Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-27
bouEen BetUeen johnson and Ruth Their Deng Diamond
OF $50 HOMERS BY BABE In HIS ENTIRE
CAREER BARNEY HAS YIELDED ONLY TEN
Base Ball Annals Show Instances Where Washington
Ace Has Famed Bambino in Pnches and Others
Where Yank Has Hit for Circuit.

game on the ice for us, and we won
| 10 to z.
Ruth is a mighty difficult batter to
fool, for he apparently has no. regular
weakness. Most hitters like bal
low and inside: therefore, a pitcher
would naturally as a rule, keep the
ball outside to them,
With Ruth, however, such a policy
! wouldn't work so successfully. He is
just as apt to reach out and club that
ball into the centerfield bleachers.
He did just that against Walter
Johnson last Spring 1t was in April
and they were facing each other for
the first time that season. Walter
was making his first appearance in the
box after his splendid 15inning tri.
umph over the Philadelphia Athletics,
and of course we were all foretelling
a brilliant year for the old master.
Ruth came up in the very first in
ming, with Earl Combs on third.
Barney" shot over a strike. Ruth
was impatiently swinging that mighty
. bludgeon of his at the plate, eager
to get hold of a ball. We decided to
keep the next one outside. We did,
but Mr.. Ruth merely reached out and
smacked it. Like a bullet, it shot
over the heads of the outfielders and
settled into the right centerfield
bleachers.
Babe Sets the Pace.
Whether this blow served as a slim.
illus for the other Yankee players or
not, / don't know, but they fell on
Walter and before he was taken out
they had accumulated eight hits
against his offerings in three innings.
Such instances of personal inspira'
ton are nothing unusual in the life
of the big Babe" however. More
than once when his club has appeared
to be in the doldrums the home-run
hitter has come through with one of
his fence.busting specialties and the
whole team has seemed to perk up
and find its batting eyes. When he is
hitting he inspires confidence in his
teammates. somewhat as Barney
does in the Senators when ne is
right; furnishing the spark which
ignites the powder.
Look back through the files OF the
newspa pers and / feel safe in saying
you'll find that generally when the
Yankees have rolled up particularly
large scores the Babe has been hav
ing a field day" at bat.
Many credit the Home Run King
with being in large part responsible
for the era of circuit-swats which ex-
listed in the big league for several sea
sons. with the advent of the so-called
lively ball
Hitters who had never before con.
sidered themselves as home.run wal.
iopers began to take the long swing
and the vicious cut at the ball, with
the result that they ran the out
fielders ragged with their booming
shots and made an inffelder's life a
faraffxy r,Afcaroh 1A Awfefnnaa
Barney" evened the score with the
Babe for that first-inning homer when
he faced the big slugger on July in
the Yankee Stadium, and, although he
was beaten by a single run in the
ninth inning, he pitched a really
masterful game. Ruth was charged
with two times at bat and he went
hitless. In the eighth and ninth in
nings johnson famed four New York
players In succession and there We're
two men out in the final inning, with
the score tied, when an error paved
the way for his undoing. Mark
Koenig followed with a triple and the
Yanks were victorious. 80. Barney"
struck out seven men In this game
and allowed only seven hits. A single
from his bat in the sixth put us in
the lead.
Pass Is Rutll's Weakness"
There was time. a few years ago,
when IL was believed that a. low curve
ball inside was Ruth's nemesis. but
probably more than one pitcher has
learned to his sorrow that Babe Z
can also hit those balls at times.
Lefty" Pruett, q slim youngster
from the collegiate ranks. seemed TO
have Ruth's number for a time with
this sort of pitch. He threw what
was termed screw ball. a revolving
curve ball, which broke contrary TO
most southpaws' hooks, curving In to
a left-handed batter. In his first dozen
trips to the plate against Pruett. the
Home Run King whitfield the air IL
times.
About the only sure protection