The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1935-04-24
9 rsenbsrg, Trosky, 6onura Spot
lefthanders Edge With
Men on Bases
BY HARRY GRAYSON
(NEA Sn0sfa Servirel

A left.hand throwing first baseman
has q physical advantage over the
right-hander defensively In that In
fielding the ball he always is facing
the base ahead Of the base runner.
The left-hander does not have to
shift his feet and turn to throw out
the farthest advanced base-runner.
Everything else being equal In the
field, his being naturally in a superior
situation enables him to start more
double plays than the right-hander.
The latter Is In particularly awk-
ward position in attempting to cut
Oft runner at second base.
Hal Chase and George Sisler, FORE
most first basemen in the history Of
baseball, threw left-handed. So does
Lou Gehrig. rated by the venerable
Connie Mack and other fine judges
as the daddy Of them all.
Only two ht-handed first base
men have been world series particle
pants In the last several years-tIank
Greenberg, with the Detroit Tigers
last fall, and Jimmy Foxx, with the
Philadelphia Athletics, Of 1929. 80,
and 81.
No Handicap 1t Plate
theoretically, club cannot be per-
feet defensively without q left-hander
at the initial sack. but this fact isn't
going to cause the Cleveland Indians
to get rid of the blond Hal Trosky. the
Tigers to send Greenberg back to the
Bronx, or the Chicago White Sox to
make Zeke Bonura pay his way into
tho park.
These right-handed first basemen,
Trosky and Bonura in their freshman
year. were among the first IL COM
batants In the big show extensively
in 1884. The remarkable Gehrig, with
l65. was the only athlete who batted
In more runs than Trosky and Green
berg, who accounted for l42 and l3o,
respectively.
Bonura ranked eighth In the Amer
lean League ahead of such q re.
nowned long-range hitter as AL Sim.
mons. with Ito in 127 contests. The
large italian was excelled in the
Junior loop by only the three leaders
and Foxx, Charley Gehringer, Roy
johnson, and Earl Averill.
Mel OFT with 1885; Jimmy Collins,
with l28; and Wally Berger. with 12l,
were the only National Leaguers to
swat In more teammates than
Bonura.
Greenberg. right hand hitter
compiled an average of 1899 In 1894
and his total base figure was swelled
to $50 by Is home runs. Trosky, who
swings from the left side. hit $50
had IS home runs and q total base
mark Of 374. Bonura, . right-hand
batter, hit 1907. and smacked the
sphere for the circuit on ~ occasions
No one is going to get too technical
about the throwing of a right-handed
first baseman when he bats in several
runs for every one he might have
headed off.
Left-Handers Must Hit, Too
OF the current major league first
basemen. a half dozen throw right
handed. exclusive Of Rogers Hornsby
who started the season at the post fol
the st. Louis Browns in place Of thu
left-handed Jack Burns.
There Is q striking example Of a
manager preferring the risk Of flaw
In his arrays defensive armor to 3
lack Of base hits. Burns can whip TIKI
ball around the infield with eclat
but that scarcely makes up the diff.
ference between Greenberg's $50 ant
his .257 average at the plate.
Right-handed first basemen Of to.
day are so valuable on the attach
that their throwing and other diff
culties in the field rarely are noticed
Baxter Jordan. with 81. was the onl,
Boston Brave Of 1894 in what old.
timers referred to as the charmed
circle. Berger. next best, hit .208.
While Gussie Suhr, Of the Pitts