The record-union., 1891-04-05
THE SENATORS WERE BEATEN.
But They Still Hold the Lead in the
League Race.
The Local Management Blames Um.
pire Bowman-Two Games to
be Played To-day.

Ex-catcher Bowman says he will never
umpire ball game again, after his ex
perlence as referee during yesterdays
contest between the San Jose and Sacra-
mento clubs. The audience Kissed him,
McCloskey and his team howled at his
decisions, and the visiting combination
on several occasions interposed noisy
protests.
Sacramento was beaten, and the mana
ger attributes the defeat to Bowman's off
colored umpiring, which, he declares,
was intentional.
In the first place. was the umpire's
judgment on balls and strikes good?
The question will be readily answered
in the negative, and rightly so. But did
it affect the Sacramento club to a greater
extent than the Garden City men?
Impartial judges will certainly say no.
1t is true that strikes were called half a
dozen times on the Sacramento batters
when the ball did not come over the plate
and Ward was the victim of very rank
decision of this kind. The ball pitched
was thrown as high as his head. How
ever, many a good one was sent over
afterwards to other batters, and Bowman
evened-up matters by calling them balls,
much to Speer's and Harper'S disgust.
The practice by an umpire of 'evening-
up'' matters is not to be approved, but
when he does so it goes to show that his
intentions are good, and that he is not
inclined to act unfairly.
Again, there were two close decisions
on first base, where San Jose runners
were called out. In one of these, espe-
cially, there ought not to have been any
dispute if Bowman had declared the run
ner safe.
But Bowman was wrong when he made
a disastrous decision in which McCloSkey
was called out at first base 1t was in the
eighth inning. Hutchinson had reached
the first base on balls, and McCloSkey
went to the bat. He bunted the ball
scientifically along the first base line,
and it rolled slowly toward Dooley, who
ran up on it. McCloskey had intended
TO make only a sacrifice hit, put he saw
in moment that he had a good chance to
pass Dooley before the latter could pick
up the ball. The sphere rolled directly
on top of the chalked line, and McCloskey
ran with all his might behind the rolling
ball.
The ball and McCloskey reached
DOoley at the same time, and McCloskey
jumped aside slightly so as not to inter
1ere with Dooley. The latter seized the
ball and made swing at the runner to
touch him out, but McCloskey had
passed, and reached first base in safety
Bowman called him out for running off
the line. In the first place, McCloSkey
did not run three feet off the line, and
secondly, he could not have acted differ
emily in running to the base, for if he in
terfered with Dooley he would have been
declared out. The decision was bad, and
might or might not have affected the re-
suit Of the game.
Bowman says he acted to the best of his
Judgment in the matter, and that he had
HAS or nrpinHjca aUainSt aithar of n
teams.
San Jose won the game by a score of 5
to 3, with an inning to spare. The main
secret of the Sacramento's defeat was the
fact that they could not hit Harper when
they wanted to. Nine hits We're knock ed
out, but they were not punched and had
little effect in adding runs to the home
teams score.
The visiting club played good field
ing game, and the SacramentoS would
have divided the honors in this respect
but for remarkable bit of ball-playing
IN the eighth inning. 1t was so stupid
that it made the entire team sick at heart.
McVey hit the ball into left field, and
McCloskey ran to stop it. Hutchinson,
Peoples and Ward ran out to help him,
and McVey sprinted around to second
base, but seeing nobody guarding third
he ran for that corner. McCloskey threw
the ball TO third base, but nobody was
there to stop it and it rolled by, Spies
stopping it near the home-plate. McVey
had over-run third, and Spies threw to
catch him. Ward, Hutchinson and Hus-
tin all stood together and let the ball go
by, and McVey scored. 1t was the easiest
thing in the world.
y feature of the game was Hustin's
magnificent running catch of high foul
near the fence in front of the grand stand.
He ran all the way from the pitchers box
and captured the ball. Following is the
score: