Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-09
.UHLE FOLLOWED
BROWNIE HURLER
Pill VeerS Several Inches as
Batter Expects Fast,
Straight One.
BY GEORGE MOR1ARTY,
r4- 49,. Y1..sss..

THERE is something brand new
under the base ball sun. As may
be expected. 1t Is the invention
Il OF a pitcher. The big leaguers
call 1t the "slide-away bail"
Pitcher George Blaeholder 'who
when he made his debut with the St.
Louis Browns, induces American
League batsmen to slap many ground
crs and flies at his supporting cast on
account of 1t.
Since Blaeholder started with Dan
HoWleys team, l have often wondered
what he has been using so successfully.
From the sidelines he did not impress
one as pitcher having fire-ball speed.
yet he pitched with amazing cunning
and confidence against the most dan
gerous sluggers.
Evans Was Puzzled.
I was at loss to figure how he
forced esglc-eyed right-handed bats
men to lunge at his pitch on the out
side corner of the plate; now 1t Is OBJ
vious. Umpiring balls and strikes for
Blaeholder lends an entirely different
viewpoint
With the wide variety of curves in
use one harbors the idea that 1t is in
credible for a pitcher to find a new
way for delivery TO break.
To enumerate The curve ball
sweeps sideways ord Onward, acord-
ing TO a side-arm or overhanded de-
livery The fade-away fades away
from a right-handed batter. The screw
ball screws in toward a right-handed
hitsmith. The knuckle-ball zigzags
across a straight line The splitter and
sinker break downward, and the raise
ball is the fast one that hops up.
lie nf hnt
various curves function. The sailer
ball SAWS into a southpsw batter and
away from Highlander. The Slide
away BALI is direct species Of the
sailer ball: the action Is quite similar,
excepting that the slide-away bail devil
ates farther from a straight line.
Blaehoider Master Of II.
The slide-away does exactly what 1t
implies. 1t slides away several inches,
and irlveigles the batter into the belief
that he Is about to swing at straight
fast bail. The pitch is most effective
when it is kept on, or slightly outside
of the plate against right-handed bats
men. and likewise, on the inside corner
to deceive the southpaw swingers.
Pitcher Blaeholder handles the de-
livery in mastery fashion, and In
large measure it accounts for his sue
cess. However, Blaeholder also uses
sharp curve at intervals, and reliable
control plays no little part in his VIC
tories.
Oddly enough, Pitcher George Uhle,
ace of the Detroit staff, now also Is en-
ploying the magic slide-away ball. It
played an important part in the nine
consecutive games he has won. 1t is
probably more Of an asset to Uhle than
1t has been for Blaeholder, as Uhle was
a great pitcher before he added 1t to
his bag Of tricks.
Il is just another idea that has been
borrowed from its inventor. It was the
same with the spitba1l Elmer Strick-
let originated the damp fling, and
Walsh, Chesbro. Grimes, Mitchell,
Shocker. Coveleskie and others became
stars by virtue OF it, There is posi-
bility that many other pitchers will
soon be experimenting with this slide
away ball
And thinking about the ingenuity Of
the pitchers, we are inclined to ask:
what next?
Copyright, 1929, by the North American
Newspaper AllianceD