Clipping:Nolan's pitching

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Date Thursday, May 31, 1877
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Nolan, the pitcher of the Indianapolis, so far this season, has made a brilliant record. He pitches a curve ball, which the strongest professionals find very difficult to hit. Philadelphia Item May 31, 1877

Nolan, the “wonderful curve pitcher” of the Indianapolis club, has come and gone. His success depends not a little on strategy, and Flint, the catcher, understands his every motion to perfection. Nolan stands as far over toward third base as the rules will allow, pitching diagonally across home plate. His delivery is intentionally uneven, and if one ball comes direct to the bat the second will be sure to curve away from home plate before coming in reach of the striker. Not half of the balls are fair, and are not intended to be; and it was noticeable in the game with the Philadelphia the other day that the batsmen who were called out by the umpire struck at balls which a bat of twice the usual length could hardly touch. It is Nolan's policy to cheat a player into the belief that the ball is coming directly where he wants it, but too often before reaching home base it curves away to the striker's right, not passing within reach of the home plate. When Flint plays under the bat the balls are delivered more especially to him than to the striker. These two men are the strong points of the nine. Eliminate them and the Indianapolis would be but a common amateur club. Indianapolis Sentinel June 6, 1877, quoting the Philadelphia Times

Nolan is simply a swift underhand thrower, like Devlin, Mccormick and many others, but their speed compares with Nolan’s about as the velocity of a ball from an old smooth-bore musket would compare with that of a shot from a Springfield rifle. He is also a clever master of the lateral curves, both inward and outward, and on the whole fairly deserves his sobriquet of “the terror.” Flint’s play behind the bat is wonderfully skillful and plucky. Without him or his equal–who is hardly to be found–Nolan would lose half his effectiveness. Indianapolis News June 8, 1877, quoting the Boston Advertiser

Source Philadelphia Item
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Submitted by Richard Hershberger
Origin Initial Hershberger Clippings

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