The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-06-13
AL THOMAS.IS
SENSATION OF
BIG LEAGUES
White Sex Mound Artist Al.
ready Has Record of 10 Vic.
tories in Ii Starts
Try BILLY EVANS,

Al Thomas of the Chicago White
Sox threatens to be the pitching SEN
| sation of the American League. If
not the majors. this season. With
ten victories in his first l3 starts,
he is well on his way to that dis
tinction.
PROFESSIONALLY, Thomas has the
best fast ball Of any young pitcher
that has broken into the big leagues
in years. As matter Of fact, he is
employing fast ball almost exclu-
sively in setting the American League
batters on their heads.
have umpired several games back
of Thomas this year in which he
hasn't pitched more than half dozen
curve balls. It has been a case of
fast ball after fast ball, with an
occasional change of pace mixed in to
throw the batsman off his stance.
Thomas has successfully employed
such system against hard hitting
clubs like the New York Yankees,
Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit
Tigers, noted for liking fast ball
pitching.
Only Three &c: Away With It
During % years in the majors, I
have only seen three pitchers able
to use their fast ball so much and
get away with it, namely Walter
Johnson, Eddie Cicotte and Al
Thomas.
Walter johnson had the greatest
speed ever developed by pitcher
when he broke into the majors.
I-terally. he threw the ball past the
batters. Cicotte, through trickery in
doctoring tie ball. got hop on his
fast ball that made it almost unhit-
table. | have worked games in which
Cirotte used nothing but fast balls
from beginning to end
! /, Now that al Thomas has Joined
this fast ball trio, it would seem he
had something out OF the ordinary in
the way of speed to get by with it as
he does.
Take a look at the ball.
When Thomas is pitching, the UNI
pire gets that request a score of
times during ball game, when some
batsman takes a healthy cut at a fast
one and misses it by wide margin.
Only Natural
There is no getting away from the
fact that Thomas can sail his fast
ball. Often it works inside or outside
and at other times has perceptible
hop on it. So it is only natural, when
batters who have a penchant for hit
ting speed, swing in vain, that they
request an Investigation. to deter
mine, as Nick Altrock would put it.
IF the ball is inferior
While there are. some batters who
insist Thomas is manipulating the
ball in some manner to get the break
on his fast one, cannot agree with
them. ] have seen him sail a brand
new ball as easily as one that has
been in play for several innings. !,
ihomas has peculiar side-arm
delivery. It has been my observation
that pitchers using such style get
Just little more, on the fast ball
than the ordinary pitcher. Thomas
fast ball breaks very much as did
Aiexander's back in 1915 or there
abouts, when he was at the ton of
his game.
A Good Record
Last season Thomas won il games
and lost II, a pretty good record for
a rookie. He lost many tough game
through bad breaks. Inciden tally.
wildness handicapped him. He gave
10 bases on balls in 249 innings of
pitching, being the second widest
pitcher in the league On the other
hand he struck out on an average of
five per game, which gives some idea
Of his effectiveness
If Thomas continues to pitch as
effectively as he has in his first 13
starts, he has great chance to lead
the American League pitchers. One