The Washington times., 1932-09-14
BA 7
FAR BELOW
LAST YEAR
eyMnk@

CHICAGO, Sept IA received
q query from a fan the other
da and it surely has me puzzled.
It was one of those odd problems
where figures appear to contra
dict themselves. He pointed out
that batting averages are a bit
lower in the American League
this year then they were for the
1881 season, while home runs
have been more plentiful.
T have been trying to figure
it out" he wrote. Perhaps
you can give me the answer"
I had not made any compari-
son of the batting averages or
the home run totals. until this
query reached me. but I went to
work on the figures Immediately
to see just what differences really
existed. Here is what I found.
Five clubs in the American
League are hitting better than
they did a year ago, and three
are under their 1881 averages.
No team in the league figures to
equal the two top marks If a
year ago. when the Yankees bat
ted .297 and the Cleveland
Indians, .296. The latest aver
ages, as these lines are written,
show the AS out in front Tith
.291, and the Yankees in second
place with .289. That is quite a
little below the Yankees average
with the stick in recent years.
Home Run Side
Now get this, before we take
up the home run side of the ques-
ton. The three teams which
have fallen off in batting this
year have dropped a total of 28
points, and the five which have
improved have added only "a,
These figures, together with the
fact that no team is likely to
equal the marks of the Yankees
and Indians year ago, seem to
prove the fans contention that
hitting has fallen off.
Now about home runs.
Only 576 homers were hit in
the American League during the
entire season of 1881. You may
say that is plenty, and l guess
perhaps it is. But the total does
not seem so large when I tell
you that SAB had been hit this
year up to September 8, at which
time 159 games remained to be
played before the close of the
season.
The figures for 1881 had been
passed some time back, and it
now seems likely that the record
for home runs in one season in
the American League will be
broken. That high mark is 673,
set during the 1880 campaign.
So it appears that the fan was
correct in his contention. Home
runs have been more plentiful
and batting averages have fallen
off. I am still trying to figure
1t out. l have talked with some
OF our players and they also are
puzzled about it.
Livelier Bal
When somebody suggested that
the ball was livelier than the
one used last year. the theory
was unconvincing. A livelier ball
would be more likely to send bat
ting averages up, because it
would be hopping more speedily
past infielderS and resulting in
more singles.
In fact the livelier ball, if it
were the answer, would result
in greater number of all
varieties of hits, and that would
mean higher averages.
None of the fences are any
nearer than they were a year
ago. In Cleveland it is more diff
ficult to hit a homer now than
in 1881, as the Indians have
moved out of League Park where
the right field fence was close.
Not Weak Pitchers
would not call it the result
of weaker pitching because I be-
lieve such a condition would be
AC44CSOCN AL
general batting averages than in
the number of home runs. In
fact almost any angle from which
the problem is viewed brings you
back to the starting point again.
because any conclusion which
might be reached makes you
wonder why one phase of batting
has fallen off while another has
gone upward. Usually the bat
ting averages and the home run
totals move in the same direc-
ton.
Perhaps there are a greater
number of ng-diStance hitters
among the players who have
come into the league during the
past two or three years, and
their development. coupled with
the long-diStance hitting of the
veterans, has run up the grand
tota,. If that isn't the answer
I'll have to give it up.
nARRnI rnn IM nrPn