The Washington times., 1931-09-28
HITS
IN P|NCHES
AS WELL
BY BABE RUTH

are two marked features in the
play of Connie Mack's Athletics
which are not apparent in any
set of records which may be
called on for testimony. One is
their ability to come from behind
when a ball game seems to be
entirely lost. The other is an
uncanny tendency to win on a
few hits, say six or seven.
These two traits have marked
this particular ball team since
the early days of the 1929 sea-
son when Connie Mack took them
to the heights to stay for awhile.
I can recall writing about these
things before the series of 1929
and 1880 and the AS certainly
lived up to my pre-series dope
then. Perhaps this is the time
when they will fail, but they
have been showing both traits
while winning their third straight
pennant, just as they did in win
ming the two others.
Remember how they came back
to win two ball games which
seemed hopelessly lost to the
Cubs in 1929? They were trail
ing 80 in the seventh inning of
the fourth game and the Cubs
apparently had evened the series.
But the AS won this and
rallied in the ninth inning the
next day to turn a 20 defeat
into a 80 victory which won the
series for them. Well, they still
have that annoying habit and
they won many a ball game this
year when they seemed headed
for certain defeat.
AS for winning on a few hits
their work against the Cardi-
mails last year was a sample.
Grimes held them to five hits
in each of the games he pitched
but they beat him in the open
er, So, and again in the fifth
game, 20. In their last game
they made only seven hits but
they won by the One-sided score
of IL.
That is the type of team the
AS have been for three seasons
IN the American League. They
go a long distance on a gallon
OF gas. They were outbatted by
the Cards last fall but that did
not keep them from winning the
series. And they have been
clearly outbatted by two teams
IN their own league this year but
they won the pennant in a walk.
Not StandOut in Batting
AS matter of fact, the AS are
not a Standout team in batting.
Simmons is great hitter, and
Cochrane also ranks with the best.
out otherwise the attack is only
ordinary. On this seasons per.
formance I would rate the Car.
d1nals as better hitting team
than the AS, though the latest
batting averages show them close
together. And, furthermore, when
you are figuring the AS as hitters
don't overlook the fact that they
did not have any Grove or Earn
show to bat against as other
American League teams did.
II Haas is unable to play
through the series, and there
seems to be some doubt about it
Manager Mack will have only two
300 hitters in his lineup in this
series against the Cardinals. The
two are Simmons and Cochrane.
both of whom are far above the
dividing line, while most of the
Philadelphia regulars have been
under the mark.
Defense, rather than attack,
is the answer for the runaway
race which the AS have made
thio year in the American
League. Mack's team has not
batted this year UP to the
standards Of his 1929 and 1880
champions, but the change in
the ball may have had some
thing to do with it.
But despite the drop in hitting
there has been that marked abil.
ity to get enough runs on few
hits, or to rally in the late in.
nings and pull a game out of
the fire.
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