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Show REDS SUPERIOR IN TITLE SERIES Had Better Pitching, Played Better Ball and Made -Hits Count. BY BILLY EVANS, American League Umpire. "What about tho world's oories, Billt" Since my arrival home I hat question hn boon put to mo hundreds of times. 1 didn't mind it mo much at first, but after tolling the sumo old rftory n score or more times, I began to think it would be an excellent idea for mo to have cards printed, putting fortli my impressions of I he recent clnsh between the Hods and White Km. Then 1 do.; elded on this method to give t ho pub-lie pub-lie my opinion as to the many debatable things that happened during t ho series. Most people havo asked mo if I Wasn't "terribly'' lUrprisod at tho outcome, out-come, tho winning of tho championship by tho Reds. Now thai it is all over, I must frankly admit 1 was surprise but not "terribly." I I bought tho White Knit vgould Win, despite the fact that 1 knew the Reds were a bighclaen aggregation. In my advnnco stories oil tho Horios I Paid I believed no club in tho last ten years entered a world series se-ries with a better chance to win than the Reds. 1 figuncd them a bit Hko the Braves of 1914, a club that had come from nowhere uhd had reached the conclusion con-clusion it was ablo to get. about anywhere. any-where. Ilowover, I hud seen tho Whlto Ho;: perform so brilliantly so many tlrros I felt the finish would favor tho Sox after a hard struggle I do not believe the strongest club won tho series. Thai, statement in no way detracts from tho performance of tho Cincinnati club. Tho Rods played tho better ball, deserved to win, and since tho championship was to be decided de-cided in nine games, thero is no way to dispute tho superiority of tho Reds as fur as tho recent series is concerned. The Cincinnati club played steady, consistent con-sistent ball, punctuated here and there with some brilliant effort, such as the catch by Kddie Roush in tho ninth inning in-ning of tho final game, which staved off a Chicago rally. I have boon naked many times if tlio Reds Viid not piny above their gumo. 1 have always snid 1 did not think so. It seemed to mo Cincinnati was simply playing the high-grado high-grado baseball that won tho pennant in tin Natinml league and eventually game, in which he lasted only an inning, in-ning, Williams had as much stuff as ho ever had, despite reports to the con-traiy. con-traiy. Lack of control entered largely into his failune to last. That may sound strange when I tell yon that in tho first inning his curve ball wras cutting the heart of tho plate. Williams Wil-liams is never effective when his curve is breaking right through the heart, lie must be cutting the corners. I can cite a similar case. Near tho close of tho season Williams was working an important game at Cleveland before the record crowd for that city. I Was umpiring um-piring the plate, and, his curve ball was acting as it did in the final game of the series, breaking right through the heart of the plate. Williams threw onlv seven balls in that game before making his exit. If my memory serves me correctly, four doubles and a single resulted. t'ecause of the remarkable work of the Reds' pitching staff and Eller's striking out six men in a row, I have been asked many questions about it. I want to say no pitcher impressed me more than Jimmy Ring. He looked like a whale of a pitcher. He showed me terrific speed, a fine curve and a beautiful fadeaway. Likewise, he showed me all kinds of nerve and a fine disposition. Nothing deemed to fuss him. Eller has good speed, but much of his effectiveness must be credited cred-ited to trick pitching, as he has the "shiner'-' developed to the Nth degree. Eddie Roush Great Fielder. Despite the fact that he did not hit flnywnere near his gait, Eddie Rou3h was most impressive. His fielding was superb; he was all over the entire outfield, out-field, and a couple of his brilliant catches just about saved a couple of games. To those who did not see the series, the hitting of Eddie Collins was a disappointment, yet never did Collins Col-lins hit the ball hard. In one game he went out on five line drives to the outfield, four of them being brilliant catches. At other times be drove the ball right at someone. National league friends of mine forced mo to stand for a lot of kidding because of the fielding field-ing of Happy relsch. I have always been sweet on Felsch. As a matter of fact, I thought he could go as far for a ball as anyone and always touted him, yet ho played nowhere near his game. Ills reversal of form was a blow to the Sox chances. Little Dick Kerr saved the Sox from disgrace. His two pitching efforts were classics. In his first game he stood the Reds on their heads and won 3 to 0. In the second attempt, he was the world championship. Sox Below Standard. On the other hand, I know tho Chicago Chi-cago club did not plav nnywhevo near up to its standard. With the exception of the seventh game, when tho Sox tame through with a brilliant performance perform-ance that was typical of its efforts through the season, I would sny tho club was off its gnmo at least 30 per cent. This is no alibi for tho defeat de-feat of tho Sox. The Chicago club was outplayed through the greater part of the scries, and the victory of the Reds was only the result of more timely hitting, hit-ting, and n bit more consistency on the Jiart of the pitchers, particularly in the nst five (fames when it meant so much. If asked to give ono big reason why the Sox lost, I would point to the first name In which Eddie Cicottc was knocked out of the box. In tho 1919 perles the hopes of the Sox at. the start were largely centered around Cicottc. I know thia thought was uppermost in tho mind of every Chicago player. Per-Honally, Per-Honally, I had the samo viewpoint, that It was up to Cieotte to deliver in large quantities if the Sox Were to win. I record Cicotto as one of the greatest pitchers in tho game. Becnuso of his pccullnr style, and his assortment of stuff, 1 felt sure he would give tho Reds all kinds of trouble. Every player play-er on thp ChlcaffO club entertained similar sim-ilar thoughts. The club as a whole entered en-tered that first, game sublin-e in tho confidence that Cicottc would turn back the Reds nnd got the Sox away to a flying start. Beat Cieotte. Beat Sox. .There is no doubt in my mind that the Heds put over the big thing in the scries when they drove Cicottc off the rubber in the first game, scoring five runs in one inning nnd practically clnchitiR tho game. The usyehology of that drubbing handed Cicottc had nn injurious effect on the Chicago club. Not oneo during the American league season had Cicottc been treated as rudely. Every hit made off him in that inning was a ringing drive that had the earmarks of a base hit all ovvt it. True, had not Ifisbcrg stuni-.Yilcd stuni-.Yilcd in trying to complete a double piny he would hnve thrown Kopf out ten feet and retired tho side, but thnt was a break of the fame, and perhaps Would have saved Cieotte only temporarily. tem-porarily. The Reds were able to take advantage of that break bv making base hit after base hit. 1 know just nbout how every Chicago player felt as Cieotte walked to the bench aftcf be'ng bombarded for five runs. The hit rather frrely and forced to go ten innings to win, 5 to 4. It may seem strange, but to me his work in the second sec-ond game was mero impressive than in the first. In the second contest he was constantly in trouble, and during the earlv hfhings his teammates were floundering. It took nerve to stand il! acid test of that game, and Kerr came through with flying colors. He was the most impressive figure of the scries, the sure enough dark horse of the classic. However, no matter how one sums up the series, it simmers down to the making of tho old base hit at. the proper prop-er time. In every game Chicago had more chances offered to get away in front than the Reds, yet seldom was able te avail itself of the opportunity. On the other hand, when the break of the game enme, tho Reds were always al-ways able to come through with the tlTOely hit. Cincinnati won the series because it played better ball, got more pitching ace of their staff, a pitcher thev rctfnrdcd as almost unbeatable, bad been hit to nil corners of the lot. It must have had a most depressing effect, on the club, and I think it was the beeinning of the end of the hopes of the vJJMta Sox. The failure of Williams in the second sec-ond came also West a bodv blow. Ripdi? off the reel the Rods had beaten the rlTft pitchers who, to a great extent, had made possible the winning of the rennant by Chicago. A mere glance t the score of thnt game would 'make it room that Williams had rrontlv out-pitched out-pitched Snllee, yet suh was not h" case. Salfee was touched for ten h's. while nt least a hn,f donen hnrd hi' bells were caught. Williams was found fftr onlv four hits, but he cravp iv bases on balls, four of which finir"d in the run-makm". while one of th" four hits allowed was R tfinle with two mn on as n result of bfies on MIR Snllee. on the ohor hind. was often consistent pitching. Mil, after all. packed the punch when it was most iK.'dcd. The tteds are a real ball club, liable to make trouble for several years in the National league, and arc deserving deserv-ing of the title world's champions. So be it. (Copyright, Ifllfl. by W. G. Evans.) in trouble, but pitched his best in the pinches. Williams Off Few Inches. Williams is a smart, brainy pitcher, end any time he twirls the umpire working the plate has his work cut out. When his control is right, and it is Usually pretty good, no pitcher can work the comers to better advantace. I umpired back of the plato in the second game ot Cincinnati, and whiV1 Williams wasn't wild in the usual sens-of sens-of the term, he was just off enoui'h to be mi'sing tiie plate four to six Inched. That was a hnrdshin for him. It resulted in bin defeat. His defeat 'n thp Reeond contest was not duo to poor pitching, ns he came through with another four hi' game. In the finul |
