The Washington times., 1931-07-25
BAT TED ,49O
ON WESTERN
SWING
BY BABE RUTH

It is going to take a powerful
lot of hitting by anybody who is
going to lead Lou Gehrig in home
runs or in batting average when
this season ends. The way Lou
is going now he figures to win
the home run crown, and it will
not surprise me a bit If he also
wins the American League bat
ting championship as well. You
may recall that Lou missed this
honor by a couple of percentage
points last season, the official
figures showing Al Simmons in
front after Lou was acclaimed as
the winner.
Don't take this to mean that I
have given up the idea Of winning
both honors If can. I am going
to keep on trying my best to win
both for it is part Of the game,
and that is what we are paid for
to do our best all the time. But
the way Gehrig is slapping
homers makes it look now as if
he will have more than so when
the season ends, and that should
win for him unless somebody else
has big spurt.
Coming Fast
Lou has been coming along fast
In hitting for more than month.
He batted something like .430 on
our last Western trip and he has
been doing some remarkable hit
ting at the stadium.
It is on his steady advance
from a poor position among the
hitters that 1 base my belief
that anybody who beats Lou out
Of the batting championship will
have to do a lot.
Lou has been one of the great
hitters of baseball for several
years. always gets plenty Of
homers and usually is we'll up
among the leaders in batting. He
has never led the league in bat
ting. nor has he topped the field
in homers, even though he hit At
one year and batted II homers
last season. This year, with the
fine start he has made, I expect
to see him go beyond both figures.
I often wonder if Lou gets the
proper appreciation in New York.
They say that a fellow is never
really appreciated in his home
town and Lot. is the only member
of the Yankees who has always
lived in the big city or in one of
its suburbs. The Yankees picked
him up when he was starring at
Columbia University and I'll say
here was one of the greatest finds
in all the history Of the games.
It usually is necessary to send
out scouts to comb the minors
for a particular ball player, and
then bid against other clubs for
his services. No doubt, Lou got
a bonus for signing but I think
Colonel Rupert will agree with
me when say that he surely got
a grand break in landing Lou.
Trying to Beat Him
In three games recently at the
Stadium I saw Lou hit balls so
far to right and left fields that
no fielder would have had a
chance to get them on an open
lot, and he hit another far over
the center fielder's head. The
bleachers got the one to the right
field, the grandstand got the left
field drive, and the center field
hit sailed far above Schultz OF
the Browns. When a fellow can
hit so hard to any field there is
little chance of stopping him.
I'm trying to beat Lou, Of
course; but I'll get a lot of
pleasure out of it to see him
win one of the hOnOrs, or both.
He has been a hard worker all
the time, never gives up trying,
and he has been a great factor
in the success Of the Yankees
in recent years.
While I'm on the subject Of
hitters and Yankees I want to
make another prediction. That
is about Ben Chapman. In the
excitement over his base stealing
his ability as long-distance hitter
has been somewhat overlooked. l
look to see him hit about 25
home runs this year, and he may
go beyond this mark. That is a
lot for a player in his early tWen
ties and playing his second year
of big league ball.
Chapman sure can ride a ball
into left field. I recall one he
hit into the upper deck at Comis-
key Park on our second Western
trip, and I don't remember a
harder hit ball all year. The ball
went almost on a line, and it
takes quite blow to hit an upper
deck homer IN Chicago.
Chapman's experience this year
simply bears out that old remark
that you never can tell in base
ball. At the training camp this
spring it seemed better than an
even chance that Ben would spend
most of the season on the bench.
His infield work was below par
and he was considered only as an
infielder. When he got his chance
in the outfield he found himself,
and he has been playing bril-
liant game ever since.
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