The Washington times., 1931-12-14
Al SIMMONS
BEST WITH
,39OMARK

Sammy West was the leading
Griff batter during the 1881
American League baseball sea,
son, it is revealed from the Off
cial averages compiled and re-
leased by Irvan M. Howan,. Off
cial statistician of the major
leagues.
Vests average reads 333.
Sammy gathered this mark in
1872 games, collecting ITS hits in
526 times at bat. He scored II
runs. Included in the outfielder's
hits were 43 doubles. 13 tribes
and three home runs for total
Of 253 bases.
AloySius H. Simmons, the big
punch of the Philadelphia AS,
led the league in batting. In
1913 games, he socked out 100
hits in 513 times at the nlate
for an average of 800. AL hit
81 two-baggers, 13 triples and %
homers in his list of safeties for
a total of 329 bases.
Ruth Shows EN-
George Herman Ruth, better
known IS Just plain Babe, was
the second best hitter of the cir
cult. His mark was 1873. Ruth,
incidentally, established several
records and feats during the
course of the season.
Besides finishing second best
among the hitterS with his 1878
average, which was the highest
ever attained by him in his l6
years as a big Lacquer, Ruth tied
Lou Gehrig, teammate, for most
home runS-46; was second in
scoring with 149. this being the
ninth season he has crossed the
plate 125 times or more and the
tenth year he has hit 40 or more
homers.
No slugger in major league his
tory has hit like this individual.
Many have hit 40 or more home
runs a year for nine seasons,
but none have hit at this clip
for ten seasons. Also the Bam-
bino'S total base record of 374
marks the tenth year that his
total has exceeded 800.
Lou Gehrig made a little his
tory as well as his teammate,
Ruth. Besides tying Ruth for
the most home runs-46-Colum
bia Lou made six of them in six
consecutive games, from August
20 to September l, thus tying the
record formerly held by Ken Will
liams in 1922. Gehrig also set
new league record when he drove
in 1874 runs. nine more than the
previous league record he set him
self in 1927.
Morgan Among Leaders
Getting back to the leading
batters in the order that they
finished Ed Morgan of the Cleve.
land Indians was the third best
hitter in the league with a mark
of .351. Gordon Cochrane of the
Philadelphia AS was fourth with
a .349 mark, while Gehrig trailed
fifth, with an average of BAL.
The New York Yankees created
two new team records during the
year. They faced opposing pitch,
ers 5,608 times. thus breaking
the American League record of
$500 made by Detroit in 1929.
while they broke their own rec
ord for scoring the most runs.
1,O67, to 1862 made in 1880.
The Chicago White SoX fin
ished last in batting, last in
fielding and allowed their oppo-
nentS 939 runs, thus creating
new American League record in
this department. Lu Blue Of this
team shone by finishing sixth in
the scoring of runs. 1l9. while
working opposing pitchers for
1877 bases on balls, only Ruth
with 1913 excelling him.
Ben Chapman of the YankS and
Earl Webb of the Red SoX came
in for a big share of the atten-
ton during the season. Chap
man scored 100 runs, drove in
100 and stole 81 bases. the latter
record unequaled in the last Is
years. Webb established a new
world record for two-baSe hits
by socking out ST of them, sur
passing George Burns former rec
ord of 81 made in 1925.
Mustn't Forget the Griffs
Remembering the Griffmen. in
conclusion, Sammy Rice, Heinie
Manush, Joe Cronin and Dave
Harris were the only members of
Manager Johnson's gang besides
Sammy West able to sock over
the 800 mark. Rice's average
was .310: Manush's. .310; Cronin's,
.306, and Harris .312.
Buddy Myer. with 1893; Bluege,
with .272; Kuhel, with .z69, and
Spencer, with 279, were the aver
ages of the other Griff regulars.
Joe Judge, in 35 games, hit to
the tune of .284.
The Griffmen finished fourth
IN the club batting with a mark
OF .285. New York was the lead.
ing team, with a percentage of
.297.
'0RA 41snsI l. ~ -