July 14, 1913 - The Daily Commonwealth - Fon du Lac, WI - Elberfeld's comments on Lajoie
LAJOIE HITS HARDEST
Elberfeld's Experience With Cannon Ball Drive.
Former Major Player Relates Interesting Tale of Accidental Catch of Line Drive From Big Frenchman's Bludgeon.
Kid Elberfeld, late of the New York and Washington Americans, now managing Chattanooga, in the Southern league, is the greatest fan in the country, according to the majority of ball players in the big circuit. He eats, sleeps and dreams baseball all the time, off the field and on it He has also had a very long career on the diamond, and for that reason knows whereof he speaks.
It happened at a Cleveland hotel during one of the series of games Washington was playing in that city. The talk had turned to the hardest hits ever made, and every one was having his say, the Kid alone excepted Finally, when the other players had noticed that he was strangely quiet in a conversation on a theme of which he was as well qualified to speak as any present, they all turned to him with one accord and demanded his opinion. He pondered a second
before beginning then said,
"Well, boys, I have seen ball players come and go, many of them mighty hitters, but when it comes to right down picking the hardest hitter of them all, you've got to hand it to the big Frenchman right here in Cleveland. He hit the hardest ball I ever saw hit, and may the saints keep me from ever becoming mixed up with another such drive as he slammed at me several years ago on the hilltop in New York.
"It happened in about the seventh inning of a hotly contested game. Larry had been hitting the ball on the 'pick' all through the game, as he usually does when in New York, and I, from my position at third base, was thankful that none of his drives had come anywhere near my territory.
"In this inning the king was up first, and I recall that I was playing back rather deep at the time, The pitcher, I don't remember now who he was, put one in the alley, and Lajoie took a mighty poke at it. I was bent over with a hand on each knee, and the sound of wood and leather had hardly reached me before I saw that ball come shooting through the air toward me with the speed of a rifle bullet. All I had time to do was to take my hands off my knees and close
them between my leg when the ball reached me, struck fairly in the center of my glove, and stuck. But I went on. I went right up into the air, and down flat on my back on the grass about three feet back of the place where I had been crouching
"For a moment I was stunned. The first thing I knew the Cleveland coacher was standing over me and demanding to know w here I was hurt. But I wasn't, although I was dazed a little by the shock of my fall. I took the ball out of my glove and wrung my hand to see whether I had broken any of the bones in it. Luckily my glove had borne all the shock though the member felt numb for several hours. (lark Griffith ran out from the dugout and shook me be the hand, while all the other players congratulated me But, boys." and the Kid wagged his head with emphasis, "If I could have got out of the way of that ball I would never have made the catch. That is why I say Larry is the hardest bitter. And I shall believe he is, too, to my dying day."
Elberfeld's Experience With Cannon Ball Drive.
Former Major Player Relates Interesting Tale of Accidental Catch of Line Drive From Big Frenchman's Bludgeon.
Kid Elberfeld, late of the New York and Washington Americans, now managing Chattanooga, in the Southern league, is the greatest fan in the country, according to the majority of ball players in the big circuit. He eats, sleeps and dreams baseball all the time, off the field and on it He has also had a very long career on the diamond, and for that reason knows whereof he speaks.
It happened at a Cleveland hotel during one of the series of games Washington was playing in that city. The talk had turned to the hardest hits ever made, and every one was having his say, the Kid alone excepted Finally, when the other players had noticed that he was strangely quiet in a conversation on a theme of which he was as well qualified to speak as any present, they all turned to him with one accord and demanded his opinion. He pondered a second
before beginning then said,
"Well, boys, I have seen ball players come and go, many of them mighty hitters, but when it comes to right down picking the hardest hitter of them all, you've got to hand it to the big Frenchman right here in Cleveland. He hit the hardest ball I ever saw hit, and may the saints keep me from ever becoming mixed up with another such drive as he slammed at me several years ago on the hilltop in New York.
"It happened in about the seventh inning of a hotly contested game. Larry had been hitting the ball on the 'pick' all through the game, as he usually does when in New York, and I, from my position at third base, was thankful that none of his drives had come anywhere near my territory.
"In this inning the king was up first, and I recall that I was playing back rather deep at the time, The pitcher, I don't remember now who he was, put one in the alley, and Lajoie took a mighty poke at it. I was bent over with a hand on each knee, and the sound of wood and leather had hardly reached me before I saw that ball come shooting through the air toward me with the speed of a rifle bullet. All I had time to do was to take my hands off my knees and close
them between my leg when the ball reached me, struck fairly in the center of my glove, and stuck. But I went on. I went right up into the air, and down flat on my back on the grass about three feet back of the place where I had been crouching
"For a moment I was stunned. The first thing I knew the Cleveland coacher was standing over me and demanding to know w here I was hurt. But I wasn't, although I was dazed a little by the shock of my fall. I took the ball out of my glove and wrung my hand to see whether I had broken any of the bones in it. Luckily my glove had borne all the shock though the member felt numb for several hours. (lark Griffith ran out from the dugout and shook me be the hand, while all the other players congratulated me But, boys." and the Kid wagged his head with emphasis, "If I could have got out of the way of that ball I would never have made the catch. That is why I say Larry is the hardest bitter. And I shall believe he is, too, to my dying day."
