Clipping:Cummings's pitching
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| Date | Saturday, December 28, 1872 |
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| Text | The youngest pitcher in the professional fraternity is Cummings, of the Mutual nine of 1872, and he is one of the most effectively, especially when he has a catcher familiar with his peculiar delivery, and active and expert enough to give him the necessary support. Without this aid, however, his pitching is more costly than profitable. Cummings imparts to the ball such a rotary motion as it leaves his hand, and gives it such a bias to the right or the left, that the catcher is obliged to be on the alert to watch the eccentric rebound in order to avoid passed balls. Now this giving of a twist to the ball in the delivery is practically more disadvantageous than it is effective, and for this reason:–The bias being rotary to the right or left, it follows that it cannot affect the direction of the ball from the bat, except to bother the fielder by the eccentricity of its rebound. Were the motion imparted to the ball by the pitcher a forward rotary bias then it would increase the number of foul balls hit; but, as it is, the only effect is to make the rebound of the “twisted” ball exceedingly difficult for the catcher to judge accurately; and, if hit, a troublesome ball for the in-fielder to catch or hold. Hence the difficulty a catcher has to encounter in standing behind the bat to Cummings’ pitching, and the number of balls which have rebounded in the in-field in an eccentric manner when hit from the same pitcher’s “twist” delivery. ... As a pitchist of the period, viz: a swift underhand thrower of skill and judgment, Cummings undoubtedly ranks A No. 1. |
| Source | New York Clipper |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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