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Show A L. cJkz TF THERE are any upsets, any reversals of form, in baseball this season, the same will come from the pitching side. For example, if anything happens to the Boston Red Sox, the trouble won't come from their infield or f outfield. It will f come from a $ pitching staff that ' Vj is still uncertain. " ? Last season J Dave Ferriss, f v 1 Tex Hughson and n Mickey Harris s won many well- k pitched games. , . , H. Newhouser But they also won a flock of games that only savage sitting and run - making saved, games in which they were hammered ham-mered into pulps. Tex Hughson, before the war, was rated as one of baseball's best. Last season, Tex needed the help of Red Sox bats to save him, game after ;ame and so did Dave Ferriss. In the season's opener, the Red Sox gave Hughson a 6-0 lead, and yet he couldn't finish. It is more than probable that Joe Cronin will need some extra help from some of his younger pitchers, if he is to win again, even if he has more good ballplayers on his team than any other rival by a two to one ratio. Red Sox pitching hardly belongs in the same class with Cardinal or Tiger pitching. These are the two strong staffs in baseball, well beyond be-yond any other collection of right and left arms. Newhouser is the best pitcher in baseball today. Bob Feller is sure to have a good year. But he isn't sure to have a great year, as great a pitcher as he has been in the past. The Tigers have at least four high-grade high-grade pitchers who also have strong supporting aides. So have the Cardinals. Car-dinals. Durable Hurlers When Red Munger opened his new season, with a well-pitched game, you could almost hear Eddie Dyer's sigh of relief drift in from the Midwest. Mid-west. For Munger, over 6 feet, weighing 200 pounds, is the type that can work in 35 or 40 games. He is also the type that might win 25. This means that such slender and somewhat fragile workmen as Pol-let, Pol-let, Brecheen and Dickson can get all the rest they need. It is quite possible that, with the addition of Allie Reynolds and the showing of young Johnson,, the Yankees' pitching staff will be the strongest section of the squad. If they are to get anywhere It will have to come through with better than average pitching. As far back as 1906, the White 3ox, known as the Hitless Wonders, proved what good pitching could do. Their team batting average was .228. Yet, Ed Walsh, Nick Altrock and Doc White carried the team to a pennant, and then to a world series victory over the powerful Cubs. The White Sox, starting from last or near last place, won 19 straight in their flag drive. Pitching Pitch-ing did it. In 1914, Rudolph, Tyler and James pitched the Braves from last place to the pennant, and then a four-game four-game sweep in the big series. In each case you'll notice that three pitchers did most of the work. Few pitchers today get half enough work. A good pitcher should be worked every fourth day, to keep his condition and build up his control. con-trol. Credit for Connie Mack's star teams of some 40 years ago was always given to his brilliant infield. I'd give even greater credit to Bender, Bend-er, Plank and Coombs, three of baseball's best. His infield wasn't great enough to protect an only average pitching staff. Worked 45 Games All you need, to discover what the power of good pitching means, is to look through past world series records, and see what happened to Ty Cobb, Hans Wagner and many other stars up through Ted Williams and Stan Musial. Giant pitchers held even the mighty Babe to a mark of .118 in one world series. Most of the great pitchers of baseball, base-ball, those with the stronger arms, could work through 45 or 50 games a year. This list includes Cy Young, Matty, Johnson, Alexander, Walsh, Chesbro, Feller, Newhouser and Dizzy Dean. The tendency today is to lift a pitcher the moment he begins to wabble a trifle. This Is often a necessary nec-essary move. But it doesn't help the pitcher's confidence nor bring him the work he needs. In past seasons, looking well back, good pitchers were allowed to stick. This accounts for the fact that many of them were able to win from 30 to 40 games a season. Matty, Alexander Al-exander and Johnson turned this trick at least twice. Feller insists that the heavy pressure pres-sure he put on his arm last year from January to December had no harmful effect. Everyone hopes Bob Is right. But there is also juch a thing as overwork. |