Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 202, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1910 — PLAYING FOR SINGLE RUNS WING PENNANTS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PLAYING FOR SINGLE RUNS WING PENNANTS

JOE TINKER OF CHICAGO CUBS SAYS HIS TEAM WON THREE CHAMPIONSHIP FLAGB BY GOING AFTER SOLITARY SCORES. BY JOE TINKER. (Copyright. 1910, by Joseph B. Bowles.) Playing for one run at a time, and snaking sure of that one, is the way to win at baseball. The day of big baiting averages is over, and the team that can advance runners steadily and work together at the bat, and on the bakes, is the winner. In the first place the pitching has become so good that one run counts for twice as much as it did even ten years ago—and* the first run in a game counts for more than that o I think a team wins that has a good man, especially a good waiter, who also can hit, leading off. If the first man up in a game gets to first, is sacrificed down, and either of the next two batters can get him home, that game is almost \Von right there. The other team is handicapped, is unable to play as resourceful and mixed up a game as it could do if ahead, or on equal terms, while the team that is leading can take chances and vary the style of attack, standing a much be ter chance of making more runs simply because it can afford to take chances, while the other team must play a desperate defensive game, play close and take desperate chances to cut off runs. The Cubs have won three pennants by playing for one run at a time, because their pitchers have always held the other teams down to low scores, and I think we have the best team at making the one run that ever was organized. The way to get that one run is to have a resourceful attack, and to. keep outguessing the other team all the time and never allow the style of play to become machine-like. By that I mean to hit the first ball when the pitcher is expecting you to wait, to wait when he expects you to hit and to wait him cut to the limit if he shows any signs of unsteadiness. We frequently wait out pitchers for three or four innings, perhaps without getting a hit or a base, and then switch the system and hit the first ball that comes over. We fight all the time to get that first man on bases. Then, if the opening is made, we change the game and try to surprise the other team. If they are creeping in, expecting bunts, we may switch and play hit and run. It is merely trying to do the ■unexpected, and our whole scheme of attack is based on getting one run across. I think we have been so successful at this because we have a perfect signaling system. Each batter has three signals with the three men

ahead of him, and three with the three who follow him. Ordinarily Chance permits us to use our own judgment as to what to do at bat and on bases, but if he gives a signal from the bench it is carried out. If he signals hit, the batter hits, if bunt, he bunts, and it is that working together and hitting together that has won for us. No matter how good a player may be, he is worthless to a club until he learns to forget himself and his batting average and hit for runs. It is team work and team hitting that wins games. "

Joe Tinker.