Evening star., 1954-11-10


and swift Ray Schak who weighed than 155
pounds in his ife And who in the beginning, seemed
impausbly fragile as to draw ridcule.
PROBABLY THE FIRST big-name star to cross schalk
was Ed Walsh no less who long since has been named
the Hall Of Fame At the Joined the White Sox-
this in 19l2-Walsh still less active as
pitcher His spitba remained of the games most battling
deliveries.
When Walsh first sighted the little catcher he audibly
wondered how the rookie would be able to handle the
splitter Schalk who had been purchased from Milwaukee
for $4,000, heard Walsh.
Warm up, you big fathead, and I'll show you" Ray
retorted
Big Ed threw the best Of what he had left which was
still plenty but Schak handled his shoots with consummate
Walsh impressed that the balance of his
stay with the White sox he would permit shak
to be his catcher.
SMALL HE MAY HAVE been, but there was nothing
fragile about Ray schak Barbour quick to point out
On the contrary, Ray iron during when
catches from the Percheron mold heavyegged slow
Of movement and durable.
In his II years major league catcher all with the
White sox schalk caught 755 Nine Of those
and five in succeson-he led both major leagues in fielding
When he bowed out his 1910 assists American League
record and his 1895 chances accepted constituted mark for
both circuits.
This Is how agile and fast Schalk was He is the only
catcher in major league history who putout
all three bases Pretty good the base paths, too
for catcher He stole "a in 1914 and 30 in 1915 How many
catchers today get into double figures?
ASIDE from MS mecnancal SKllS 1OloWS tnat Schak
had more than one of matter pitcher
doesn't throw no-htter without luck and intelligent
battery mate. schalk caught four no-hittersi
JUST BARELY WAS RAY out of the rookie class when he
caught Jim Scotts nohtter in Washington in 1914 The
date May Seventeen days later schak handled Joe
Benz when the Indians held hitless and runless.
Three years later in 1917 Eddie Cicote performed the
feat against the Browns the big Robertson
perfect April &c. 1922 against the Tigers.
Robertson young pitcher Schalk then veteran.
Robertson allowed no hits walked none He hit none
The White Sox made No Tiger reached first base
It the rarest feat in baseball Since the turn the century
only Robertson Cy Young (19o4 Adde
Shore 917 have pitched perfect games and Shores
tainted to the extent that Babe Ruth who started the game
against Washington by walking the first man. excused
for protesting the decision senuously Shore relieved
but before he had chance to pitch to the next batter the
first base thrown out attempting to steal Ernie
then retired the next 26 in
SCHALK WAS PHYSICAL oddity behind the plate until
Ruel along And although Ray had demonstrated that
little could be just durable big and could
be far mobile Ruel lack of size worked against him
for some time.
Muddy may have been an inch or so taller than Schak
but if anything he appeared fragile But like Ray
he master in back of the plate He picked off Walter
Johnsons fast balls and Stan Coveeskes sptter in the
born and Clark Griffith has named any other
catcher except Ruel to the Senator's all-time team
Even the great Miller Higgins mite of man, himself,
guilty of downrating the little catcher Once when
Higgins riding the crest after putting together the
Yankees of 1927 he asked by he had
made mistake player ION second thought" said
questoner you couldn't Yankees just
about perfect"
'I did once" Higgins admitted
who the player" asked the man.
Muddy Ruel" Hug replied when let him go won
two pennants for Washington"