Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-27

N EW YORK, August Z7-4Oun8
N blood in the National League
and American League is having
i Y quite a time racing for the
leadership of batting In runs
this year. Melvin OFT Of the Giants
is right up with the leaders. His total
is around 100 runs. and James Bottom
ley of the st. Louis Cardinals and Hack
Wilson of the Cubs. both old-timers,
are lowering near him. Wilson has a
total of about 118, and Bottomley, not
quite so good. has 100.
Alexander of the Detroit team. who
is even more kid than OFT, has batted
in ITO runs. He did not lead in his
league, but he leads the first-year men,
and by substantial majority. AL Sim
mons of the Athletics, who has been
handy man at bat all of the year when
there were runners on bases. has hit
in l21: Babe Ruth. 113, and Heilmann.
102. Thus 1t will be observed that
Detroit has two very good batters with
a punch. It is agreed that a man has
punch who bats in runs beyond the
century mark.
Justifies Ballyhoo.
The good work of Alexander rather
bears out all that had been said about
his batting when he was with Toronto.
In fact it more than bears 1t out, be-
cause a batter who can drive runs home
is one who is greatly to be desired by
any team. When Alexander was with
Toronto in 1928 he batted in IA runs,
and he has gone on to Detroit and
shown the same determination to send
home runners who are on bases that
helped to make him famous in the In.
ternational League.
ODoul Of the Phillies and Babe Her
man of Brooklyn have been running
a good race at batting runs home.
Herman, with his fine batting average,
most of the time has done no better
in sending runs home than O'Doul, and
Of course, has not done as well as OFT
and Wilson of Chicago. The latter is a
great home-run hitter on the Chicago
ground, and manages to make a fair
share on other grounds when he gets all
OF his shoulder strength into the ball.
Fred Leach for whom O'Doul was
traded to Philadelphia. not only has a
smaller batting average than ODoul,
but has not batted half as many runs
home. OF course he has not played
In nearly as many games as ODoul, but
his percentage is not as good. and 1t is
percentage that tells the story.
Hornsby Has Chance.
Rogers Hornsby probably will not
make Cne record Tor batting IN runs
in the National League. but by no means
count him out of it with all Of Septem-
Der yet to play. He has around 100, and
he IS almost sure to run that up to
125. The record in the National League
In 1928 was 1873, and was made by Bot
tomley Of st. Louis. He is up among
the leaders this year. Oddly enough,
when he played in the world series
against the Yankees he couldn't bat
q mosquito home.
Hornsby's success In every way with
the Chicago team fully justifies those
who were sure that he would add great
strength to 1t. He has played q better
second base than he did in 1928, because
he has had nothing to fuss him, except
playing second; he is batting splendidly,
and his 80 runs batted home certify
mutely that he has provided the Cubs
with punch, or rather with more of
a punch than they had. and that is
exactly what they sought. Hence the
deal that was made by Wrigley with
Boston seems to be just the sort of
thing that Wrigley wanted for Chicago.
AT this moment there is no one In Chi
cago who thinks otherwise and plenty
outside of Chicago who are forced to
agree that they were wrong when they
Honrsby's probable value
to Chicago.