day about the
Big Trains exhibition, his comment
having appeared in The Star the fol-
lowing day:
when | was mOseying around be-
fore the first game / saw there was Il
new man in uniform and began hoping
Cantillon would pitch him. for we
needed every game we could get and
the importations from the sage coun-
try are Il great help to players with
ingrown batting averages. This cubs
name was announced and I took it as
a gift from home. But, say, after that
fellow pitched me a couple | wished
l had missed the train. He sent one
so fast l couldn't see it. l thought
il was going to take my block off. so
l ducked. This foolish umpire person,
Sheridan, called it q strike. l got set
for another one and he switched to a
roundhOuSe curve that started like n
wild pitch. Then he came back with
n Spitbail. That was enough for me-
l took a poke at the next one for luck
III
this same war dance stuff the next
time l came up and l the Ight Jen-
nings would bounce me out of the
game for being plain nutty.
so l took q wild swing at the ball
and, because l am lucky. got a clean
hit 70 center. He's the greatest kid
pitcher I ever saw in my life and he's
going to get better all the time"
In talking to Manager Joe Cantillon
of Washington after the game, Wild
Bill Donovan. Detroit pitcher, who it
~ will be remembered was a mighty
good one, assured the Nationals pilot
that he had the best kid to come out
of the bush leagues in his recollection,
and let Cantillon know that if he lack
cd the money and time necessary to
develop Johnson he knew just where
to place him for a nice, fat sum. Can
tillon thanked him, but told him to
forget it.
Comment by CantillOn.
= Cantillon had this comment to make
on the showing of the big recruit:
Il have been in base ball 80 years.
drawing salary since 1882 In all that
period / never saw such a promising
young pitcher. Just remember the