Clipping:Applying the new pitching rules

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Date Saturday, May 14, 1864
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[the Eagles at practice 5/3/1864] Dr. Bell, of the Empire Club, was one of the players and occupied the position of pitcher, and as he was prominent as one of the framers of the amended rules in the Convention Committee, he was fully competent to explain the matters to those who desired information as to the correct definition of the amendments that have been introduced. The Doctor pitched every ball with both feet on the ground at the time he made the last swing of the arm. His style of pitching was this: he first stepped within the space of ground allotted to the pitcher–the same being twelve feet by three–and then placing his feet firmly on the ground, one foot touching the forward line with the toe and the other the back line with the heel, he deliberately pitched the ball, and, of course, without lifting either foot during any of the preliminary movements of the delivery. This is the correct definition of the rule, and it must so be observed by all pitchers, otherwise they render themselves amendable to the penalty of baulking.

[the Atlantics at practice 5/5/1864] The feature of the game was the ordeal the pitchers went through with in [sic] being introduced in the new style of pitching. With a view of having correct decisions on the pitching, a member of the committee on Rules and Regulations of the National Association was selected to act as umpire on the occasion, and as his decisions were endorsed by the Atlantic Club and the new rules fully approved of by the leading players, we give below the principal points decided as the rules of the game for the season. It was decided in the first place–as was the case at Hoboken when Dr. Bell pitched–that when the pitcher had either foot off the ground when he made the last forward swing of the arm in delivering the ball, he was guilty of a baulk. Pratt and Sprague both had baulks called on them when they first began to pitch in the game, because they made the forward step while in the act of delivering the ball.

The new rule, too, in reference to calling balls on pitchers who fail to pitch fair balls–viz.: such as are over the home base, and for the striker, was strictly observed, and balls were called on all the pitchers, including Sprague, Pratt, and Chapman. The way it was done was this: The umpire, in Sprague’s case, seeing that while standing square on the ground to deliver the ball he would not pitch straightly and accurately, too, warned him that he was liable to incur the penalty named in section 6 of the rules, unless he pitched balls for the striker, and as near as possible over the home base, after he had pitched two or three balls out of the legitimate reach of the batsman, called first one ball; and the next time a ball was pitched so nearly as to touch the batsman, or out of his reach, two and three balls, and then ordered the striker to take his first base. This enforcement of the rule led to fair pitching, and then began full play for the fielders and a lively and interesting game.

Source New York Clipper
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Submitted by Richard Hershberger
Origin Initial Hershberger Clippings

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