The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-05-25
-THEY PLAYED THE GAME .. NO. 22- Delahanty Led Both Leagues; Y Bases In Five Times At Bat; He Tore InfielderS' Shoes Off
Twenty-second of a series By HARRY CRIMSON
 NEA Sports Editor

Edward J. Delahanty alone led both present major leagues in bat ting. He accomplished this remark able feat by hitting .408 for the Philadelphia Nationals in 1899 and 376 for the Washington Americans in 1902.
 Fantastic Big Ed Delahanty-Six feet one, 190 pounds-waS the right handed Babe Ruth of the dear old dead-ball days.
 Del hit four home runs off Bill the Adonis Terry, an outstanding pitcher, and knocked down Short stop Bill Dahlen with a line single for IT bases on five times at bat at Chicago's old West Side Park, July 13, 1896.
 Delahanty tore off infielders' shoes with line drivers. When George Pinckney of St. Louis eX- pected him to bunt in a game in 1892, Big Ed broke the third base mans ankle with drive that ap- peared to have been shot from a cannon.
 Pat Tebeau always contended that the most dangerous thing to throw in Delahanty's direction was a wild pitch.
 If you let that bat-mad galoot step into the ball he'll knock it's cover off," said Tebeau, who man. aged Delahanty when he jumped to the Cleveland club of the Players Brotherhood League in 1890 and op- posed him elsewhere.
 Big Eds speciality was wild pitch es. With tremendous swing from his broad shoulders and a long and heavy bat in his powerful hands, he would step forward and reach far out, like kid trying to pick the ripest cherries at the extreme end of the limb.
 Delahanty often hit inside balls off his shoetops over the wall. COULDN'T RESIST SWINGING
 Delahanty would have been an even greater hitter had he been able to restrain himself. He real ized this
 If I could only hold myself like that old crab, Cap Anson,' he said, q would bat better than he ever did But l can't. When the ball seems to me to be coming to my liking, I am going to belt it. I don't care where it comes, I'll either hit it or miss it, and if I miss it, God knows I'll miss it by enough"
 When Harry Wright of the Phil lies first saw him in 1888, Big Ed was cooking his cap far to one side of his head, wearing stiff col lars, smoking better cigars and chewing a superior brand of to- basso. French from the Cleveland sandlots, he had bated 1855 fol Mansfield of the Ohio State League and .408 in 21 games for Wheeling of the Tri-State when the Phillies called.
 But hitting National League pitchers was something else again Delahanty fumed, fused, criticized himself, never being reticent ir that respect. He threatened to quit
 Kindly Harry Wright toned hin down, but 1t wasn't until four years later and after he had spent one rather disappointing season in the Players League in his native Cleve- land, that Delahanty came into his own as one of the most formidable of all right hand hitters.
 Delahanty caught and played first and second, but belonged in the outfield. He could throw like Long Bob Meusel and was rapid on the bases, stole 62 bases in 1898.
 Delahanty left a 16-year major league average of .346. He batted .37O in 1893, 400 in '94, .399 in '95 .394 in '96, ,377 in '97, 1884 in '98 .4O8 in '99, .357 in '01, all fo rthe Phillies, and .376 for Washington in 02. He was batting ,338, was still in his prime, not yet 33, when he met his untimely death.
 BIG ED MEETS TRAGIC END
 Mother Delahanty gave her baby boys bats instead of rattles. In addition to Ed, Frank, Jim and Joe made the majors. Jim played second base and topped Detroit hitters in the 1909 World Series with Pitts burgh. Tom and Billy played in the minors.
 Ed Delahanty played his last game for Washington in his home town of Cleveland, June 25, 1903. Marital trouble caused him to go haywire
 Creating disturbance in a Pull man at night. Delahanty was elected from train at Fort Erie, Ont, at the Canadian end of the International Bridge. He started to walk across the bridge at mid night, thrust aside watchman who tried to warn him that the draw was open. plunged into the waters of the Niagara.
 The end of Big Ed Delahanty's life was as sad and tragic as his baseball career was merry and herculean.
 NEXT: George Harold Sisler. ;.,,. ra ronartaCllU NVnr for