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Show MANAGERS TAKE TO SOUTHPAW HURLERS Official Averages Show Conclusively Conclu-sively Value of Portsiders. Pitchers Usually Counted On to Fool Batters With Curves Which Break Just Opposite to Those of Right-Hand Flingers. If the value of a southpaw Is doubted, doubt-ed, the official averages of the National league show conclusively that the managers man-agers in the older circuit have no doubt about their use. The records show that no less than thirty-one portsiders worked in the National, probably the largest number ever gathered together under one tent during a season. Only a trifle over half of this number were pitchers, 17 in all ; the rest worked in the outfield or on first base. One manager, Fred Mitchell, could have put an entire southpaw outfield into the field had he wished to do so, Williams, Wolter and Flack all throwing throw-ing from the fork side. The advantage of left-handed pitchers pitch-ers has long been well known. In the days when they were scarce they could usually be counted on to fool the batters bat-ters with curves which broke Just the opposite to those of the right-handers. As the game progressed some smart hatters learned to bat left-handed so they would be especially effective against left-handed pitching. This also added speed in the cases of fast base runners, as they gained a couple of steps in getting away from the plate on a hit. A few years ago the switching of batters to meet pitchers when a southpaw south-paw was substituted for a righthander right-hander was figured out. In the 1914 world series Manager Stalllngs originated the Idea of. switching switch-ing batters to meet pitchers with both left and right-handed outfielders, the use of whom depended upon the pitcher who opposed the team. Although Al-though Stallings did not have a leading outfielder on his club, the aggregate offensive strength of his club was much enhanced by this switching. Bill Carrigan and lately Jack Barry used Del Gainor and Dick Hoblitzel at first base, the latter against right-handed right-handed pitchers, the former against the southpaws. In the last world's series both Mc-Graw Mc-Graw and Rowland switched to meet changes of pitchers. Rowland used John Collins In left field until the second game. When Perrit, a right-hander, was substituted for Schupp, he sent in Leibold for the balance of the game. McGraw used Thorpe on a change of White Sox pitchers. Left-handers have always been wonders won-ders at first base. Some of the greatest great-est Initial sackers of today throw and bat from the port side. Witness Hal Chase, Jake Daubert, George SIslerand Walter Holke. |