The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-03
VAGUE PLAYING RULES.
a Point Not In spauiding's Guide-Camy
Gets a Strfke-Nuf

WHICH are not exactly covered by the play
ing rules is sent to the Posr-INTELIrGEy-
GER Tor ruling. The query comes from
the manager OF the Olympic Club, and is
| as follows:
| batter. having no strikes on him. strikes at a
pitened ball, but misses it. The ball strikes him
ou 'he reg. Is he not entitled 10 first base by
| rule a. section 4?
Recently in the East there has been
some dispute over what decision the um-
| pre- ought to make in case of this kind.
Inc general rule, however, has been not to
allow the batter first base, merely charging
strike against him. Secretary Rockwell.
| OF the Pacific Northwest League, has in
structed his umpires to decide this way,
and his ruling is backed up by nearly all
| precedents in cases of this kind.
There being no rule which explicitly
covers the point in question, the only
method of procedure remaining Is to apply
certain rules which have some slight bear
ing on the case and to consider carefully
the merits of the case. Taking an eaut-
able view of it, il does not seem Just that
| the pitcher should be made to suffer by
having the batter sent to his base when he
| tine pitcher) has really done something
creditable IN deceiving the batter so as to
cause him to strike at the ball Consider
ing parts of the National playing
rules, which refer indirectly to
the point in question, we find
in rule 80 that "a dead ball is a ball de-
hvered to the bat by the pitcher that
| touches any part of the bats
man s person or clothing while standing
In his position without being struck at.
"a ball, then, that is struck at and
| hlts the batter is not dead ball. Section
| 4, rule a, says that the batsman be-
| comes base-runner ''if, while he be
batsman, his person or clothing be hit. by
ball from the pitcher" This does not
| except the case of a batsman striking at
the ball, but it would not seem to be the
! intent of the rule-makers to include such a
| case, since such ball Is not considered a
dead ball, as it would ordinarily when it
strikes the batter. The playing rules are
so imperfect that they must be construed
! literally, with view to the intent of those
| who made them
| There has been considerable discussion
OF late through the Sporting Life columns.
The Issue OF August l contains the follow
Ing:
| writer in the Boston Globe says There has
been considerable talk this week at the South
| End grounds in regard to the rule when the
oo'oiiioh 10 MI D9 DALI Ut WHICH lie sITlkes
| Friday afternoon during the shower there was
| quite discussion on this and other
| rules between Captains John Ward, Billy
| Nash, Umpire John Morrill, and the
| writer. Captain Nash contends that
| tho batsman should take his base if hit W bile
| making the first or second strike, although
| rule 43, section Z, says that the bats
man Is out If while making the
third strike the ball hits his person
or clothing. think Captain Nash is wrong on
this, for that would not be consistent, although
there is no rule regarding the first and second
strike when hir by pitcher. Billy said that the
play had been ruled both ways in the Boston
games, and tina. one umpire had told him that
President foungs instructions to umpires was
"not to give the baisman his base at any time
when he struck at the ball" l remember both
instances TO which Nash refers, aud in the case
where the base allowed thought the um-
pre ruled that the batsman did not strike at
the ball, but was trying to dodge il, which is
one OF the hardest things the too much abused
umpire has TO decide.
On August ID appears the following:
The baseball editor of the Philadelphia Press
says: "Ever since the rule allowing batsmen to
take first base on being hit by pitched ball was
enacted l have never seen a batsman sent to
base II he was hit after striking at bail 1t WAS
invariably called strike. Some time ago. how
ever, Mr.. Wallis Boileau captain of the Sehuyl-
kill navy team, wrote President Young in part
as follows: What decisions are umpres di-
rected TO give If the batter strikes at a pitched
ball and the bali hits him at the time OF his max
ing his first or second strike? To this presi-
dent Young replied: The batter takes his
base. My instructions on that point have been
uniform Mr. Young's instructions may have
been uniform, but they have not been acted
upon by the umpires, in Philadeiph ut least
On Thursday l put Mr.. Boileaus question to
Mr.. Timothy Hurst and he promptly replied:
1T is a strike only. Harry Wright took the
same view aud expressed the opinion that Mr.
Young had misunderstood the question. II
will strike most people as unfair to punish
pitcher for delivering ball that the batsman
considers good enough to strike at, and that's
the way the umpires have heretofore looked
at ii"
The Lfjc of August % prints the follow
ing:
Umpire McQuaid raised another disputed
point in Boston Tuesday, the 18th ult Hing
pitched ball at which Tucker struck and the
ball hit him McQuail gave him his base. Had
IL been the third strike the batSman would have
been out, and there is no rule 10y which he
should be given his base. Mr. McQuaid says,
however, that the League umpires have agreed
to give man his base as there is no rule to the
contrary. This is according to the rules as laid
down by Nick Young in his recent letter to Cap
tain Boieau, but at variance with the under
standing Messrs. Hurst, Wright, etc, have
thereof.
The above clippings contain the opinions
of some of the best posted men on baseball
in the country.
Another query propounde6 by WELL
known local enthusiast is the following:
In a rece Il game Camp pitched three strikes
10 stencil, but thinner dropped the ball and
Stencil made first base. To decide wager
please say If Camp is credited with q strike-out,
bearing in mind the fact that Stencil scored the
run
The manner of scoring this play is well
settled, and there has never been any dis
pute among scorers concerning it. The
universal rule is to give the pitcher a
strike-out, no matter what happens after
ward. If the batter reaches first the
catcher gets an error. unless the batter
strikes at n wild pitch. If the catcher
mutfs the third strike, but picks up the
ball in time 10 throw the man out
at first, he escapes an error and is credited
with an assist, the first baseman getting
put-out, and the pitcher gets his strike-out
just the same
Western Association.
OMAHA. Sept Omaha /, Denver 5.