The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-12-18

Tor 10 years and E###zN&W M@N#Ml
is in his thirties sssszz.--a- zsN.-z---I
1t isn't often that loo Williams
a veteran $3.50
hitter suddenly develops such a
greatly improved batting eye, True,
the gentlemans mark is the low
est that has won the champion
ship in q years. But even so it is
still 36 points better than he had
ever done before.
AS a matter of fact Mr.. Myers
performance becomes all the more
impressive when it is considered the
established sluggers of the game all
had very tough time hitting this
year Where the FoXXs, GehrigS
Simmonses and Trosky's slumped
the little sWarthy inflelder of the
Washingtons improved; and i'm
proved sensationally.
have seen no technical eX-
PLANTATION of the improvement and
until a more celebrated oracle speaks
! am content to take the words of
Mr.. George Herman Ruth, the
adored bunny rabbit, that the guys
hits just started failing safe for
him" You will admit, I'm sure, this
could form some small part of the
answer.
When batting marks shows gen.
eral downward trend the eXplana-
ton generally lies in the pitching
This is what happened last season.
The pitching was better and CORE
spondingly the hitting was lighter
One or two hitters can have an off
year but not a whole league full OF
hitters. When a vast majority of
them bog down it is obvious the
pitchers have assumed the upper
hand. So, to repeat, Mr.. Myer
turned in an amazing job.
200 Safeties Quite a Task
Despite the fact that the hitting
was definitely on the thin side this
year six American LeaguerS man
aged to make more than 200 safe
ties, which is at least up to the
average in this detail. Every hitter
has an ambition to get 200 or more
hits a season but in the SO years
of its existence the American
League has produced only 38 200
hit men. Some of these, of course,
have crashed the sacred circle more
than once (Ty Cobb, for instance,
had nine such seaSons) but only 38
individuals have turned the trick, if
/ may be permitted to employ the
Latin term.
When you consider the teams play
154 games and that 200 hits mean
an average of less than one and
one-half hits a game, the assign
difficult.
But evidently it is Anyway Mr..
Myer moved into the circle for the
first time this year. So did Joe
VoSmik and Julian SolterS, who was
cut adrift by the Red SoX because
he has a hitch in his swing This
means sharp break in the follow
through, and is considered a handi-
cap to batting greatness Mr.. Sol
tiers, however, seems to bear up
rather we'll under the affliction.
Lajoie First to Hit 400
The last impressive batting mark
was made by Harry Holman of the
DetroitS when he hit 403 to win
the championship in 1923. No hit
ter has gone as high as 400 since,
and the last four years the earnest
young men haYe had difficulty in
getting as high as 800 This would
seem to indicate the pitching has
been making gradual advances. If
it continues the 800 hitter, once
a decided mark of distinction, will
again be a Standout
If you happen to be interested
in such things, the batting cham
pionship of the American League
has been won six times by 400 hit
ters. The first American League
champion, Larry Lajoie of the old
ClevelandS, hit .405. Nine years
passed before the mark was APP
proached-and then it was bet
tered. Ty Cobb hit 400 in 1911.
That stood as the high mark of
modern baseball until George Sis
Ter. now making futile efforts to
purchase control of the ST. Louis
Browns, equaled it in 1922.
Ruth Never Reached Mark
incidentally, Sisler was with the
Browns when he hit 400, and that
same year Rogers Hornsby, playing
with the rival st. Louis club in the
National League hit 40l.
1t was the first and only time
in the history of baseball that the
two league leaders reached or bet
tered 400. Can old Doc Townsend
give us cray boards anything to
match that? And how soon?
The greatest Slugger Of all time,
Mr.. Ruth, never hit 400. The closest
he cot was when he hit 1893 in 1923.
But the chances are he would have
hit 900 several times if he had not
concentrated on home runs. He had
as keen batting eye as anybody
who r'er played the game and in
his younger days he was reasonably