Clipping:Umpire fails to enforce balls and strikes; pitching strategy
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| Date | Tuesday, June 28, 1864 |
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| Text | [Atlantics vs. Mutuals 6/27/1864] The decisions of the Umpire [Col. Fitzgerald] were promptly rendered and impartially given throughout, but as far as the rule in reference to calling balls on pitchers was concerned, there might have been no such rule in existence almost, so little was it observed. True, two or three very wide balls were noticed, but both Pratt and McKever infringed the rule nearly every inning; the former especially, as his effort to impart speed to the ball led him to sacrifice his accuracy of aim considerably. No pitcher in the country can pitch fairer or better balls than Pratt when he chooses to do so, and it should be the policy of the club to have him pitch such fair balls, dependence being placed on the excellence of the field in supporting rather than the old style of dodging a fair delivery, which a repudiation of section 6 of the rules admits of. It was the knack of delivering unfair balls, that were apparently fair to the outside crowd, that rendered the leading pitchers of last season so effective as they were, hence the success of McKever and others last year. … Ball after ball was delivered on both sides yesterday that were unquestionably unfair, being entirely out of reach of the batsmen. The strikers too, especially McKever, were allowed altogether too much latitude, although it would not have been fair to have made them pay the penalty of unfair play while the pitchers were not punished for their errors. Umpires would find it to their advantage to make it a point to call balls when a ball is delivered out of the reach of the batsman. The more they bring this thing down to a uniform rule the less responsibility they will assume. |
| Source | Brooklyn Eagle |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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