Evening star., 1940-09-27

mao saved several OCNeC ldue-lnQluG
crises.
Then it came to the final test
Giants against the Cubs-in the
famous play-off.
Would Have Been Better OF
Without Rest, Soys MotN
Matty's arm was dead tired when
he moved out asains' Pfester and
Three Finger Brown He had known
a brief rest, but he said later that he
would have been better of If there
had been no intermission or recess.
In the play-off Joe Tinker, who
always bothered Matty, delivered
the payoff punch which Cy Seymour
misjudged.
My arm had been almost dead for
10 days" Matty tod me later.
This was no alibi since Mathew
son after one of his greatest sea-
sons. needed no alibi. The big,
good looking blond had carried the
bulk of the burden all year.
A fresh and well-rested Mathew
son would have beaten any ball
club in the world-as Matty hap
pened to be a money player, no
matter what the game.
WoIsh's Declared Greatest
Single Yeor Job Of All
Ed Walsh. the Meridian Marvel,
had turned in an even greater job.
To my mind it was the greatest
single year job that baseball has
known.
When you look back 80 years there
are many mists and fogs of memory
that blur out some facts. But as
I recall it Big Ed worked in 66
games that season. He won 40 and
he saved at least 10 others. Re-
member that 40-Winning mark when
you looked over most of the pitching
records today.
The showdown game happened to
be between Detroit and Chicago.
This meant Walsh against Wild
Bill Donovan, who also happened to
be one of the pitching greats.
Donovan belongs in a far higher
place than modern history marks
him. A great pitcher-smart-dead
game-all the stuf-and a great
guy on the side.
But Walsh also had carried too
heavy load. He had known almost
no rest for week after week-all
through the stretch. He was a
Man O. War, an Exterminator, a
Grey Lag. carrying $50 pounds.
When the showdown came Walsh,
like Matty. had a tired arm for the
emergency, and all the smartness
or gameness in the world can't
force a tired arm to keep pitching
strikes. So Walsh was beaten
just as Matty was beaten.
We talk about Derringer and
Walters winning 50 games for the
Reds last year. There was just as
much chit-chat when Dizzy and
Paul Dean won 40 for the Cardinals.
Walsh and Mothewson Won
IS Comes in Season
But in 1908 Walsh and MatheWson
won something like Is ball games
and together saved at least Is others.
They were responsible for at least
80 winning afternoons for the White
SoX and the Giants.
This will give you the general idea
far better than any large bale OF
words could hope to do.
Now Bob Feller comes along-32
years later-a great pitcher who also
has carried the major part of the
load. Cleveland's final hope goes to
his 21-year-old right arm.
Feller hasn't worked over the long,
scorching route that Walsh and
Matty had faced. But in way, with
the home-run ball, this is differ
ent game.
I remember that when Matty
worked and the Giants gave him a
3 or 4-run lead, Big Six promptly
would ease up to save his arm for
another day.
You can't do it now. Feller tried
1t few days back and promptly ran
into some savage slugging from
Greenberg, York, Gehringer and
other Tigers.
CleVeldIlO maj CndnCe goes WIN
Bob Feller. Just as New York's final
chance in 1908 rode with MatheWson
just as Chicago's final chance the
same year fell upon Ed Walsh. Both
lost
Feller is younger than either Walsh
or MatheWson were at that date. 1t
will be interesting to see how Feller
will come out under almost the same
conditions.
The Van Meter entry is one of
the great pitchers of the game at
the tender age of 81. But at 81 he
happens to be a veteran, not
rookie. In this respect he is easily
the most amazing pitcher baseball
ever has seen.
The long forgotten shadows of