Show MAJOR LEAGUE SLUGGING SLUGGING AC ACES S TAKE DECIDED LIKING TO NEW BASEBALL RUTH RUTHI I SLAP APPLE APPLET APPLEI I WITH GUSTO GUSTOr T r 9 37 Extra Base Hits Gathered on First I Day of Play YORK April 15 UP The UP-The The cw baseball it appeared today is Destined for the sa same punishment n me t the old sphere re reIn re- re h tr t lj r In the antics 01 the hc batters att rs in thc i Opening 1931 major major ma- ma ma-j ma Jor league game t yesterday esterdaY there 37 extra base g hits as compared the firsti i'D Z to 39 In games game of or the thc 1930 J Jt f. f season eason I E Eight i g h t 1 home c 1 1 1 f runs mis three triples F A t doubles doubles' V and 26 f 1 oft off f fj S t rattled j bats as the thE left X f 1 began an- an V ot other her e r lennant y a r campaign Open- Open J I Ki Ic c n nIng Ing day extra base blows of last year included the same number of home runs four triples and 27 two-bag- two gen gerd t National league pitchers appeared little benefited by the raised stitches and thicker cover which were expected expected ex ex- ex to enable them to secure a better grip and thereby put more dope on their deliveries t c Since the advent of oC high batting averages and lon long range hitting there has lias as been much conjecture as asto asto to whether the ball has been made livelier or the general caliber of pitchers was lower than in the days of oC tight hurling battles MORE DISTANCE HITTING LOOMS The answer of baseballs baseball's ruling I Ip p powers was that the trouble res rested Led I with the ball The adoption of oC the new flew official ball resulted Apparently however the tide of long distance hitting cannot be stemmed So It appears that perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps the trouble is not with the ballor ball baUI or with the pitchers at all but with the batters Their batting eyes may maybe maybe maybe be more accurate as a result of advanced advanced ad ad- training methods or it may maybe maybe be that tho bat manufacturers are using a different kind of oC wood 1 S The new ball did not affect such hitters bitters as Babe Ruth Chuck Klein Babe Herman Herma Al At Simmons Bill Terry Hack Haek Wilson and the rest In fact they found the new sphere to their liking f r Klein knocked two balls out of the Philadelphia l Phillies park to take the homo home run lead Ruth started the year Jear successfully by rappIng rapping rapping rap rap- ping out No 1 |