by Laurel | March 1st, 2012
01 March 1914
Lushy Finn, Amateur Pitcher and Fine Hitter
Holyoke Pitching Wizard
St. Jerome’s Captain Not Only Expert on Slab, But with the Bat, Too — Has Great Record.
The St. Jerome’s baseball team of Holyoke has elected Thomas F. Finn captain and a director of the board of management for the coming season. Another pitcher will be secured to twirl the Saturday games, as Finn’s services will not be available that day, as he is expected to sign with one of the teams in the Twin State League.
Finn broke into the game in a very peculiar manner and it happened like this: The Paragons were playing the Indies on the Hampden Street playgrounds one Sunday and as the pitcher who was engaged to pitch the game failed to show up, Ed Mitchell, then manager of the team, went over to the sidelines looking for a man and came across Finn and “Honey” Lynch. He gave them a game for the afternoon. To the astonishment of the crowd, without ever pitching a game before, Finn shut out the opposing team and went 17 straight games before meeting a defeat and that was at the hands of the Wizards July 4, 1911, when the Paragons were defeated, 6 to 5. The Paragon batters were unable to solve the delivery of the Wizard pitcher, getting only four hits, Finn getting three of these, a home room, triple and a double. Brennan secured the other one.
Both Finn and Lynch had made good since that day, and the latter is now trying for a place on the Yale freshman team. Finn is the Walter Johnson of the Paper City, a right handed pitcher weighing 160 pounds, and having great speed and excellent control. He holds many records on the playgrounds of Holyoke, and has been the drawing card of the Hampden Street grounds, where he usually pitches a game every Sunday. In the season of 1911 he hung up a strike-out record of 17 and in the opening game of the 1912 season, he went this two better by making it 19, and on top if this in the firs sex games he pitched for the Criterions last year he scored 92 strike-outs, and in the 17 inning tie game last season, after pitching the two days before that, he came back and struck out 24 men.
Finn is loyal to his friends and follow them where they go. During the season of 1911 he performed for the Paragons, and the season of 1912 and 10913 he was with the Criterions. It was mainly through his good work in the box that they won the pennant in the North End League. This season will see him with the St. Jeromes.
From The Springfield Republican.
