Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-20
PH|LL|ES' SLUGGER
GIANT IN STRENGTH
Newest Home Run Star, Sold
for $500 in 1927, Now Is
Valued at 100000.
BY FRANKLIN w. YEUTTER.

powerful man in all organized base
ball, or one more nearly approach
ing physical perfection, than Pow
erhouse" Klein of the Philadelphia
Nationals.
"Powerhouse," who responds also to
the names Charles and Chuck" is
the 23-year-old sensation Of the Ma
tional League this season, the home
run leader Of both leagues, and, accord
ingly, one Of the games heaviest
hitters.
Klein stands six feet one in his
spiked shoes and weighs close to 200.
But find an ounce of fat in this man
mountain! He is hard as granite.
His hands, wrists, forearms and
shoulders are massive. He has the
chest of a gorilla. His hips are slender
q sailor.
Clean-Cut and Virile.
"Chuck" isn't handsome in the movie
sense, but he is clean-cut, virile, a
descendant Of pioneers, Woodworking
men.
IT have strength in my arms and
shoulders and I can swing a bat with
every bit of strength have" he said.
''If hit the ball fair it's home run"
That Is his simple explanation of
how he has clouted more than 80 home
runs this season.
Opposing pitchers don't bother me
much" ''PowerhouSe" continued. Il
wouldn't say this one is harder to hit
than that one. They all try the same
tricks, the main difference being that
some are successful and some aren't.
Here's an instance. hit four or
five home-runs on inside. curve balls.
Dutch Henry, in New York, discovered
this, and the New York pitching staff
never let me look at an inside curve.
But managed to smack two or three
homers when they handed the fast balls
on the outside.
These same pitchers who discovered
I would murder an inside curve are still
side, and I'm getting along all right on
them.
Sluggcr Has His Troubles.
Hitting home runs isn't the main
thing in base ball. The fans make the
life of a home-run hitter miserable. No
matter what the score is, how many are
on base or who the opposing pitcher is,
if batter has made few homers the
minute he comes to the plate the fans
start yelling for home run. And If
the batter doesn't deliver he's bum.
MANY times hit a ball to the out
runs that go over the wall. Maybe
that's where any magic in the thing
comes in. There certainly isn't any
science to 1t. There isn't batter in
the business who can tell whether the
ball he hits is going over the wall or is
going to be pop fly. After the bat
connects with the ball-that's when
you know. When you get that solid
smack, connecting about six inches
from the end of the bat, you know the
ball is going to places outside the park
II think it takes a strong man to
make base balls travel. have always
worked hard and played hard. When
was kid worked in Summer at road
building. could swing heavy sledge-
hammer as easily as I now swing q bat.
Before that worked on the farm.
I'm Just another country boy who final
ly reached the city. And, believe me, I
cont mind one bit when the time
comes around for me to go back to the
farm in the Fall.
When finished school worked in
o steel mill in Indianapolis. From
morning till night tossed steel ingots
around and helped with hunks Of steel
that weighed several hundred pounds.
It was either make or break. Well,
they didn't break me. In between times
I learned to play base ball with the
steel mill team.
LAS kid I could hit a ball hard,
when hit 1t. but I wasn't much Of
player compared with my brothers, Ed
end Plank. I believe that If Ed had
become a professional ballp!ayer he
would have been one of the greatest in
the business"
Less than two years ago Klein was
sold by Evansville for 5000. The club
was losing money and decided to sell its
70 Enrt a
little extra money it agreed to sell Klein
to Fort Wayne for 5000 additional.
Fort Wayne made 81, 800 on the sale
of Klein to the Phillies, and it would be
an interesting experiment to price the
young outflelder today. William r.
Baker, owner of the PhilS, knows his
stock market, and says there never was
q stock market buy that "skyrocketed"
like stock on Chuck Klein, Inc.
From $500 to 100000.
The youngster who sold for 5000 two
years ago is worth to the Phillies at this
minute 100000
One thing CHUCK" is indignant
about. He is reputed to be a bucket
foot" hitter-that is, when he swings
he pulls his right foot back instead OF
stepping up and in.
I'm no bucket foot hitter" Chuck
said. Get that right. I'm pull hit
ter. Instead of facing the plate at right
angles between pitcher and catcher
face left field. When swing take
perfectly natural stride up and at the
ball.
IF I stood perfectly straight at the
plate I'd swing just the same as any
other left-handed batter. The way hit
now I get more of pull to right field,
something the way Cy Williams did,
and I don't think you'd call him a
bucket foot hitter, would you?"