Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1887 — THE GREEN DIAMOND. [ARTICLE]

THE GREEN DIAMOND.

The League Base-ball Championship Drawing to a Close. Pittsburgh Responsible for Chicago’s Defeat This Year—Other Base-ball News. [CHICAGO CORRESPONDENCE.] The League championship race for the season of 1887 is now about over, and that Detroit will take this year’s pennant is now no longer doubted by any lover of baleball. True, there is still considerable hope left in the camps of the New York and Philadelphia Clubs that second place is still to be fought for, and Manager James Mutrie, of the Giants, is as confident that his team will step over the heads of the White Stockings into second place as the veteran Harry Wright is that the Phillies will finish * next to Detroit. Anson and President Spalding only smile, when asked if they can hold their present position, in a manner which indicates that they have absolutely no fear of their team’s ability to do so. From present indications, the Detroits will win the pennant of 1887, but by a smaller percentage of games won than that trophy has been secured by for four years. The Detroits will probably finish the season with a percentage of about .666, which is much better from a good sporting point of view than the large winning percentages of the last three years. The Chicagos have made the best record of games won, as will be seen by the following record of championship winners since the formation of the League: Per Won. Lost. cent. 1876Chicago52 11 .787 1877805t0n31 17 .645 1878 Boston. 19 .633 1879Providence55 23 .705 1880Chicago,67 17 .797 1881Chicago...56 28 .666 1882Chicago 55 29 .654 1883805t0n63 35 .643 1884Providence84 28 .750 1885Chicago87 25 .776 1886Chicag0......90 34 ,726 The poorest record made by any club in the history of the League was by the Cincinnatis in 1876, when they succeeded in winning but nine gaines during the whole season, losing 56. The Philadelphias did nearly as bad in 1883, when they won 17 and lost 81. PITTSBURG IS RESPONSIBLE. Big Jim McCormick and Captain Abner Dalrymple, who played with Chicago last season, are now, as is well known, playing with the Pittsburg League team, and aS the end of the season approaches both of these players indulge in grins of quiet satisfaction as they look over the record of games won and lost this season. Why? Because, had it not been for Pittsburg’s work against Chicago, the White Stockings might now be on fighting terms with Detroit for the pennant. It is a singular fact that one of the two new clubs in the League beat Chicago out of the championship of 1887. So far as played, Chicago has won its series with every club in the League, excepting only the new chaps from Pittsburg, who are sixth in the race. Anson’s men have beaten the coming champions 10 out of 18 games, the Phillies 12 out of 18, the Giants 11 out of 17, Kelly’s men 7 out of 13, the Senators 8 out of 15, and the Hoosiers 10 out of 12. Doubtless the champions of the glorious years of ’BS and ’B6 will finish the season winner of a majority of the games played with each of the other clubs, excepting only those dreadful puddlers and glassblowers from the Smoky City. Just think of it—ten games from Detroit, eleven from New York, twelve from Philadelphia, and only three from Pittsburg. Six times have Anson’s men gone down in miserable defeat before these hpodoo sons of Vulcan. Had Chicago been able totdo as well against the Pittsburgs as the Detroits have done, Captain Anson would now be ordering the painter to daub “1887” on that big flag at the White Stocking Park. Had the Chicagos done as well with the Smoked Glass men as Philadelphia has done, even, or Boston, or Washington, Chicago and Detroit would now be battling for the flag. But the fates have willed dtherwise. Pittsburg can lay the flattering unction to her cold-chilled soul that even if she hasn’t been able to win better than sixth place her debut in the League has been signalized by the most pronounced case of hoodoo in League history. This is why Dalryiiiple and McCormick smile. CHICAGO SIGNS A NEW ONE. Captain Anson has signed a new pitcher, who, judging from the single game he has pitched thus far for the champions, is a valuable acquisition to the Chicago Club. His name is C. W. Sprague and he comes from Vermont. He is twenty-one years old, weighs 154 pounds, and is five feet nine inches tall. He is a left-handed pitcher, and has a record of eighteen Kames won out of a possible twenty. While playing an infield position for the Lynn (Mass.) team he accepted fifty-eight fielding chances out of a possible sixty. The young man thought himself a good deal of a pitcher, and so he came to Chicago for a job. He reached here last Friday, and, after putting the young man through the paces on the morning of bis arrival, Captain Anson thought so much of him that no decided to put him in the box against New York the following day. The result was an excellent showing for the Vermont boy, the game standing a tie of 5 to 5 at the end of the ninth inning, at which time it was too dark to play off the tie. Sprague looks something like Ward, of the New Yorks. He is olean shaven, somewhat hollow-chested, and when he runs he resembles a windmill in action. But he is a pitcher and no mistake. His delivery, although left-handed, is not altogether dissimilar to Clarkson’s. He has two powerful curves, which straighten out near the plate, and a paralyzing underhand “riser.” While in the box Sprague exhibits much deliberation. He doesn’t wipe his chest like Van Haltren or Baldwin, nor does he scrape the bosom of his pants like Larry Corcoran. All his fondling is confined to the ball, which he often holds in the elbow of his right arm. His speed is greater than anything Van Haltren has yet shown, and his command of the ball is far better than that of either of the .junior pitchers of the team. Considering the Tact that it was the youngster’s first appearance In a League game, and that his work was being watched by 6,000 persons, his record, made against one of the heaviest batting clubs in the League, is really meritorious.