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Show PITTSBURG TRIO HAD LONG RECORD When PittBburg traded Tommy Leach and "Lefty'rLeifleld to tho Chicago Chi-cago Cubs for Artie IIofTman and "King" Cole, one of the greateot trios of baseball players known In the history his-tory of tho game was forever broken. The trio was composod of Honus Wagner, Fred Clarke and Tommy Leach, the "Big Three." It was formed form-ed 13 years ago. when in tho reason of 1899 Tommy Leach, a fast boy, was sent to play third bane for the Louls-vlllo Louls-vlllo Colonels, which team was then on the National league circuit For 13 years these three groat players play-ers hung together electrifying tho baseball world, winning four pennante and one world's championship. Greatest Trio. Probably no such trio ever played togethor as did tho "Mighty" Wagner, the groat leader, Clarke, and fast and brainy Leach-After Leach-After playing together iuk Louiavillo one year the National league circuit was cut down to eight clubs, and Ixmisvlllo was consolidated with Pittsburg Pitts-burg in 1900, and Fred Clarke was made manager. In 1901, 1902 and 1903 Pittsburg won the National league pennant. In 1903 Pittsburg lost in tho world's championship cham-pionship series to tho Boston Americans Ameri-cans after winning three of the first four games, Clarke, at the head of tho peerless trio, kept on and In 1909 again won the pennant and beat Detroit for tho world's championship. Leach always bottod before Clarke, and Clarke boforo Wagner, and many a pitcher wont out of the game brok-on-hearted through the hitting and base running of the throe. Pittsburg became known as a threo-raan team through their great work. Some Idea of the heart-breaking paco lod by these men can bo had from the fact that 6,905 times thoy hit safe ly after coming to bat no more than 19,043 times; of these 5,905 hits tho total bases were 8,300, and 940 were two-baggera, 486 three-bnggero and 156 times their clouts wore good for the whole circuit. How they rim bases can be told no better than tie record of 1,159 steals BhowB. There great playerB combined handled han-dled 16,530 chances out of a total of 17,538. Handle 18,330 Chancen. Leach wound up hid gTcat Plttabupj career agalnet 8t. Louis by sending a fly to Bvana in right fiold but not until he had hit two singles and a three-baee hit, helping Marty O'Toolo win his game. It was a flttiug end In Pittftburg for Leach, because 22,500 fans who watched him for ycarB saw his career In Pirate uniform come to a glorious close. As this multitude looked on not a. soul knew that Wee, who was responsible respon-sible for six of the runs In that game, would no more drive men ahead of him and conoh faltering Pirato run-nerfl. run-nerfl. In 11 of the 13 years that Leach was with Pittsburg he made over 100 nits per season, while another year he made 92. In 1900 he was only in 46 games, making 34 lilts. |