The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-20
BOSTON'S SCIENTIFIC PLAY,
THE FIRST BALL CLUE TO INTRODUCE
TEAM HORK AT THE BAT

|
scheme. aud Trick. That BID Fair to re.
voiutionize Ba-ebnn-Mnnnger Ward Hn.
Made study of the Champions and How
They Are Winning So Many Gnme.-Hend
| Work md Signals with Men on Bases
Tho wonderful playing of the champion Bos.
| tons this season Is attracting attention every.
| where. Although their pitchers are moro
effective than those Of other teams. the HUB
| nine continue 4. win games from every
club in the Id s,o The easy manner
In which they have captured three out of tho
| last four games with the Philadelphia has
| been something In the nntGre Of a surprise 10
| close observers OF baseball science. and nearly
every one is ready to concede the champions
| ship OF 1893 to them.
| The Bostons have played consistently from
the start. They have not won by spurts, but they
| have resorted to tho same successful methods
away from homo that have made them almost
! invincible on their own stamping ground
| The PLAYERS OF the Boston team are probably
| the most scientific in the land. They not only
| use their bats and hands cleverly. but they
| use their brains too. They have always been
expert in what is known as team play in tho
| field" but they are the first baseball nine in
| this country to employ successfully what Is
known to them as team play at the bat and
! the Bostons must receive credit for introduce
ing new style Of play that bids fair to revolu-
| tionize baseball all over the land.
Manager John M. Ward OF the New Works Is
| the first player to discover the Bostons new
| system. and has made q careful study OF it.
| until he has become familiar with the various
| tricks and schemes which alone are winning
| games for the champio He says the work
| OF the Bostons at the bat and on bases has
l,fin 10 aim nd In nlnip fl,,t
no team has ever dared 10 try such methods
since the game was first born. Ward says that
the Bostons' work will soon put sacrifice hit
ting on tho shelf. and TINT every team in tho
league will sooner or later fall In line.
"Ihave never in my twelve years e1peri-
ence on the diamond" said Ward the other
day. "seen such skilful playing. The Boston
players use more headwork and signals than
any other team in the country. and that aloncis
the reason why they can win the championship
with such apparent ease. Mccarthy is tho
chief schemer. He is the man who has intro
duced this new style OF play into the team. and
he has been ably assisted by Nash Duffy.
Long, Lowe. and Carroll These men have the
utmost confidence in one another's ability to
carry out instructions, and they work together
as one man.
"'Team work in the field used to he Q
prime factor in pennant- win ming team. but
now team work at the bat is the latest wrin-
kle. and the Bostons have it down fine. one
thing that has facilitated their innovation isan
ability to bat scientifically and run bases moro
swiftly than players OF other teams. But t,
this ability must be added headwork. a COM
plete system OF signals. and confidence in
themselves and one another. have made
study of tho play of this team. and I
find that they have won many games by scor-
ing nearly twice as many runs as they mado
hits. also learned that II they got a man on
first base with none out. the chances were 10
to that the man would score. But they do
not get him around to the plate by sacrificing.
NO. haIs Ss Tint do By
ers q the game ,qY e. when tnsy see it done;
Under the Old style Of play a sacrifice would be
the thnG Then hen the on first would
The Bostons. however. work this scheme. The
man on fret makes a. bl4t r., attsmpt to steal
comes known whether the second baseman or
the his bs
going to steal on !. certain pitched bsll. The
oseupissd only a. moment before by
base That lie. il the ' second bsseman covers
the bag. the batter pushes the bali slowly, to
pGhea Of anSts sssp it Ees
sskiltu! batter to do this; but they have such
man Who has, has already started to steal teal
the hatsman is safe at first. Then the trick is
tried over again and in most cases success.
to steal. and when the batsman learn who IS
to cover, second base he pushes the ball out
first reaching third. and the batsmnn gaining
first. They keep this thin up until there's a
s sP nut tine Sppo5bns teams strange to say
Then there's another play, with man on
to be Ione U
first. Duffy takes ground while Long, watch-
Ing the signals moves away n from d third ~.
pitcher throws the ball to the. first basemnn.
put Long having received the signal before
dash for the plate and gets there in nine eases
scheme. with we'll say Long on third and Duhy
on first. with two out. is this: Duff, gives
in his Isnd =, The pitcher e, Is ia. taken 50
and runs back toward drst but before the "p!
Long. who star,ed the instant a ut Dufy wv m n'T
break for second has scored. Then Duhy al
been made. Then they work another trick
under the same circumstances. DUFFY take
q signal to Long to watch the catcher. sud
denly the catcher who has been waiting for
throws the ball to the first baseman Long
rushes for the plate and Duffy goes right n
for second. The first basemau. as a rule. not
expecting such a play is hewildered lust long
ennnghto let Long cross the plate.
There's an old ElHy. too. that they work
most successfully. With men on first and Sec
ond bases is the time for it,, Let's put McCar.
thy on second and Nash on first. Nash signals
to Mccarthy that he is going to draw a throw
to 1rst from the catcher. The moment ths
catcher = arm is drawn back to throw, McCnr-
thy dashes to third and Nash allows himself
70 be caught between first and second McCar-
thy having reached third. edges toward tho
home plate. But he waits until the fielder
nearest first throws to "A fielder near second 20
run Nash down before attempting to srorc.
Or course there are more chances
II McCarthy's favor when the, hail 10
thrown to the plate from second than thcrn
would be IL the first baseman threw il. The
Brooklyns tried this trick on the New Y"rhs
last Tuesday. Foutz was on second and Bur'lS
was on first. Burnst took ground OF first. lrt.
when when. the throw was drawn; Foutz didn't start
AS said in the first place, 1t takes speedy
Dase runners and clever hitters to work rl"1'
Wrinkles; hut Long. Lowe. Mccarthy, n."N.
tucker; Nash. and Carroll are Just sucn nm