At first, it sounds like a no-brainer. Lefty Grove (left) has been the ace of the staff, going 20-6 with a 2.81 ERA. But Lefty is, as his name implies, a lefty. And the Cubs lineup is extremely right-heavy, with 7 of the 8 position players batting right handed. Will Connie go with him anyway, or will he try something more coy? Mack’s not saying. As he told the Inquirer earlier this week:
I am not going to give any inkling of my choice for the first game until I ask (assistant coach) Bill Gleason to hand him a ball to warm up fifteen minutes before the opening game starts.
McCarthy thinks it could be any of the A’s regular starting four on the hill tomorrow at Wrigley Field. “The Athletics have four pitchers who have earned the respect of their own league’s batsmen, and…they are Grove, Walberg, Earnshaw, and Quinn. If Connie Mack’s calculations take in any other pitchers than these four, save for relief duty, no one has heard about it.”
The Cubs are expected to start right hander Charlie Root, who went 19-6 with a 3.57 ERA. More details on both teams’ starting pitchers tomorrow.
