Clipping:Scoring stolen bases 3
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| Date | Wednesday, August 25, 1886 |
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| Text | [from Caylor's column] On my recent trip East I was surprised to find that probably not one scorer in New York City was according to the rule and some of them seemed absolutely surprised when I told them so. The real truth is that those gentlemen never read the new rule carefully, else there could be no excuse for their failure to score it properly. By referring to the rule in Reach's Guide any of your readers can see readily that the scorer is required to record a stolen base for every base made where the runner attempts to steal a base and gets it either by a clean start and slide or by an error of the catcher in throwing, or the baseman in handling the ball thrown. But these scorers could not understand why the runner should get the credit in the latter case just as if the play had been perfect. The rule is self-explanatory. It was made to encourage base-running. If the base runner would not make the attempt to steal the base, the catcher or baseman would not make the error in attempting to prevent him getting the base. But a base made on a passed ball or a wild pitch or put-out or an error off a ground ball or after a fly ball is caught should never be called or credited as a stolen base. There is no merit in a player advancing himself on such plays, for it is his duty to do it and the base-runner that wouldn't accept such a chance ought to quit playing ball. It is the player who by making the bold attempt and drawing out a fielder—it is he who should be encouraged. The Sporting Life August 25, 1886 Some of the League scorers pay no attention to stolen bases and others do; therefore the base stealing record in that organization must of necessity be unreliable and unsatisfactory. The Sporting Life September 15, 1886 |
| Source | Sporting Life |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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