Show WHY lly PITCHERS AND CATCHERS FAIL All TO TOMAKE i MAKE MA GOOD AT BAT BATi i Robert Groom Tells Inside Story of One of Baseballs Baseball's Peculiarities ties BY ROBERT GROO GROOM Pitcher Washington ton Americans cans Many people havo have tho idea that a pitcher has a low batting average 0 because because be be- cause he doesn't doesn It try for it a hi high h one They ima imagine iDo that a pitcher doesn It twant t twant want to hit because if he docs does he will have to run and thus diminish hi his effectiveness effectiveness ef ef- in his subsequent work ork inthe in inthe inthe the box But while whilo it is too true that a hard bar run lun about the bases does docs nothing to improve a pitchers pitcher's accuracy it is both untrue rind nd unkind to accuse a pitcher of loafing because ho he doe t doean nt lilt hit A A. pitcher is proud when he makes a hit bit to 1 one ono realizes better than he that beis heis he be heis is not generally considered so much a R player of ball as he is a a. mechanism for delivering crin balls bans to the tho opposing bats bats- man The distinction is none no-ne the less acute acuto for being fine drawn D. D Oh Ob well 1 we didn didn't t expect you ou to hit it that's not your job yelled d at a pitcher who has struck out with three men on bases bascH is more maddening than consoling to the unfortunate man who whoso e only value alue to his team lie lies in in his ability to put them over over over-in in such a wa way that the thc other r fellow whiffs or flies flics out Have Hav noticed the desperate you ou ever oer ca eagerness with which a pitcher fields f fHe He loves O CS to get et into tho the game loves to tofi fi figure ure in a putout Many Mam- lan pitchers eb rs would rather r help pull off oft a successful tul double than get et a strikeout to their credit The reason lies deeper than unwillingness ness or lack of or desire to hir hit Moreover More More- over to m my y mind it is a variation of the same reason which affects catchers Int nd surely sureh no ono one would accuse a catcher of of loafing ing for fear a 3 run around the bases es would injure his effectiveness effective effective- ness I r believe o that pitchers and catchers cannot hit because the tho vast ast majority of nf their lime in the game is is spent witching witching witch witch- jn ing balls go o from them or como come toward them with a full knowledge e of what is is going or ar coming coiling and watching catching these balls baIls from an entirely different aD angle le leto to to that which they then theet get et on the ball when standing at the plate The pitcher for instance sees secs all the tho fast and curve curvo balls from roin behind He Tie can tell HS as 8 Roon soon as RS he hc lets a ball hall go whether it i is g going over o or not although al 11 though of course he lie hasn't any sure i idea ea what t tho the umpire is going to sa say about it When the pitcher conics comes comes t to the bat he begins beins to see sec balls coming tt T at at him instead of away Hwa- from him he Ott has to judge their trueness whether whether a or a t strike strike strike-by by the theby looks and not by lw the feel fecI of it it and aul because his exP experience ex ex- P is all in the other direction he lie fails at the plate to iud judge accurately Take lU my lay own case casc As far a as I can see I do anything an any one else docs dues at atthe atthe atthe the plate I l have as good a 3 swing am amas amas amas as willing to stand close a as ar nn any anti one one yet ct m my my batting average aerate is a jolce I T think it is IS because I T am fo so accustomed to seeing the ball baU travel el from me mc arid knowing what it is going to be that when I T find it coming coining at me mc and don dont don't t know what it is I 1 am unable to judge jud e i tt As 5 for the catcher he lie is always look look- S-ij S t ing 4 ing at balls coming towards him him t to be e sure sure- but he i is looking almost alon along their their line of flight instead of down O upon that line as the batsman must look Jook aud and he be too knows so much what t j incoming comin towards him that when you ou change han e his liis point of view and make him hit nit at a ball the tle nature of which IJ he lie doesn't doesn It understand beforehand he is ismore ismore more or less helpless And of course course you want to know how no I reconcile with this theory the pitchers hitchers and catchers who who do hit hit th the hit the Benders and K filings Klings in s. s I just dont don't attempt at tempt to reconcile them any more than I tr try to explain wh why of two brothers ono one bats and the other One has nas a belter better natural eye for the ball than the other and so go it is with Bender and Tiling and other pitchers and catchers who u-ho can enn hit bit they have so 80 good cod a natural eye o for the ball that thai they the overcome the handicap tho-handicap handicap which their Pos position Uon gives i es them then and bat well weB h in is of it But I J do believe that fi figures ures hear beai m my theory out to this extent that pitchers or catchers who leave lea their po Wons and play playa a season in Rome some othe position always find their batting average aver aver aver- age ago improves And I r believe it is simply sim pl ply because when ben playing other ions tlona the tho only balls tho they see which they the have havo t to ju judge e as as balls balls or H strikes are arA those which como come at them when in their position at the plate and not going from them ns as I pitchers see them or coming to them themon on a RUne line with their eyes aa as catchers see Bce them ost of all they never l know no unless they thc guess w what at is being served fler to them Consequently their entire attention n while bile at bat is ms devoted devoted de de- de voted to solvin solving tho the problem of tho the halls balls pitched with no distracting experience ex ex- experience or knowledge of such balls from a different angle antle or direction to confuse them Ulem It should not be forgotten either that both pitchers and catchers havo have more hard work to do than any other player and are arc consequently more f fatigued fatigued fa fa- ti ed when at bat than the rest of ot the tho team and fati fatigue e always affects ts accuracy accuracy accuracy ac ac- curacy whether of throwing or batting batting bat bat- ting eye cyc Again a n pitcher averages four times tames at bat hat to about twenty six of any other member of the team due I to pitchers working only onh- every cry three or I four days Consequent a a. a pitcher hasso hasso has has' hasso so much less less- actual practice at the plate which may nta also have something to do with his p poor or battin batting aera average e It is is probable that there arc are other theories to account for light j ht hitting by b batteries But I 1 havo have never heard an any which seemed Deemed more plausible than these of mine mine which I express not atall atall at atall all as 31 facts but as beliefs and with an an entire openness to conviction to the tho contrary by bv any one who ho has better reasons to offer |