The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1955-08-20
Red Sox Must Stop
Trying Out Pitchers


There comes time in the life Of every baseball
team, especially when pennant is within your grasp,
to separate the from the boys and cut loose your
most tested battlers for that drive down the stretch
In eight positions out of nine, the youngsters and
the oldsters the red hot Red Sox have been beaut
fully blended together
But with the schedule deep into August. Coach
Dave Ferriss is still carrying on experiments with his
pitchers and he knows you do that the hour is at
hand when he must make his decisions and then stand
by them Go die to the sweet bitter end
No real good baseball team ever won pennant in
our memory brief as it may be, without regular ro-
tating staff of three or four frontline pitchers.
You say yourself, here the best we've got
and keep throwing them in there in turn.
Either neglected to do has been unable
whatever the must be causing concern
to the New England fans who are still cautious enough TO
that good pitching bad will decide their
pennant ambitions within the next six weeks
Ferriss has been juggling seven and eight pitchers since
The remarkable advance of the team to within shadows
first place would to completely justify continuance
Of such pan until perue the box scores over the past
and you will find that the bruising bats of the
sox have pulled many game out Of the nre when the
pitching turned
q Ferrss has inherited the youngest and best look
ing pitching staff in baseball He has bunch Of tough
throw that ball hard and far.
( But with the exception Of Frank Sullivan and
Brewer, lack the experience and solid control that
N results in steady performances.
Ferriss mistake if turns out to that way, is his
failure to pick four starters and give them regular work
particular needs lots of work to overcome his
spasmodic periods of widness And he's getting it.
Nixon was the wldhore Of the sox stan i've years
Every manager tabled him as great prospect
first day he Joined the sox years ago
that several times the front office the verge
of losing their patience and trading him.
The only medicine prescribed for Nixon was work and
day for most Of last season And because Of it he gained his
became what he today Of the outstand
ing pitchers Of the game
Ferriss likewise with Brewer, and not
Brewer alone He must arrange that regular assign
ski Leo KieIy, Bill Henry, Ike O'clock and perhaps
include rookie Frank Baumann, forget using most
of altogether it in long stretch of
lief when it's too early to call on Kinder or Hurd
All kids bound to be wild coming into the
big leagues The very few that not be counted
/ as the rare exceptions.
Pitching assignments fifth sixth day usually
allotted only the tired out veterans such as Sal Mage an
So the hour of decision is at hand when FERRIS must
budding youngsters to go along with Nixon
Sullivan and Brewer and throw them in there every fourth
has been miracle that the sox have battled this high
without the resemblance of fixed pitching staff.
Those who have watched the OF Leo Kely
be liable to pick him all others the fourth starting
member of fixed staff.
Before going into the army Kiely the toughest
pitchers the league his great control He
usually had dead batters knees forcing
Of them to hit the ball into the dirt
k came nd out It. Of ts however Is pounds
back his lost flesh At last reports he was back to
normal IT'S pounds.
pitching of pre-service But like Brewer he must
be in there regularly every four days to retain his
control
You can't credit young pitcher with good control simply
because he is not issuing passes
When kids like susce, O'clock Crowdowsh etc hnd
themselves missing the corners they have tendency
to their fear of walking batter over the middle
and hope they throw their fast by the hitter
1t has happened times that you remember
with young Sox pitchers this year attested by the heavy
relief duty performed by Kinder Hurd Kelly during the
past month.
After had tossed his one hitter against kansas
City in July, he looked like einch Of the
regulars
Since then however has sat in the bupen for six
and days at stretch before getting assignment
The result has been spoy performances Good day
bad the next
1t makes no difference whether it is susce sullivan
and Nixon of the sox, three pitchers other
team
You've got to them in turn or your chances Of
pennant are SLIM
Ferrss than anyone else should and undoubtedly
does know this from experience
When the in 1916 ii was Fer
rss HughsOn and Harris with fourth starter
have lost in memory.
For most of the recent Yankee pennants 1t was
Rasch, Reynolds and LOpat
Cleveland has winning them or lust missing
them for years with Garcia, Lemon Wynn Teller
Last year Leo DurOcher's Giants came from out
Of nowhere to knock down the opposition with
steady diet Of Magie, AntOneIi Gomez
And If yOu care to journey back to 1914 you may
remember that the Braves from last to first
with Rudolph, Tyler James.
Whatever pennant winner you to mention you will
find that they mostly by hxed pitching STAFF Of
three regular starters and secondiner filing gap
Which makes it all the remarkable that the Sox
nave stayed up there with and eight different pitchers
mixed up in starting roles