New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1927-08-18

When Pitcher Charley Root Of
the Chicago Cubs recently scored
lis 10th victory OF the season, he
achieved the goal of every present.
day big league twirler, 20 victories.
In these days of the lively ball,
the winning of 20 ball games is con-
sidered an outstanding feat, the best
excuse in the world for demanding
heavy money for next season.
Taking down 20 ball games over
siX-months' campaign doesn't
sound like an extraordinary per-
Torrance, yet perusal OF the
pitching records of last season will
prove it is. 1t shows that the av-
erage number of games in which
a pitcher appears is less than 40,
which means he must score VIC
tory in every other start.
Only two pitchers in the major
leagues last season performed in
so ball games. John Scott, then
with New York. worked in an
even so, while Fred Marberry of
Washington got his name in the
lineup Ga times. Scott worked in
10 full games, while Marberry, re-
garded as the games greatest re-
lief pitcher, toiled in only three
complete games.
Further proof that the scoring
Of 20 victories in a season is a note
worthy feat is Offered by the pitch
ing averages of 1926. In the Ma
tional League no pitcher won more
than 30 games and only four
Kremer, Rhem, Donahue and Mead
ows-reached that mark. In the
American League, Uhie of Clevc-
land with 27 conquests and Pennock
of New York with 23, were the
only pitchers to win 20 or more
games.
Delving back into the pitching
records of the last 20 years I find
more convincing data to show how
unusual a performance it is for
a pitcher to bag 20 or more ball
games during a season.
There is Jack Quinn, the oldest
pitcher in captivity, and a mighty
good one. Over a period of IS
years as big league hurler, his
best record was made in 1920
when he registered s wins.
Dutch Reuther, always an ef-
fective southpaw. only once in his
career of II years in the big show
no cd IL
His best year was 1922 with
Brooklyn when he won q games
while losing II. Likewise, so great
a pitcher as "Bullet-Joe" Bush had
only one big year. That was in
1922 when he won 26 and lost
seven, the only time in his career
he passed the 20 mark. A freak
delivery, known as the 'forkball,"
stood him in good stead that year,
Waite Hoyt. whom I regard as.
the game has never won 20 vic
tories. He appears to have an ex-
cellent chance to go over this
year. Hoyt often threatened the
mark, but always fell short. He
has in different seasons won 16, II,
IS games once, and 10 games twice.
Jess Haines, star Of the St. Louis
Cardinals, the only pitcher to hurl
a shutout in the 1926 series, has
only twice taken down 30 wins.
Senior Luque of the Cincinnati Reds
has had one big season, 1928. when
he won 81 games, otherwise he has
been under the mark. 1t took Lee
Meadows of the Pirates an even
dozen years to turn the trick. He
finally won 30 games last year for
the Pirates.
While the winning of 20 ball
games may not appear to be super
feat of pitching, the records conclu-
sWely prove that it is a perform
ance decidedly out of the ordinary
In addition, the magnates will
tell you that any time a pitcher
wins 20 ball games, it costs him
considerably more sugar to sign
him up for the following season.
However, such pitcher is worth
plenty of jack.