Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-12
SCIENTIFIC BALL
HASCHANGED CAME
DUTIES OF PLAYERS HAVE
BEEN TRANSFORMED
MEN COVER MORE TERRITORY
All Players Except Pitcher Do More
Work Now Than They Did
Decade Ago-Raseball
MEN COVER MORE TERRITORY

The game of baseball as it is now
played-scientif1c baseball we call it-has
so changed in the past ten years that
the duties of the men playing the various
positions have undergone a complete
transformation. Outfelders are no longer
expected to dash in on low line balls
and diving headlong scoop them out of
the dust.
The cold blooded scientific method says:
PLAY it safe and hold the hit to a sin
gle. Take it on an easy bound so it can
not pass you and go for three bases.'
The first baSeman has been converted
from numbering slugger whose fielding
injunction was to stand firmly anchored
to the bag into the modern mitted marvel
o. lering all kinds of ground, dashing in
for bunts and shifting all over the in
| field to care for the various types of
hitters.
The new game has pulled the second
baseman far over toward first base and
out into right field 1t has made the
catcher the pivot of the team work, de-
to tap little ones to the infield far more
essential than the power of lacing the
sphere against the fence.
In fact, modern baseball has given
more work to everybody but the pitcher,
and this is said with the full knowledge
of the fact that he has to field many
bunts.
The tendency of specialization has
operated in the national game just as it
has In all other fields of endeavor where
trained ability is required. The baseball
strategist looks upon his twirler as hold
ing the success of his team in his hands.
So he keeps the slabmen wrapped up in
cotton. The pitcher today is asked TO
fool the opposing batsmen and field bunts.
That is all. No one expects him to hit,
run or catch flies.
When ball goes above the infield the
pitcher stands hopelessly in the box whila
catcher, third baseman and short stop
h
of men after the ball always creates some
confusion. 1t may be fly so easy that
a kid on the lot could pull it down one
handed but they all look to each other
panic-stricken till finally, at the critical
moment, some one jumps out from the
bunch usually, the one who Is the farth-
est away, makes an almost impossible
effort and gets the ball that would have
been a joke for the pitcher
The theory that rules out the pitcher is
that he may hurt a finger while hauling
down high one; But in practice some
twirler will handle the hardest hits and
will go after lightning grounders that
are urged along by the sluggers' bats.
Sometimes it is undoubtedly good judg-
ment to let the catcher take the high
flies that he can reach, for he not only
profits by having on the big NIT but he
generally has the sun at his back. This,
however, applies to the backstop alone
The pitcher is on an equality with the
other outfielders as far as exposure to
the disconcerting rays of old Sol go.
Fifteen years ago the pitcher used to
catch everything that came near him and
the twirlers of that time wore no gloves
but faced the cannonading with bare
hands. So too, the pitcher has been
eliminated as a hitting and base running
factor Nobody expects him to run. The
most that is looked for is that he strike
out quickly or lay down a sacrifice
When he gets on the bases unless the
| to take 1t easy lest he spend his
strength and be in no condition to spin
the leather during the next inning
old!