Evening Star Newspaper, October 4, 1925, Page 83

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, OCTOBER 4, 1925_SPORTS SECTION. 3" Series a Stand-Off, Giants’ Pilot Asserts : Nationals Much Improved Over 1924 “BREAKS” TO DECIDE IT, IN OPINION OF McGRAW New York Pilot Is Convinced Nationals Possess Greater Quality in Pitching and That Superior Defense Will Offset Pirates’ Greater Punch. BY JOHN McGRAW. Manager Ziants, National League Champions 1921, ‘22, 23, ‘24. DELPHIA, October 3—The strength of the Pirates and the Nationals is so nearly even that 1 find rio logical or sensible basis for predicting the winner of the next world championship® Between these clubs it is a toss-up. The breaks probably will decide it. Under those circumstances the selection of a winner in advance would be merely a guess. b svehatanaukea opportunity to sce both Pirates and Nationals in action, having played Washington in a world series and also in a Spring series, and having battled with the Pirates through a long season. So cvenly are they balanced that this should be one of the greatest of the big |- series yet played. The public has been quick to sense the closeness of the contest, and interest is sharpened to a razor edge. The series will be a great success financially as well as from a sporting point of view. Naturally, the members of each GRANTHAM GEORGE FARLEY (ARIZONA) RANTHAM. 13 OVERTIME GAMES IN SERIES’ HISTORY Extra inning games in the world series havk been few, only 13 such contests having been plaved to date, as follows: 1907, Chic Detroit 0 D 0000 Chi'go 00010000 atteries—Donovan an 1 Mnlhh(h and Kling. | At Chica Chicaga. Philadeibhia 0 Batier Bender G-October 000000 New' ¥ork. 0095000650 5 Batteries—Coombs and Lan: Cuimewson and Meye New' York—October. 25— RHE. 000001021493 030000000—371 Ames. Crandall and and Lapp. Outfielder. Throws Height, 138, righthand. hes; weighs {South _ Atlantic] le; 1924-25, Pittsburgh. MAX (SCOOPS) CAREY. Outflelder. Throws righthand, bats righthand or_lefthand. _3lelght, 5 feet, 11%2 inches; weighs January 11, Haute, Ind. 1909:10, Soufhbend 25, Pittsburgh. (Central); 1911- | | base running speed having a big in 1899, at lllrrls-’ 1890, at Terre | | Kechnie can employ the speed of such [In other words, they | way of loose running is the wonderful | work of the Washington infleld. Peck- league want to see their pennant vinner & world champion, but that 18 no reason why I should not judge the teams as they are and without | prejudice. It was because I regarded the Nationals and the Pirates so evenly in the early Spring that I picked Washington to win and Pitts- { burgh to be the real contender against the Giants. On the offensive the Pirates have |a \little advantage In the batting | punch. In base runming it is hren,\'i nearly a standoff. In defensive speed, particularly in the lightning-like in. fleld work, the Nationals have a slight vantage. That about bal | ances Pittsburgh’s superiority in | punch. The Pirates may have more pitch- | ing strencth when taken as a whole | or in bulk, but that is immediately | counteractéd by the expgrience and | Individual skill of three of the Wash- ington pitchers. Pitching experience alwayvs counts in a finely drawn affair like a world | series, and the Nationals certainly | are not weak in that respect, pro- tion to give their best. | With all of the admitted batting | punch of the Pirates, it is doubtful | that they can overcome the skillful | | pitching of such experienced veterans as Johnson, Coveleskie and Ruether. That would mean, then, that Pitts- | burgh must have a very strong de- | | fense themselves. They have a good one, we all know, but it hasn't faced so many acid tests. The Pirates can expect some good pitching from Aldridge, Meadows, Yde and Kremer. The matching of thelr strength against the expertness of those three Washington veterans should be intensely interesting. In the preliminary discussions I have read I notice that many of the writers have the impression that the Pirates have an advantage of the Na- tionals in their pitching staff. When taken as a whole there may he some basis for that conclusion, but it does not fit in with the records when taken individually. Old-Timers Know What to Do. Coveleskie and Johnson each have won 20 games and Ruefher has won 13. Then, too, it must be borne in mind that Walter Johnson made that record despite his being out of the | game for at least a month. lle has | remarkable powers of endurance. In | a pinch old-timers always know what | to do. an advantage that ought to be | apparent. Of the Pittsburgh pitchers Meadows | ihas won 19 games, Yde 17, and| | Aldridge about the same number. | Kremer has turned in 15 wins. | | This means that Washington has| | three pitchers on whom they can de- | rend for exceptional work, while the Pirates have four pitchers, all good but none exceptional, by comparison. In a seven-game series the pitching | schedule, naturally, cannot be arranged jas in a long season. The strength must be massed and the stroke de- livered quickly. The breaks will have an important bearing in the use of those pitchers, and as no one can foresee these breaks the selection of a winner in advance becomes, as I said before, guesswork. The Nationals have a good many left-handed batters, but that will not | be much of a handicap, since the | | Pirates have but one left-handed | pitcher to use against them. And when the Pirates do use a southpaw Joe Harris, an addition since last vear, will be quite a help to Washington. Last, Fall we had both Nehf and Bentley, left-handers. to use against the Nationals, but the Pirates have only Yde. There is no doubt of the Pittsburgh | | | | fluence on this series, but before Mc- men as Cuyler and Carey and others they must first overcome the pitching | of Johnson, Coveleskie and Ruether. have got to get | an the bases before they can run them. | Another thing that stands in the inpaugh and Harris form a great de- fensive machine around second base. Their experience will count heavily. On the other hand if the Pirates get On the other hand, if the Pirates get a crushing effect, and there the situa- tion stands. To compare the individual players does not mean a great deal. In most positions Washington’s experience will help to balance off the superior indi- j vidual batting bunch of the Pirates, but nothing can stop them entirely. Men like Cuyler, Carey, Wright, Barn- hart, Grantham and._Traynor, all of whom have hit well over .320, ‘are not | | going to be completely smothered. \ In all of the infield positions, ex-' CLYDE 1 Outflelder. Throws righthand, Height, 5 feet, 10 inches; weighs 165. Born December 29, 1896, xt Buck Valley, Pa. 191516, Frederick (Blue Ridge); 191 Media (Delaware lmlllt)’i. llllQ Williamsport_(Independes Bir! Pittshurgh; it "00CH) BARNHART. bats righthand. mingham, burgh. BUCS’ PARK FAVORS JOHNSON AND COVEY Lighis and shadows of Forbes Tield may play an important part in the world series and redound to the advantage of the Washington team. There is no other ball ground in the United vstates where conditions are so favorable to speed pitchers such as Coveleskie and Johnson on a dark afternoon. But either of these two pitchers on the Pittsburgh fleld, without the sun being exposed and with the smoke drifting in huge clouds from the val- ley where the steel mills and the blast furnaces are located, and he will have the opposition batters breaking their backs tryinzeto locate the ball. Pittsburgh's pitchers may profit also by a dark afternoon, but they have mo pitcher, unless it is Mead- ows, who is so well equipped for such conditions as the Washington stars. cepting third base, the Natlonals are | more experienced. Individually and | | collectively they da not hit as hard as | 'lhe Pirate infield. but on deferise they are extremely skillful. | So much has been said of Ple Tray nor. a player whom I always hav jadmired myself, that too little has been |52id_about Oswald Bluege. AS a de: fense player 1 can't see that Traynor |has anything on him. He played a Igreat game against us at third base {last Fall and he has been steadily im- proving ever since. He is deadiy on| ground balls and his throwing is ac- curate and fast. Traynor has outhit Bluege this vear, but I look to see them have quite a battle at third base. In a world series I would rate them about even. I notice also that comparatively little has been said about Sam Rice. There is one of the greatest ballplay- ers, oftensively and defensively, in the country. In close games he always rises to great heights. He will be X tough match for any outfielder on ti Pittsburgh club. Now to sum this up: The team bat- ting records give the Pirates a slight advantage. On the defense the Na- tionals have a slight advantage in ex- perience. In pitching the Nationals have three seasoned veterans with slightly higher averages than the four Pirates pjtchers, all of whom have good records. On that I base my opinion that the [ vided the men are in physical condi | ‘Nlalult is a toss-up. The breaks wilt te In any event. the clubs are xmlng to have a most successful series in every way and the public ¥ going to have a week of all the hud ‘ball excitement that it can stand. First bm Throws righthand, bats lefthand. Height, 5 lcet 10 inches; weighs, 168 n May 20, 1900, at Galena, Kans. 1920, Tlfllml; 1921, Tacoma. Port- Iand; 1922, Omaha; 192324, Chicago, N. L; 1925, Pittsburgh. OORE N Filladetn 0 Bt iariss Mathcwion, Flank and Rapn.- o1 At Phll-dclgh(.-—.vch 0 son: At Boston—-Octo | Boston. 01 Ph hatierissTyier. James | and Schang. 1916, oston—October fi— | Bklyn. ' ibatieries—Ruth and Thomas—Smith Batte Kes Ring and Rariden At New York—ctober 5 RH 900000 0 03K S30098008 00880 teries—J. Barnes and Snyder: Shaw- 001 00i—3 1 a0d Gowdy: Johnson e At Washington—October Wash_ .20l 000 | New '¥ork” 000 00 | “Batteries — Oden. | Johnson and Ruel: | Beatley and Gow /AL WERE SHUTOUTS | Wamn | ¥ Balteries—Nent i Mo Barnes. N e 1005 series between the Gj an 1o athawaon won three and wcmmu A nder one each. ' The acores follow 1005. (National League vs. American League.) EDDIE MOORE. Second baseman. Throws righthand, bats rl h‘:h-nd esh 4 ‘s—Mathew! Height, 5 Eiiet et October 10-—-At New Vork. Athletics .. 3 2 0% ants S0056088856= Blllene-—-l\ender and \Scherck: nity, Ames and Bresnahan. October 12-—At Philadelphia, iani o0 o 2 e 5000808885 Batterics—Mathewson _and Bresnahan: Coakley, Schreck and Powers. —At New York 00010000 0—1 90600000 0—0 Batterice—McGinuity and Plank and Pow October u—u N 3 |Giante “. 700 0010 01 x—2" 8 St 80088808035 8§ Batteries—Mathewson and Bender and Powers. PLAYERS. Giante—McGaun, it base: Gulvert, ond bage: Devhin. third base wtop: “Beiders. Mertes Doniin and. Browne magager Job n "Athletice—] gnd base: (Flogida). Atianta: 25, Pittsburgh. 19'3. Atlanta; 1924- 2 McGin- R.H. E 4 5 Bresnahan: ew York. B Ses 4_m§|a: man; mpires—0'Day and She Victories—Giar COOMBS SCORED F|VE | MOUND WINS IN 1911 Jack Coombs never lost a world series game, though ong -contest in | which he took part went against his ‘tenm that of October 25, 1911, when | he retired in the tenth inning with | the score tied, 3-3. Plank finished the game and lost it, 4 to 3. On Octol 17, 1911, Coombs defeated the Glants, 3 to 2, in 11 innings, allowing only three hits. Coombs’ complete world series record follo FOREST GLENN WRIGHT. Shortstop. Throws righthand. bats ri hthand. welghs 170. Baal Octaber 18—A Athletict [ Cube e lnden!mlenre (s‘osulhws'estm) 2 !“‘"{ Kansas Cit) Pitts- burgh. TRAYNOR 3 1 beie Richie and Kiing. 2o P Aiteries—Coombe bach. MeTtire. Pester October 17—At Cnic n and Meyers. Gidctoper 28—At New York-— 00000010 102 oononnoon at Marquard Cra Meyers: Coombe, I-nk nm “Lapo, October 10—At Bmokln— Robins. 00 Red Batteries—Coom Maye. Footer and Fhom: LONGEST GAMEIN A. L. { The 24-inmMng game in which Philadelphia beat Boston 4 to 1 on September 1, 1906, was the longest game ever played in the American League. ROLD JOSEPH (PIE) TRAYNOR. i Third baseman. Throws righthand, bllu _righthand. Height, 6 feet; weighs n . ovember 11, 1899, at Framing- 1921, Ma: "0 Portsmouth (Virginia); Blmill:hlm' 1922-25, Pittsburgh FAIL TO GET TICKETS AND MAY LOSE MONEY | PITTSBURGH, Pa., October 3 (P).— Coupled with their disappointment over failure to obtain tickets for the world series, many Pittsburgh base ‘ball fans also are facing the possibility of having lost their ticket money by destroying certified checks returned by the Pittsburgh club with the unfilled orders. Pittsburgh bankers, receiving re- ports that some certified checks had been torn up after their return, issued a warning to fans to present such checks for deposit at the bank on which they were drawn. They explained that when a check 'rlmms righthand, bats righthand is certified the amount is withdrawn from .the deposit of the man who lefthand. Height, 5 feet 10% inches; weight, signed it and the only way he can|170. have that sum placed again- to m a.rnl.'. credit JOHN B. GOOCH. Catcher. 1s by depositing the IN SERIES OF 1905 i | 23, Oklahoma City; 1924-25, GOOCH | MEADOWS HENRY LEE (SPECS) MEADOWS. Pitcher. Throws Ilfiu.nd bats lefthand. ighs 165. 12. 1894, at Oxford, N. C. urham (Carolina); 1915-] 920-23, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh. ALDRIDGE VICTOR (VIC) ALDRIDGE. Pitcher. Throws righthand, bats righthand. eight, 5 feet, 9'5 inches; weighs 135, Born October 1894, at Indian Springs, Ind. 915, Indianapolis, Denver, Erie (Cen- | 1916, Indianapolis; 1913-18, Chi- L.; 191 les; 1922.24, Chicago, tts: burgh 25, Los An, L; l9'5 H.E.| il 0 Bresnahan: | nec- | Blen. short TEAM DECLARED SUPERIOR Stronger in Pitching and in Reserve Material and Has Benefit of 1924.Expe Also Is Properly Balanced. nce—Combination Doping the World Series The Washington Team. BY FREDERICK G I.IEB. World Series Officinl Seorer. 19 1924. Fovmnt President Buse Patl Welters' ‘Avsociation. HERE is little doubt that the-\Washingotn team, which will take the field for the first world series game in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, is T ball's foremost honors a year ago. Washington won its 1924 world championship largely through its gameness and stick-to-it-iveness, Tom Zachary's unexpectedly good ruxchA ing, and two lucky bounds, which gave the Nationals their tying and win- ning_runs in the seventh and deciding game. The present team is stronger in pitching and in reserve material znd | has the benefit of its last r’s experience. Last vear’s Washington club | inished with a percentage of .397. one of the few major league clubs to win \a championship with a percentage less than .000. The present clul is well | above .600, and could have done better if it had heen pressed in the last | month of the season The Washington outfit i a well- | lot of hard hitting rounded out team., with the proper |pitchers. Rice disapy balance in the various departments.|mirers with hi The club probably i& more famous|but as Pittsburgh |for its defensive than offensive|ular left-hander, Yde strength, yet its hits as a team,|to have trouble | Which shows that the Senators can|Joe | easily hold thelr own when it comes | bat late in the season, | to the punch. | dangerous at bat than McNeely and . o est. A_‘“JOM who alternated in the third | Velttnos Got ' Reb { Washington outfleld post a vear ago. 1 While three of the leading plavers | (Copsright, 19251 no in hittin; anc of the team, Stanley Harris, Roger | Peckinpaugh and Walter Johnson, were laid up with injuries in the last two weeks of the American League race, the club has had the advantage | t for the present world | a nkee< made them Ko to the last of the meason before the Washing- tonians drove the last nail into their pennant pole. The end of the 1924 season found Muddy Ruel, the club’s crack catcher, stale from_overwork, while George | Mogridge, Washington's second best pitcher_of 1924, had pitched himself | out. This year Ruel was rested up| |a lot in September, and this Fall he may be expected to hit. Mogridge. last year's left-hander, has been re- placed by Ruether, the former Na- | | tional Leaguer, while Stanley Cove- leskle, another right-hander, now stands_shoulder to shoulder with the great Johnson. A year ago, Wash- ington's leading pitching trio was Johnson, Mogridge and Zachary; this | vear it "is_Johnson Coveleskie' and Ruether. The present trio is by far he- stronger, despite Zachary's two | victories of last Fall Fred Marberry, when right. is the best relief pitcher in either league, but during the latter part of the 1925 season he has had trouble with | his arm and on the whole, 1 do not think He has been as effective as in | 1924. Ferguson, another right-hander, has a freak style of pitching which v fool a team unfamiliar with his rew-ball.” Only One Change Made. Outside of the pitching changes | and the addition of Joe Harris to ghe outfield, Washington will present Y.e same team it did a vear ago. Peck- | inpaugh is hitting 20 points better | this vear, but, on the whole, his play | has not changed much. He also was {a great factor In Washington's first | | pennant victory. Joe Judge has been |out of the game a lot thiz season, | + a7, 7%r] | first with his trick knee and later by EMIL YDE. e 5 Height 5 feet, 11 inches; weight 175. Born January 2?8, 1901, at Great Lakes, 1921, Cedar Rapids (Three-Eye); 19 Pittsburgh. RAY (REMMY) KREMER. Pitcher. ‘Throws righthand, bats righthand. Height, 6 feet 1 inch; weighs, 199. (‘PI?I"I March 23, 1896, at Qakland, Pittsburgh. HAS YOUNG BALL PLAYER. CAMBRIDGE, Mass., October 3 (P). —One of Harvard's youngest ball play- ers has appeared at Soldier’s Field in the person of Norman Winer, 14-year- old freshman, who sought a berth as pitcher on his class team. Winer, ‘who prepared at Chattanooga (Tenn.} High School, was thought to be the youngest candidate ever to report for a Harvard athletic team. POOR OLD NEW YORK. This is the first year since 1919 that Greater New York not been represented.in the world series. oonxcu'mzmnm ‘The cork center base ball was first lmrocueél in the major leagues .t o Pitcher. | Throws lefthand, bats righthand or ' fthas | Jois, Satt Lake, | oo b a clout on the head. Judge has been | nursed along carefully and has lost | | little of his speed. Bluege improved | in his hitting ‘this year, though a | bad slump gripped him in the lasi | two weeks, and has pulled him under | .300. Stanley Harris may be some- what handicapped by his brulxed finger. Both Goslin and Rice should do al |BATTING VERY LIGHT IN MANY OF FRAYS| ONE-HIT GAME. Oct. 10. 1906—Ruelbach (Chicago va. Chicago A. L. TWO-HIT GAMES. Oct, 11. 1008—Walsh (Chicago A. L) va ot 1251508 Brown (Chicago ¥. L) Brow: o N. L) v Chicago A. L. % cagg 1913—Plank (Philadelph Nw‘_“k n) iladelphia A. L.) | 0c oo Ph"ld ghll A. L. 1981 —Hoyt '(Yankees) vs. Giants THREE-HIT GAMES. Oct. 2. IQOS—DIanm (Boston A. L.) Pl“lburso ] : 5Gterall (Chicago N. L) va. | roit | oct, lcn‘lslo—nender (Philadelphia A. L.) v icago N | 90mbs (Philadelphia A. L.) ork 5—Bedient (Boston A. L.) vs. S TTbisrester (Boston A. L) PMluhlel N. L. Oct, 11. Flb—xlnonlrd (Boston A. L.) vs. hi: 9; (Boston A. L.) Sey :.' £ 11, 1018~ Mays (Boston A. L. vs x?‘m—mn (Chicago A. L. i, PI1TRibs (Cincinnati N. L.) 6. o xuw—!ller (Cincinnati N. L.) ve. Chic azo—s Smith (Brooklyn N. L.) vs. Cleveland L lu2o_)nn. (Cleveland A. L.) vs. nmo —_Neéht (Giants) ve. Yankses. Ocl 14, 1923—Bush (Yankees) vs. Giants. & FOUR-HIT GAMES. Oct. 3. IW’)—PNIhDu (Pittsburgh N. L.) Boston 4. L. \'l $03—Dinneen (Boston A. L.) v w Mathewson (New York N. L.) bhu-nolpm» A. L. S Bendér (Philadeiphia A. L) 1908 Mathiewson (New York X. Philadelphia A. L. H 1905—P] Nlll} (Philadelphia A. L.) Chi N. L. T2, 1006~ Brown (Chicago N. L) va. B g 1906—Altrock (Chicago A. L.) ve. "mno—vnm-r (Chicago N M&—Onnll (Ghicago N. L) es (Boston L) ve. ve va. va. 1911 rquard.- Crlndl" L) v Philadeinhia A “ToTi—Bénder (Philadeiphia A. L.) ‘lew York N. - 1916 Dougias Trler (Chicaxo . 1919—Wil) l. Mayer (Chicago A. &mm oY Tankees. ank 923 —Jones s i mu—mm-nim *iNew York ‘1;1."1.‘4'1 Washington 4 400 POLICEMEN ON DUTY AT GAMES IN PITTSBURGH PITTSBURGH, (P).—~Almost 400 (New for S cents. IN ALL OF DEPARTMENTS| a considerably stronger aggregation than the team which won base | | | | { Bfooklyn s has been swinging a mean | * SMITH EARL (0IL) SMITH. Catcher, Throws righthand, bats lefthand. Height, 5 feet, 10!% inches; weighs 1. 1897, at Hot | Springs, Ark. 1916, Dallas (Texas): 1917, Tulsa. A\rldnmn' (Western); 1918, lhn~hr~zt 1923 5. Born February ROBBY IS REAL VETERAN. Wilbert Robinson, president of the League ball club, ball Mass., club of the gue, in 1585 He catcher with the Baltimore Orioles in 1841 tional professional base of the Haverhill, started as membe became & famous When you have smoked a- Wm. Penn, you know that you can get a good cigar