El Paso Herald · El Paso, Texas · 1913

How Great Men Play the Game: Heine Zimmerman

Scar takes up Heine Zimmerman of the Cubs in September 1913: the N.L. champion batter of 1912 stands erect, swings wide and hits the ball hard, and when the pitcher throws wide to catch a stealing runner, Heine steps over the plate and clouts it to the corner of the lot.

Scar’s banner reads “‘Heine’ Zimmerman, 3’ Base, Chicago Cubs,” and the first caption carries his credentials: “Zimmerman the N.L. champion batter of 1912 has an easy style of batting - he stands erect, holds the bat close to the end, swings wide and hits the ball hard.” Zimmerman had come off a 1912 season that led the league in hitting by a wide margin, so the champion batter title was bought and paid for.

The corner box catches him committing the batter’s perfect crime. “And did you ever notice? When the pitcher pitches wide to give the catcher a free throw on the runner stealing second, how Heine steps over the plate and clouts the ball to the corner of the lot.” The pitchout, in other words, was to Zimmerman just a pitch nobody was guarding.

The last study is third-base theater: “when a runner is advancing to third on an outfield fly-out, to prevent a possible score he pulls a fake catch of the relay causing the runner to slide for safety.” Scar draws the pantomime in full, glove up for a ball that is not there, runner eating dirt for nothing. It is the oldest trick in the infield and Zimmerman sold it, the caption suggests, nightly.