Clipping:Pitch delivery rules; called balls

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Date Sunday, April 12, 1874
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...in regard to delivering the ball, and the new rules, while allowing an underhand throw, require that the arm in delivery must swing perpendicularly. Any side throw is a “foul ball” and three foul balls give the game as forfeited. The umpire is now obliged to call “wide ball” whenever the ball is sent in out of the batsman’s reach. And he must count–but not “call”–every ball that is not “wide” and yet not over the base or “high” or “low,” as called for as one of the class of balls to be called one ball for every third ball of the kind delivered. This new rule gives considerable latitude to the batsman, and puts a stop to a wild, unfair delivery of the ball by the pitcher.

The umpire now can only call strikes on the batsman when the latter refuses to strike at a ball sent in over the home base, and high or low as called for. He cannot, however, call strikes for refusing to strike at any other kind of ball.

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Three wide balls in succession give a base, but no base can be given on called balls, until nine such balls have been delivered, not including wides; which are separate from called balls. New York Sunday Mercury April 12, 1874

A LEGITIMATE DELIVERY.–In regard to whether the ball is delivered to the bat by a legitimate delivery or not, the umpire must be guided by the relative positions of the wrist and hand when the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand. If his hand be not extended out sideways from his body while he is an upright position, the swing of the arm is a legitimate one. It does not matter what the angle of the arm from the elbow to the hand is, so long as the hand is not swung out from the body.

Any style of round-arm delivery is prohibited. The delivery must be by a nearly perpendicular swing of the arm, and this delivery admits of an underhand throw, or what is called a “wrist-throw.” Philadelphia Sunday Dispatch April 12, 1874

Source New York Sunday Mercury
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Submitted by Richard Hershberger
Origin Initial Hershberger Clippings

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