Evening journal., 1909-06-16
SCORING CODE is
OFTEN FORGOTTEN
Hits are Not Always Given in
Accordance With PrOYi
SiOnS Of Rules

Many spectators az ball games and
some who are sent 90 bail games IN other
capacities have been prone this year to
fam into the old error in regard TO base
hits and errors-that Is. II the ball hap
pens TO be touched by fielder and the
batter is not put out an error must be
scored.
Some 20 years ago OF % years ago.
this manner OF procedure was accepted
in baseball as scoring in those days was
blind sort OF a proceeding in which
the recording OF plays was fully as me-
chanical as the work of the players on
the field.
In time there came change. Some
Of the men who were foremost ia writ
ing up baseball topics began to take
cognizance Of the fact that they had
been doing players an injustice by at
tributng blunders to them when. as
matter of fact. they were being asked
to achieve the impossible
The leading scorers Of tho time modi-
fed the radical views which had been
held as TO the performances Of the play
ers on the field. and they were assisted
largely by Harry Wright whose com
nonsense ideas about scoring upset the
dogmatic traditions of certain stubborn
individuals, who would have II that a
ball player should he able 10 stand on
one leg touch one car 10 the ground and
still throw the runner out at first when
he was hardly able 20 touch the ball
with one hand.
inexperienced scorers are inclined TO
return to ideas which were discarded
long since and some mistakes which
have been made now and then would
lead 10 the impression that n knowledge
of tho scoring rules has not been at
tained.
Base hits bother not a few. A com
mon, ordinary plain open and shut base
hit seldom worries anybody When Il
comes TO point where more than one
thing is to be considered, there are some
who seem to forget that positive rules
In the code. laid down by the major
leagues, determine what action should
be taken.
For instance, note this. The cooe
says: "When a fair hit BAN Is partially
or wholly stopped by fielder In motion.
: but such player cannot recover himself
In time to field the ball TO first before
the striker reaches that base, or 10 force
out another base runner, a base hit shall
be scored"
That rule is as plain as the English
language can make it; It when a River
view player broke down grounder
back Of second base some time ago-he
was lucky 10 get that close to the ball
he was charged with an error by some
who Witnessed the game The rule says
that he should not have becn. but that
the batter should have been given a
base hit. 20 which he was entitled.
Another section IN regard 20 base hits
says: when the ball IS hit with such
force TO an inhelder. or pitcher, that he
cannot handle Il in time to put out the
batsman or force out n haserunner, a
base hit shall be scored. In case or
doubt over this class Of hits base hit
should be scored and the fielder ex-
empted from the charge Of an error
The other day a ground hit was whip
ped into Lewis, Of Parkslde, like a fash.
; He knocked the BAH down with his
hands and In doing 50 also knocked II
between his feet Trying to scramble
around TO get the bail he pushed It
further away from him, and in the end
the batter was safe.
Many thought Il was an error II was
not II was exactly one OF those plays
which the rule that has just been cited
was intended to cover. He could not
handle the ball in time TO get the bat
ter.