Seems a Little Too Early For Any Boosting of the "Resin Bag" as Aid to Pitchers

HITTING IS ABOUT SAME

Less Than One More Each Game in American

By MELVILLE E. WEBB JR.

With the season hardly two weeks along we are just beginning to hear some of the boosting of the "resin bag" which has been adopted in the National League.

The tale right now is that the resin has made the National League pitching much better than the American League pitching and that the batting in the senior organization has been a lot heavier.

There has not been very much difference, as a matter of fact. While a few more pitchers in the National League have traveled the full nine-innings distance of a game than have done so in the junior league, the hitting and the run scoring has been so closely on a par that no credit may be made for the use or the nonuse of the little white powder bags on which the National League pitchers this year are allowed to dry their hands. It has been pretty much a normal year for both leagues, taking into consideration that the baseball in use is less lively than that of a year ago.

Up to a couple of days ago, when there had been about 40 games played in each league, there had been in the American League 17 games in which the pitchers had held their opponents to six hits or fewer, and there had been 18 in the National League, each organization having played practically the same number of games.

There was not much evidence here that the resin bag had made the N. L. pitchers more efficient than the American League pitchers.

Not Much Difference

When it comes to runs and hits for the year there has been an excess for the American League, but, taking all the games that have been played, this has not amounted to so very much, and another two weeks very easily may see a complete reversal of the figures.

Including yesterday's games, there had been 48 games played in the Ban Johnson league series and 47 in the National League, including one tie game. There had been 876 hits scored in the American League and 824 in the National League, an average of less than one more hit a game, or half a hit for each team per game in the A. L. Not much in that to show that the resin had made any difference between the leagues.

When it came to run-scoring, the 48 American League games brought 441 scores and the National League games 404 scores, a difference of 37 runs in favor of the American League. Here again there was a difference of less than one run a game for each game, and half a run for each of the contending clubs.

In the American League this year the Red Sox have scored 56 runs and made 111 hits while the Braves have made 38 runs and 95 hits. In New York the Yankees have scored 87 runs and made 130 hits and the Giants have scored 56 runs, making 99 hits. In Philadelphia the Macks have 35 runs to their credit and 99 hits, and the Phillies 66 runs and 124 hits.

Cubs Ahead in Chicago

Out West, in the two towns where there are teams in each league, the White Sox have scored 61 runs, making 103 hits, and the Cubs 69 runs and 115 hits. In St. Louis the Browns have had 51 men cross the plate, making 111 hits, and the Cardinals have scored 47 times and the hitters have batted safely 113 times.

In Washington the champions have scored 57 runs with a total of 124 hits, and the record of the Tigers in Detroit is 35 runs and 91 hits. Cleveland has scored 60 runs, making 110 hits.

The National League champions, Pittsburg, have scored 50 runs only, making 90 hits; Cincinnati's record is 42 runs and 98 hits, and that of the Brooklyn is 36 runs and 90 hits.

It is a little too early to make any final observation relating to what the resin bag will really do for the National League pitching. There have been few warm days for any club, and the pitchers have not had to resort to the use of the resin very much, that is for the express purpose of keeping their hands dry.

And that is supposed to be the legitimate purpose of the resin powder.

Source: The Boston Globe, Tues, April 27, 1926