Clipping:Interpreting the new pitching rules; all runners advance on a base on balls
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| Date | Thursday, July 14, 1864 |
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| Text | [Active vs. Empire 7/13/1864] Grum made due allowance for accidental inaccuracy when the pitchers tried to send in balls to suit the strikers; but he promptly inflicted the penalty of the law in the case of every ball pitched out of reach. Brooklyn Eagle July 14, 1864 [Active vs. Empire 7/13/1864] The excellent ruling of the umpire was a noticeable feature of the match. P. O’Brien, of the Atlantics, had previously indorsed the definition of the Sixth Rule, so frequently referred to in this paper, and it only remained from Grum, of the Eckfords, to follow suit to settle the question in the minds of the majority of ball-players for there are no better umpires or judges of the game than these two players in the ball-playing community. We are glad to see this indorsement, as it will lessen the discretionary power of umpire, and thereby remove much of their responsibility; and we hope to see the example of Messrs. Grum and O’Brien followed on all occasions. We are afraid it will not be, however; as what with umpires being loth to do their duty in this respect, and a desire to make themselves conspicuous by different with others, the rule will either be ignored or so interpreted as to nullify its good effects. We would state, for the information of a correspondent who send a question in relation to the ruling of the umpire in the third inning of the game, that when the striker has his base given him on three balls, every player on a base at the time is also entitled to a base; thus Russell, in the case referred to, was entitled to score his run, he being at third base when Westervelt went to first base on three balls. New York Sunday Mercury July 17, 1864 [Eckford vs. Newark 7/21/1864] The match proved to be the longest and most tedious game of the season, owing to the wild pitching that characterized the game, the umpire not calling a single ball in the game. The fact is, Colonel Fitzgerald interprets the Sixth Rule of the game as only empowering the umpire to call balls on a pitcher when the delivery is intentionally unfair. This is a decided mistake, for the words, “or for any other cause”, were especially introduced in the rule in order to give authority to umpires to call balls on the pitchers whenever they delivered unfair balls, no matter whether from intention, accident, or inability to pitch better. No umpire, therefore, has a right to ignore the rule as it was done in this game. New York Sunday Mercury July 24, 1864 |
| Source | Brooklyn Eagle |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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