Читать книгу Spalding's Baseball Guide and Official League Book for 1889 - Various - Страница 13

While there is no more reliable a record, by which to estimate a pitcher's skill in the box, than the figures showing the runs clean earned off the pitching; in the absence of such figures the best criterion is that of the record of victories and defeats pitched in, the percentage of victories to games played being the deciding point in awarding the palm of superior work in the box. In 1888 the pitchers were handicapped by the absurd rule which charged runs scored on bases on balls as earned runs, successive bases on balls giving an earned run to the batting side, even in the absence of a single base hit. To estimate a pitcher's skill on such a basis is nonsense. As the scoring rules do not admit of the record of data showing runs clean earned off the pitching, and not off the fielding and pitching combined, we are obliged to make up a record of the percentage of victories as the only reliable figures at command on which to judge the pitching of the season. By and by the Committee of Conference will get out of the old rut in this respect, and then correct data will be available; until then we must do the best we can under the circumstances, and consequently the names of the pitchers of the League Clubs who took part in not less than ten games are appended, and these are placed in the order of the best percentage of victories.

| | | | | | P | | | | | | e | | | | | | r | | | | | | c | | | | | P | e | | | | | l | n | | | | L | a | t | | | W | o | y | a | | | o | s | e | g | | | n | t | d | e |PITCHERS. |CLUB. | . | . | . | . —+—————+——————+—+—+—+—— 1|Keefe |New York | 35| 12| 47| .745 2|Conway |Detroit | 31| 14| 15| .689 3|Buffinton |Philadelphia| 29| 15| 44| .659 4|Sanders |Philadelphia| 19| 10| 29| .655 5|Krock |Chicago | 25| 14| 39| .641 6|Titcomb |New York | 14| 8| 22| .636 7|Clarkson |Boston | 33| 20| 53| .623 8|Tener |Chicago | 7| 5| 12| .583 9|Welch |New York | 26| 19| 45| .577 10|Sowders |Boston | 19| 15| 34| .559 11|Morris |Pittsburg | 29| 24| 53| .547 12|Van Haltren|Chicago | 13| 11| 24| .542 13|Staley |Pittsburg | 12| 12| 24| .500 14|Burdick |Indianapolis| 10| 10| 20| .500 15|Galvin |Pittsburg | 23| 25| 48| .479 16|Whitney |Washington | 19| 21| 40| .475 17|Baldwin |Chicago | 13| 15| 28| .464 18|Gruber |Detroit | 11| 13| 24| .458 19|Crane |New York | 5| 6| 11| .455 20|Casey |Philadelphia| 14| 19| 33| .424 21|Beatin |Detroit | 5| 7| 12| .417 22|Getzein |Detroit | 18| 26| 44| .409 23|Boyle |Indianapolis| 15| 22| 37| .405 24|Madden |Boston | 7| 12| 19| .368 25|Widner |Washington | 4| 7| 11| .364 26|O'Day |Washington | 16| 31| 47| .340 27|Shreve |Indianapolis| 11| 24| 35| .314 28|Radbourne |Boston | 7| 16| 23| .304 29|Gleason |Philadelphia| 7| 17| 24| .292

Some remarkable pitching was done during the season of 1888, alike in the American arena, as in the League. The strategic work was up to a very high mark in the League, and in this, Keefe, Conway, Buffinton, Clarkson, Welch, Galvin, and Morris bore off the palm, while in speed alone, Crane of New York excelled.

The detailed record of victories and defeats pitched in during the championship campaign of 1888 by those who pitched in at least five victories, is as follows. The names are given in the order of most victories and fewest defeats: