Hollows (ホロウズ, Horōzu) is a primary antagonist and the narrator of History's Greatest Hitting Machine! Ty Cobb, the second episode of The Lives of Eccentrics.
He is a member of the Philadelphia Athletics, who, by 1912, comes to be known as the best pitcher in the American League. The same year, he faces the legendary Ty Cobb and becomes convinced that Cobb is possessed by a vengeful spirit.[1]
Appearance
Hollows is a man of average height and build with short, dark hair and a widow's peak. He wears the uniform of his team, the Philadelphia Athletics.
Personality
Hollows has no qualms about cheating. He prides himself with his reputation as the best pitcher in the league, despite it being achieved unfairly. He is usually quiet and reserved, and calmly ignores Ty Cobb's initial taunts. When Cobb insinuates that he slept with Hollows's wife, however, Hollows retaliates by throwing a ball directly at his body. When Cobb rushes toward him afterwards, Hollows refuses to back down from the fight, and even taunts his adversary.
His attitude, however, changes after Ty Cobb pulls a gun on him and puts it in his mouth. Hollows begins to cry out of fear, and becomes convinced that Ty Cobb is possessed by some kind of vengeful spirit. Not wanting to be reminded of the incident, Hollows resolves to never throw a spitball again, even if it costs him all the fame and success he has earned.
Abilities
Baseball
Hollows is the master of a special technique known as the spitball: by using a small file, he creates a scratch on the ball before pitching, causing it to waver in front of the batter. Otherwise, Hollows does not demonstrate any notable skill; Ty Cobb calls his pitches pathetically slow, and after Hollows stops using the technique following his confrontation with Cobb, his fame quickly begins to fade away.
History
Background
Hollows entered the American League as a pitcher and, by 1912, became known as one of the best. He achieved such a level of success by using the spitball technique, which, at the time, were not yet made illegal. Even Ty Cobb, known for his incredible batting average of .420, was only able to bat .240 against the spitball. Cobb, a famously egocentric and violent man, did not take the consistent failure well, and would viciously beat anyone who dared to suggest Hollows was better than him.
History's Greatest Hitting Machine! Ty Cobb
In 1912, during a game between the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Athletics, Hollows faces Ty Cobb himself in a match. At the top of the eighth inning, with two outs on the board and no runners on the field, Hollows manages to gain two strikes on Cobb, whose team is behind by two points. Suddenly, Cobb calls a time out and uses it to taunt Hollows, claiming that he told the pitcher's not to come to the game last night and facetiously using her panties as a handkerchief. As the game resumes, Hollows throws the ball directly at Cobb, striking him in the stomach and indefinitely halting the game. Cobb, insulted by Hollows's disdain, rushes directly toward the pitcher, drawing the pistol he carries at all times and striking him with the handle. As an all-out brawl between the two teams ensues, Cobb sticks his pistol into Hollows's mouth and intimidates him.
Hollows would never throw a spitball again. Well before its ban within a year of the incident, the pitcher voluntarily gives up the technique, scarred by the memory of his battle with Cobb. Soon, Hollows fades into irrelevancy.
Quotes
Quotes- “My name is Hollows. As a pitcher, I entered the American League, and by 1912, I was one of the best. But in my career, there was one who surpassed all other talent. That man was none other than "him."”—Hollows, The Lives of Eccentrics Episode 2: History's Greatest Hitting Machine! Ty Cobb
- “You're no match for my "magic pitches." My special "spitball!"”—Hollows, The Lives of Eccentrics Episode 2: History's Greatest Hitting Machine! Ty Cobb
- “You understand now? You and your fucking arrogance. I'll make sure you won't ever insult me again.”—Hollows, The Lives of Eccentrics Episode 2: History's Greatest Hitting Machine! Ty Cobb
- “It was true... Those rumors were true. The rumor that he really was possessed by a vengeful ghost...”—Hollows, The Lives of Eccentrics Episode 2: History's Greatest Hitting Machine! Ty Cobb
Gallery
Throwing a ball at Ty Cobb's stomach
Having a gun pulled on him by Cobb
