The Washington times., 1931-09-12
TWO PITCHER
/ SERIES IS
SEEN
BY BABE RUTH

been looking over that world
series schedule and it strikes me
that the two pitchers who rate
one-two on the Philadelphia and
st. Louis staffs will do most all
the work. I think this coming
series is likely to show fewer
pitchers in the complete box score
than any other series of recent
years. The day off for the travel
and the extra vacation enforced
by the Sunday laws in PennSyl-
vania should make this almost a
tWo-pitcher series for each club.
Furthermore, it will be possible
to give the pitchers the usual
rest between starts and still use
each of the two headliners three
times, if the series should go the
full seven games. Add some rain,
to cause a postponement, and II
should be even easier for Connie
Mack and Gabby Street to get
along on a minimum OF starting
pitchers.
3 Games for Grove
Grove and Earnshaw naturally
are the two top pitchers on
Mack's staff. All right. Wen
start with Grove and let him
pitch the opener at st. Louis on
Thursday, october /. Earnshaw
could pitch the second game on
FRIDAY and then Saturday will be
devoted to travel and Sunday TO
rest. This permits Grove to start
the third game OF the series on
Monday and EarnshaW tne 1oul I'll
game on Tuesday.
1t would be necessary 10 can
ON some other pitcher Tor Lhe
fifth game on wednesday, a1ter
which the teams will have an
other off day for travelling back
tn St. Louis on Thursday. SO
Grove could come back with the
usual rest on Friday and Earn
shaw on Saturday.
Don't get me wrong. I am not
attempting to tell Connie Mack
how to use his pitchers, but am
simply showing with these Two
how it would be possible to use
each of them three times wlthouC
depriving either of the usual resi-
between starts.
What is true in regard to the
AS is also true for Manager
street and his pitchers. donI
know just who will rate one-tWo
among the Cardinal boXmen Wnen
the series opens. Suppose that
Grimes and Hallahan are the best
bets. Manager Street would be
able to use them in exactly the
same manner as Connie Mack can
use his two topnotchers. IhlS
means that If the series should go
the full seven games it would oe
necessary to start third pltcner
in only one game-the fifth.
Derringer Doubtful Starter
I don't recall any previous
series in which only two games
were scheduled in the first four
days, Pitching is usually the de-
cisive factor in world series and
under such a schedule it IS posi-
BILE to get more use Of the star
pitchers than has ever before
been possible. OF course, eacn
team is able to follow the same
program.
Speaking of pitching in the
world series, 1 read prediction
the other day that Paul Der
ringer, the sensational young
ster who has performed SO
brilliantly this year for the
Cardinals, would likely give the
AS a lot of trouble. I don't
expect to see this happen.
saw this with no reflection on
Derringer who is, without any
doubt, an unusual pitcher and
one who is likely to go far in
the big leagues. He couldn't
succeed the way he has unless
he had all that makes real
pitcher.
But it happens that managers
seldom entrust the important
work of starting world series
games to first-year pitchers. The
only first-year pitcher can re-
call as a world series winner IN
the past ten years was Wiley
Moore when he pitched the Yam
KEGS to victory over the Pirates
in the fourth game Of the 1927
series. But we had won the first
three and Miller Higgins was in
a good position to gamble with
a pitcher who was looking at his
first world series. Usually the
veteran pitchers are called upon
to start all these games as their
experience is worth lot, and
they are less likely to make
mistake at critical time.
Here is another thought on
world series pitching that may
or may not be worth anything
Grove and Earnshaw will be pitch
ing the deader ball in all games
in st. Louis and this may make
them more effective. But, or
the other hand, Simmons ano
Foxx and Cochrane will be
swinging against the deader bal
in these same games, so the Az
should not be so hard to tame
It seems to work both ways.