Show s HOW THE RED SOX EXPECT TO WIN WORLDS WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP IRS OF TWO VO ARTICLES ON THE INSIDE INSIDE PLAY OF THE AMERICAN LEAGUE ENTRY IN THE WORLD SERIES SECURED SECURED BY BROWN BRO HOLMES TELEGRAM SPECIAL WRITER WHO SPENT A WEEK WITH WITHa a aTHE THE THE SOX SOX STUDYING THEIR STYLE OF OE P PLAY AY I By BROWN HOLMES g The Boston Red Sox use a system of helping their b base se runners manors that thatis is isone rone r- r one of at the tho finest bits bis of inside baseball base ball ever pulled p The play is one that has helped the tIme I I Sox lead the American league nearly all season and one they will wi use In t 1 series their efforts to tuck away the te world j When a Sox Sax runner is on first base f and a steal is planned the batter bater 0 stands as far back as possible in the time I 4 a batters batter's baters box That forces the tile opposing opposing ing lag catcher catcher back away from tram the plate plato 11 I and lengthens lengthens' the tho distance the ball bail bal p i-p- has to travel from the catcher to second second sec sec- r 0 ond base basa t f The batters batter's baters box is six feet in feet length and it is three feet from the center of the tle plate to the back end t of at the box The batter bater then by 6 a 4 Lt u o e ma s s 4 0 v 5 r 1 o o s e J f C ii 0 hima Photo at right shows how Dick Hoblitzel Boston Red Sox slugger stands stand s' s behind the plate so he can help helpa a base stealer by forcing the opposing catcher back and making the throw from the catcher to second basel base l longer nger Photo on the right shows how the catcher could gain ground If Hobby stood even with the plate standing standing away away back back forces force the catcher catch catch- er to throw three feet farther farher than if the batter stood even with wih the middle of 01 the plate Three feet does not sound like a great deal but it means ball bal games In days days of of second split second baseball There are are- more close plays at second sec see end ond base se than any other base except first and in many the runner or baseman base man gets get the umpires umpire's decision by a fraction of at a second In these fractional frac frac- tonal s second cond plays the decision goes to te the runner under the Red Sox tern tem m. m Dick Hoblitzel Sox first baseman baseman- is esp especially good at driving catchers back from the plate as he has train trained d himself himsel to hit from that position Hobby takes ja a big swing and holds his bat at arms arm's ars ar's length Opposing catchers make sure to get back beyond beyond be be- yond the reach of his lois war club Hobby is In a good place to make this inside play count ashe bats after Tris Speaker and Speaker one of f the hunt best of f hitters is 1 tm on the bases n a mt lot |