Articles on the Spitter
A wealth of material on the spitball is being added to this web site, focusing primarily on the early 20th century. Also note that the long-awaited book by Bill James and Rob Neyer, THE NEYER/JAMES GUIDE TO PITCHERS, has been published and is now in bookstores. It is, among other things, an excellent resource for "what they threw," the repertoire of many pitchers throughout baseball history. Special thanks to Eric Sallee, who brought the Eller, Jones, and Sanborn pieces to my attention.
- Managers Like the Spitball.when their Pitcher is Throwing It: Chick Fraser Gets Mgr. Frank Chance to "Soften" on the Spitter
- Larry Cheney resuscitated his career when he took up the spitter in 1916 and helped Brooklyn win its first 20th century penant.
- As a 19th century pitcher, Clark Griffith depended on a Trick Pitch. As a 20th century team owner, he led the fight against Trick Pitches.
- Deadly Spitball
- Read what Chicago White Sox manager Fielder Jones had to say about the spitter. His remarks will surprise you-because he had one of the game's greatest spitballers, Ed Walsh.
- Hod Eller, star shineball pitcher of the 1919 Cincinnati Reds, speaking out against the new 1920 rules banning trick, or "freak," pitches. Unlike the spitballers, hurlers of other banned pitches were not "grandfathered" (allowed to continue throwing the pitch).
- A 1907 overview of the spitter by well-known Chicago sportswriter Irving Sanborn.