The Washington times., 1928-10-02
By Davis J. Walsh

By DAVIS y. WALSH
NEW YORK, Oct. IF the
current array of New York
Yankees finish distant second
to the st. Louis Cardinals from
the important angle of de-
fense-and no one figures to
get out petition against that
idea-the Yanks must be con-
ceded the putt In considering
the even more important mat
ter of attack.
They clearly are entitled to the
break in this respect even though
their superiorit is arrived at
through the somewhat fallible sys-
tenn of league-to-league comparisons.
This can be done to more equitable
effect in the present instance be-
cause pitching in the National and
American leagues this year has
achieved a reasonable parallel.
Therefore, if one club hits for a
team average of 295 in the Ameri-
can League and the other for .282 in
the National, the assumption is that
i
frequently: also more forcibly, con-
sidering the fact that its extra bases
total $50 to 761 for the Cardinals.
In line with this general data
on attack. IL may be mentioned
that the YanIks have scored 81
more runs and have made 81
more hits than the Cardinals.
So much for generalization.
Becoming specific. we turn to the
shock hitters of the two outfits:
Ruth. Gehrig, Meusel and Lazzerf,
of the Yanks. and Hafey. Bottomley,
Harper and Frisch, of the Cardinals.
They are the men who will drive
In the runs or else there is a vague
likelihood that there will be none
The important factor here is what
kind of an average these quartets
may strike in a concerted way.
individuals. OF instance, can and do
go wrong in the big series. 1t is
far less likely that four men will
fail at one and the same time.
The figures l will quote have
been culled from full seasons
play and, therefore, give the Yanks
none the worst of the brea ks, since
they couldn't hit a horse with q
whip during August and early
september. However, this isn't early
September. Their hitting has been
on the ascendent during recent
weeks and should be almost normal
for the series.
Therefore, judged purely as one
set Of hitters against another, the
Ruth-Gehrig-L azzeri Meusel combi-
nation might seem to have more
than a little on Bottomley, Hafey,
Harper and Frisch. This Quartet
averaged .S14 against National
League pitching: the rival big four
nit their kind of pitching for .341.
Even a difference i'm pitching.
that might be construed as
markedly in favor of American
League hitters, wouldn't account
Tor the above discrepancy. The
dynamiterS OF the Yankee at.
tack unquestiOnabIy have an
edge here over those of the
Cardinals.
That they lead in distance hit.
ting, too, can't be denied. There
le no Ruth or even a half-Ruth in
the Cardinal batting order Jim
Bottomley hit 81 home runs to
but the comparison isn't even as
close as that. Suppose, for example.
Ruth got that undeniable break of
doing quite A respectable portion of
his seasons hitting in the small
National League parks at Philadel-
Dhia,- Chicago and Boston. He
didn't get the benefit of n games
at Sportsman's Park, st. Louis.
either. So the comparative home
run hitting of the Yanks against
the Cards, 1873 to 113. isn't a fair
one. Yet it shows the Yanks we'll
in front.
On the basis Of quartet against
quartet. the Yanks also lead in
homers with 102 to 81, in doubles
by 146 to 127 and in triples only
by one. Ss to 81.
The Cardinals attack is more di-
versified. with Frisch batting in
third position. Always a dangerous
hitter. he can drag a bunt nicely
and is by long odds the best base
runner on the lot. However, base
stealing, merely as such, is seldom
more than a negligible factor in
world series results, unless the op-
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