Clipping:Nick Young comes out in favor of the strike on a caught foul tip

From Protoball
Jump to navigation Jump to search
19C Clippings
Scroll.png


Add a Clipping
Date Wednesday, September 4, 1889
Text

[from an interview of Young] There is just one change I think out to be made before the beginning of another season. Under the present rule a foul tip taken by the catcher standing within ten feet of the home plate is not out. This is as it should be, but I would not have this very pretty play go for nothing. A hot foul tip neatly taken from the bat is one of the prettiest plays to be seen in the game. I remember well when Doug Allison introduced the play. He was the first catcher to successfully hold these foul tips, and the play made a great sensation. I would amend the present rule so that a foul tip if caught should count as a strike. There is reason in this. Nine times in ten a ball that is fouled would have been s strike if the batsman had missed it. If it is a foul and can not be caught out neither pitcher nor catche4r gets credit for it. Certainly the pitcher should profit in some small degree by every ball that goes over the plate that is not fairly hit. On long foul flies the catcher and fielders have a chance, and on hot foul tips at least a third as much credit should go to the pitcher as for striking a man out. Let a foul tip caught count as a strike and I am satisfied the change will be accepted by the profession and public alike as an improvement. The Sporting Life September 4, 1889

a protested game, premonition of Merkle's boner; trophy ball; two umpire failure; when the game ends

[Boston vs. Philadelphia 8/26/1889] The row at the Philadelphia ground last Monday is to be exceedingly regretted, because it is the first time such a thing happened at the Philadelphia ball park, and also because it brought the game to an unsatisfactory conclusion and necessitated a protest from the Philadelphia Club, which was drawn up by Colonel Rogers and forwarded to President Young on the following day. A good deal of undeserved censure was heaped upon Mike Kelly, whereas only the umpires and the crowd were to blame—the former for failing to remain at their places to watch the play and see that the game was brought to a proper conclusion, and the people for not remaining in their seats. Kelly was not to be blamed for holding on to the ball, which action started the row, as he was entirely ignorant of Johnston's failure tot ouch first bas, and according to custom was entitled to the ball last in use. Farrar has been censured for attempting to take the ball from Kelly, it being held that he did not need the ball in order to make a claim, but he did. According to the rules Johnston was out for not running to first base, but the umpirew had to decide whether he was or not, and even if they did not see the play, by admitting that much they would have given a decision which would have ended the game properly. …

[from the Phillies' protest] “The Philadelphia Club had completed its twelfth inning with a score of four runs. The Boston Club, with a similar score, had two men out and two players, Kelly and Brouthers, occupying respectively second and first bases, with Johnston at the bat. The latter made a base hit to centre field, upon which Kelly ran home. Johnston, who made the hit, ran about two-thirds of the way towards first base, then turned to the right, walked outside of the 'three feet line' and over to the players' bench and did not afterwards touch first base or make any attempt to do so.

“In the meantime the ball was thrown in from the field, but not to the Philadelphia pitcher. It was picked up by a Boston player and given to Mr. Kelly, captain of the Boston team.

“Captain Farrar, of the Philadelphia team, demanded the surrender of the ball from Captain Kelly, but the latter refused to give it up, claiming that the game was over and the ball belonged to the victors.

“The game not being legally completed this refusal to surrender the ball was an obstruction to its fielding, and under the rules put Mr. Johnston out.

“Unfortunately, neither of the two umpires was on the field to decide the point, they having run under the pavilion to avoid the crowd which had occupied the infield immediately upon Mr. Kelly's refusal to surrender the ball.

“Although their powers as umpires ceased the momement they left the field, sill, in justice to Messrs. Curry and McQuaid, they now maintain that they were so interested in watching the ball when hit safely to centre field that neither saw what Johnston did nor where he ran. In other words, they did not obey the plain mandate of rule 52, which makes them remain 'masters of the field from the commencement to the termination of the game,' and the game could not terminate, under rule 22, section 2, paragraph B, until 'the return of the ball to the pitcher.' In point of fact, the game never legally terminated, because the ball was never so returned to the pitcher, and for that reason along must be set aside as irregular....” The Sporting Life September 4, 1889

The protested Philadelphia-Boston game of Aug. 26 has been decided adversely to the Philadelphia Club by the League board of directors, Messrs. Day, Brush and Hewitt voting to count the game for Boston and Mr. Nimick for a draw. Such a result was to have been expected; but if the Philadelphia Club's protest served no other purpose it at least called attention to the fact that the law which provides for the legal termination of game is virtually a dead letter and that the rule ordering the return of the ball to the pitcher in his position after the winning run has been scored in the last inning before the third man is out is not observed at all. In fact, the rule seems superfluous, it being almost impossible to enforce it, as the moment the winning run is made the crowd surges upon the field and surrounds the players without waiting to see what becomes of the ball. The Sporting Life September 25, 1889

Source Sporting Life
Comment Edit with form to add a comment
Query Edit with form to add a query
Submitted by Richard Hershberger
Origin Initial Hershberger Clippings

Comments

<comments voting="Plus" />