Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1901-07-31
BASEBALL CHANGES.
New Regulations OF Play That Would
Puzzle Oldtimers.

New Regulations of Play That Would
Puzzle Oldtimers.
It would be puzzling experiencefor
one of the dyed-in-the-wool baseball
cranks" of the halcyon days of the
eighties to go up to the polo grounds
this season and watch modern game
of baseball. The game has changed
materially since those popular days,
and the former enthusiast would find
it no easy task to understand all Of
the plays now in vogue. In fact, it
is rather puzzling even to those who
casually follow the game from year
to year to understand all of the more
recent changes.
The rules that now govern foul
balls, for instance, are intricate. A
few years ago the national league in
troduced a law that made foul tip"
a strike against the batter if it were
caught by the catcher while standing
within the lines of his position;;" that
is, "off the bat" as old baseball play
ers know it. This year the rule
makers have gone still further, and a
foul hit which is not caught is also
counted as a strike against the batter,
unless it Is caught before it touches
the ground. This proviso, making the
foul ball a strike at one time and not
at another, complicates the game SO
that it is more difficult for the unin-
itiated spectator to follow the play
Under old rules base runner could
never advance, after a fair fly ball
had been caught, until the pitcher mad
returned to his "box" with the ball IN
his hands. Now the runner is allowed
to leave his base the instant the ball
has been caught. The result of this
is that a man on third base often
reaches home after a long fly mas
been caught in the outfeld, and some
times a runner manages to steal third
from second on such play. Unless
the fly was caught in the extreme
right field, however, the throw to
third base is much shorter than to the
home plate, and it is difficult for him
to steal the base without being put
out.
Another new rule that was put
through not many years ago requires
the umpire to declare batter out If a
fly ball that he has knocked into the
field is muffed intentionally by the
fielder. The reason for this was that
feldars often failed to catch shost fl
balls when the bases were fillesa.8y
letting the ball drop to the grouri the
runners were all forced off their ases;
and the fielders could pick it " and
make a double or perhaps ripple
play.
The old rule that permitted abat-
tor to take first base without inter-
ference if he were struck by pithed
ball was modified this year, but. ow-
ing to many complaints, has prscti-
cally been restored.
The tendency of the changes m
baseball rules in the last few years
h.5 been to make the game go faste'
and to shorten the playing time. Old
timers can remember when the pitch
er was allowed eight balls before the
chase ON balls" penalty was charged
for his wildness of delivery, but now
the pitcher is allowed only three
bad deliveries, the fourth ball" allow.
ing the batter to 90 to first base with.
out interference. With the increase
in pitching skill and the consequent
reduction of batting the game has be-
come much shorter. and now the av-
erage playing time is less than two
hours. Old "rooters" well remember
when three hours was not considered
long for a championship match.-NeW
York Tribune.