Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 106, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 May 1913 — HARD TO SECURE SOUTHPAWS [ARTICLE]

HARD TO SECURE SOUTHPAWS

Eddie Piank of Athletic* and Nap Rucker of Brooklyn Dodgers In Class by Themselves, Winning left hand pitchers are exceedingly scarce in the big leagues. Among all the southpaws Eddie Plank and Napoleon Rucker stand In a class by themselves. Of the younger generation Yean Gregg in the American and Rube Marquard In the National are bidding for fame. Plank has lost few games for Philadelphia, rated one of the beet rounded clubs In basebalL If Rucker were a member of the Giants, Red Sox or the Pirates, it Is believed he would drop few contests. Despite the flight of the seasons, since he, broke into the big show. Plank is still an effective hurier, with his wonderful cross fire delivery. Rucker has the speed, curves, control and the brain to make a great pitcher, and despite the fact that he is with a constant contender for the cellar title in the National league, every dub has trouble beating the Brooklyn pitching wizards There are a few other left hand pitchers who cut more or less of a niche in the nation’s pastime, but Rucker easily tops the list, with Rube Marquard meandering along behind. a Good left-handers in the American league are scarcer than in the National. Besides Doc White, who has grown old in the service of Comiskey, Plank remains the only veteran of prominence who refuses to tpke the full count He is the only southpaw on the Athletics who was with that team in 1911. - Krause and Russell were turned back to the minors. The Boston Red Sox have Ray Collins, but it will take another year to determine whether he will deserve a place in the hall of fame among the great left hand pitchers -of baseball history. Collins stands alone among a cluster of strong right handers on the new world’s champions, Wood, pall, Bedient and O’Brien all being right-handers. Of the first division clubs in the American league, Plank alone remains one of the great pitchers of the game. The Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators have only four port siders, who can be considered regulars. Since these teams combined have nearly thirty twirlers, one may form an idea of the actual scarcity of good southpaws in the big circuits.