OCR Text |
Show GREAT PITCHERS OF PAST FORTY YEARS Long List Is Blue-Penciled Down to Cy Young. A writer In a magazine devoted to baseball has made a careful estimate of the comparative merits of the best-known best-known pitchers of the Inst forty years, and after mensurlng their records and their prowess, and subjecting their efficiency effi-ciency to many tests, has blue-penciled the long list down to one shining mime the name of Denton Tecumseh Young, our own Cy Young, who Is pronounced by this authority the greatest pitcher that ever lived, says the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It would have been Interesting If this Investigator had carried his comparisons com-parisons back to the pitchers In the still earlier days. There were giants, then, too, although possibly not In the Cy Young class. There were pitchers who pitched all through the season, game after gnme. There were pitchers pitch-ers who had peculiar types of efficiency effi-ciency that were quite as strongly developed de-veloped as those of the modern hurl-ers. hurl-ers. Here are the nnmes of a few of the early day pitchers, all players of note: Asa Bralnard of the original "Red Stockings," who went through an entire en-tire season without losing a game. George Zettlein, called "The Charmer," Charm-er," who had a remarkable command over the sphere. Alphonso Martin, 'Thonny Martin," who was famous for his slow ball, his drops and his twisters. Amos Cummlngs, who Is believed to be the first professional pitcher who used a curve ball. Riner Wolters, "the long Jersey-man," Jersey-man," who pitched for the Cleveland "Forest Citys" In 1872. A. O. Pratt. "Al Pratt." another Cleveland pitcher, who In 1871 was regarded re-garded as having the swiftest delivery In the profession. Charlie Pabor, the first noted left-handed left-handed pitcher, who helped to establish estab-lish the fame of the noted Unions of Morrtsanla. Then there were Spalding of the Bostons, and McBrlde of the Athletics, steady and brulny pitchers who left admirable records. There were others In the early days whose pitching efficiency was widely recognized, but those named above were at ono time the best known. |