The Washington times., 1931-05-30
No CLUB
WILL REACH
,3OOMARK
BY BABE RUTH

ny OfADG GsO AN
It looks as if the new ball is
going to have quite an effect on
the batting averages after all.
The bali seems to have life
enough when it is hit properly,
and have seen several long
homers this spring. But there
is no mistaking the fact that the
boys are not getting as many
hits this year as they did last
season.
The batting figures for the
National League have fallen OH
greatly. The new rule which
wiped out the sacrifice fly had
something to dow ith' reduced
averages in both leagues, but
hardly enough to account for the
drop in batting which has al.
fected every club in the National
League.
ChisOx Average Drops
The combination of raised
stitches and heavier cover must
be having something to do with
it. Some days it seems that the
pitchers are very effective and
the scores run low all through
the league. Then the next day
the pitchers will be pounded out
and the scores will run nigh.
This makes it quite puzzle, but
as I said before there is no mis-
taking the drop in averages.
/ compared the batting marks
of the American League clubs
with the 1880 figures and there
was NO such difference, though
five of the clubs showed drop.
The greatest difference among
these clubs was 21 points in the
case of the Chicago White SOx.
DOME Bush's team batted .276
last season and only .255 IN the
records of last week. That was
nothing like the drop in the
other league. Three clubs-the
Browns. Red SoX and Indians
have done just little better so
far this year than they averaged
last season.
I told Herb Pennock the other
day that I did not expect to see
any club in the major leagues
finish with batting mark OF
800 this year, and I added that
7 would be greatly surprised II
any of them would hit as much
as .295. Remember this predic-
ton and see how close I come.
AS nine big-league clubs finished
up a year ago on the sunny SIDE
of the 300 mark it will mean
quite a drop to have all of them
under this mark, or below .295.
Rule Lowers Marks
I mentioned sacrifice flies
earlier in the story. The elimi-
nation of this fly takes quite a
cut in the averages. Take a
single game as sample. The
finish shows IS times at bat and
10 hits. Two runners moved from
second base to third, and one
scored from third on long flies.
The team batting mark for that
one game this year is 1856.
A year ago those long flies
would have cut down the times
at bat from IS to 33 and
the batting mark for the
same game would have been
1903. That is how it works out
in a single game and each Of
these flies now means a time
ut bat, which would not have
been there under the old rule.
Some pitchers tell me they
like the ball better with the
stitches raised. Pitchers who have
got away to good starts are in
clined to believe that it helps
them. But some others who were
quite successful last year and who
have been getting their bumps
this year, have no kind words for
the new ball. They cannot see
where it helps any. You will ind
a lot of real good pitchers down
near the bottom of the weekly
lists, and you will find some near
the top who are not accustomed
to be out in front.
Copyright, 1881, by the Christy
Walsh Syndicate)