Ring Lardner Tonight: "You Know Me Al" II, Part 4 -- Back in the bigs

In 20-plus seasons (1907-27), the great Walter Johnson had a 417-279 record (that's a .599 winning percentage), second in wins only to Cy Young's 511 (and still no. 1 in shutouts, with 110), racking up 3508 strikeouts (as Wikipedia notes, no other pitcher even reached the 3000 mark until Bob Gibson did it in 1974!), winning MVP awards 11 years apart, in 1913 and 1924. Rather predictably, he was chosen for MLB's All-Century Team.

I got here last Tuesday and set up in the stand and watched the game that afternoon. Washington was playing here and Johnson pitched. I was anxious to watch him because I had heard so much about him. Honest Al he ain't as fast as me. He shut them out, but they never was much of a hitting club.

-- from Jack's letter of August 27, from Chicago

by Ken

It's true that the Washington Senators' flame-throwing right-hander Walter Johnson, like Ty Cobb, established himself as a superstar remarkably early. But it's even earlier in Johnson's career (this is c1914, remember) that Lardner captured the scope of his greatness. By the way, the Wikipedia article on Johnson (link above) quotes a nice chunk of the recollection of Cobb, maybe the best pure hitter to play the game (yes, Ted Williams had more power, but Cobb's speed and base-stealing prowess kept pitchers and their defenses in constant disarray), of the first time he faced the unheralded and unimpressive-looking rookie. Once Johnson took the mound that day in August 1907, Cobb says, "I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw in the ball field."

With Jack's return to the White Sox, heralded in last night's letter, both coach Kid Gleason and manager Callahan are curious about his response to watching Johnson pitch. As we'll see, they don't seem terribly surprised.


FOR JACK'S RETURN TO THE WHITE SOX, CLICK HERE

YOU KNOW ME AL: Our story to date

John Lardner's Introduction (1958): Part 1 and Part 2
Chapter I: A Busher's Letters Home --
Part 1, Preface and Jack's letters of Sept. 6 and Dec. 14 and 16
Part 2, The busher reaches the bigs -- March 2, 7, 9, and 16
Part 3: Countdown to Opening Day -- March 26 and April 1, 4, 7, and 10
Part 4: The busher makes his big-league debut -- April 11 and 15
Part 5: A major development for Jack -- April 19, 25, and 29
Chapter II: The Busher Comes Back
Part 1, The busher comes back -- May 13 and 20
Part 2, Big news for Al -- July 20
Part 3, A surprise for Jack -- August 16 (plus "The real Charles Comiskey")

THURBER TONIGHT (including BENCHLEY, BOB AND RAY, WILL CUPPY, WOLCOTT GIBBS, RING LARDNER, PERELMAN, JEAN SHEPHERD, and E. B. WHITE TONIGHT): Check out the series to date

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