The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-09-10
CAYLOR'S BALL GOSSIP.
The Pitched Ball Penalty and the
Forearm Exception.
"Reminiscences OF Curt welcb-Men
Who Used Superscientific Methods.

There died recently at East Liverpool,
O., an ex- baseball player whose name was
almost forgotten, although less than ten
years ago he was public idol. IL serves
90 illustrate the skyrocket character OF a
ball players popularity. But the death of
this star player ~ the eighties recalls the
fact that he was one of three men of his
profession who was the cause Of special
baseball legislation which Is today part
and parcel OF the playing code OF the ma
tional game.
There Is "a rule which gives batsman
base when ho is hit by u pitched ball. If
the ball touches any part of his clothing
or uniform, he Is entitled To the base just
the Same as when it hits him with full
force. But there Is one exception, and it
Is that exception for which the dead player,
Curtis Welch was responsible. If the bats
man be hit on the forearm or hand, the
rule docs not apply. Hundreds Of specta-
tors have maryeled over the apparent In
justice OF this exception. In the same
game they have seen batsman trot TO IA
base because pitched ball grazed his shirt
without oven making It's force felt and
have seen another players hand, wrist or
forearm badly bruised without the pen
atty attaching therefor. Anybody who has
knowledge Of the nerve distribution In the
human body need not be told that u bruise
on the hand or wrist is more painful and
will cripple man quicker and for n great
er length Of time than similar bruise on
the upper arm or other parts VI the body.
james Stafford, left fielder OF the New
York team, has just resumed his place on
the nine after an enforced absence Of two
months caused by one OF the small bones
In his right forearm being fractured In two
places by IA pitched ball Yet for that blow
he didn't get a base because of the strange
exception to the rule which exeppts tho
forearm from tho penalty. For that excep-
tion Curtis Welch was responsible
When the rule was first adopted which
gave q batsmnn base on balls for being
hit with "a pitched ball its intent was TO
check dangerous habit which some pitch
ers bad of intimidating batsmen by pur-
posely trying to hit them or by seeing how
nearly TO il they could come. Mullane was
"a chief offender In that method, and he
soon had imitatora Hence the rule was
made TO penaliae the practice and protect
batsmen, and when the first rule was
drawn up and adopted there was no excep-
tion Of any part of the batsman's body.
But Curtis Welch, then one of the brightest
stars OF COinl6Kcys FAMOUS TOUR tlineS
winners, the St Louis Browns, invented q
system Of beating the rule. 4" He would
stand, leaning well over the plate, as If
ready to bunt the ball and then as If try
ing To get his arms out Of the way of the
ball, would let 1t grazc his wrist or the
sleeve Of his shirt He had this practice
down SO fine" that his calculations sell
dom missed it by the smallest fraction of
an inch and nothing more serious than a
slight external bruisc, and seldom that,
even came from his practice. But many q
close game was won for the Browns 10y the
trick. Thon the lawmakers of the Ameri-
can association got together and by this bit
of special legislation put quietus on the
Welch wrist trick" The National League
adopted the amendment for the sake OF
uniformity and there it stood, even after
Wcleh, the only player who ever used the
practice, retired from the profession, and
there IL stands today
That was one of three special rules aimed
Mt what one might call spperscientiflc play
ing. One OF tho other two is the rule