Clipping:The umpire loses count of balls; spectators scoring the game; trophy ball
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| Date | Wednesday, May 16, 1877 |
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| Text | [Louisville vs. Cincinnati 5/15/1877] Craver was on third, two men were out, and Crowley was at the bat. The first six pitches by Mathews were decided unfair, and the Umpire called one and two balls on them. The seventh pitch he struck at. The eighth was called a strike. The ninth ball pitched was not over the plate, and, by mistake, the Umpire said, “Take your base.” Crowley, conscious that it was an error of the umpire, hesitated, but finally went to first. Hicks at once called for judgment, and, as often occurs, the Umpire appealed to the scorers. J. A. Haldeman, of the Courier-Journal, was writing out his newspaper report, and frankly confessed that he had no count of the balls pitched. The Cincinnati Club scorer, the Enquirer, and another scorer all agreed to the facts as above stated, viz.: that there were two chances lacking before Crowley could possibly be given his base on called balls. There were more than a dozen private scorers present, and all agreed that it was not a third called ball. The Umpire accordingly ordered Crowley to return to bat. This he refused to do, and was backed up in it by his club. Hall, meanwhile picked up a bat and went to home plate. The Umpire refused to recognize him as a batter, and again ordered Crowley to return, warning him at the same time that unless he returned at once he would, under the League rules, declare him out. Crowley still refused, and sat on first base hugging his knees. The umpire waited a minute or so, when he declared Crowley out. Then like a pack of school-boys the Louisvilles, led by George Hall, began to gather up their bats amid the jeers of the crowd. Manager Chapman at this moment appeared and said to the crowd, “We will play this game out, but with another umpire.” Captain Pike said that the umpire had been of Chapman's own choosing, had done his duty, and he would consent to no change. The audience cheered him. Then the Louisville gathered up their bats, and, let by George Hall and Chapman, left the field amid the derisive cheers of the crowd from the pavilion and grand stand. Manning, the next Red Stocking batter, was called to the home-plate, and, as no one was there to pitch for him, the Umpire declared the game forfeited to the Cincinnatis, and the record of the League will take it 9 to 0. Devlin put the ball which the Cincinnatis were entitled to into his pocket, and carried it away. Some one suggested that it was bad enough to kick, but to steal was worse. Captain Pike started after the ball, but was persuaded to make no disturbance and let them keep it. Cincinnati Enquirer May 16, 1877 Crowley was given his base on called balls, but the Cincinnati players claimed that he had been sent there one ball ahead of time. This doubtless may have been true, but it was Brady’s [umpire] business to know whether it was true or not. To tell the truth, Brady didn’t know what he knew. Time was called, all the cincinnati players came in from their several positions, the Louisville players lifted their voices in argument against the men from Cincinnati, and while all this was going on Crowley calmly squatted down on the first-base bag and took things comfortably. Brady, through some unaccountable means, at last discovered that one more bad ball had to be pitched before corwley could be given a base. Having shown pretty conclusively that his memory needed cultivation; that he had been partial in his rulings; that he was not sell-read on the League rules, and that he was a general stick, this last stroke of Brady, the incompetent, was just about as much as Louisville chose to stand. Manager Chapman spke to Pike and told him that with another umpire he was perfectly willing the game should go on, but that iwth Brady he was positive in saying it should not. Pike, we believe, would have been willing to change, but George Keck, the manager of the Reds, called him to one side and positively forbid anything of the kind being done. In the meantime, Brady, after soothing up with water, waltzed out to his position, saying, “I’ll umpre this game,” and with all the Cincinnati players groupd around the home-plate, and without even calling “play,” he yelled to Crowley to come back and strike again. Crowley still remained seated at first base, and as quick as you could snap your fingers Brady followed his first yell with another which said, “Crowley is out.” With no chance for a change of umpire, and, with Brady’s absurd decision on putting Crowley out still ringing in their ears, Chapman and his men packed up their bats and left the grounds. Louisville Courier-Journal May 16, 1877 |
| Source | Cincinnati Enquirer |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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