The national forum., 1910-09-17
PUNISH PITCHERS
Who Nit BAT TER !?
Penalty Should Be Imposed ON
TWirIer For Such an 0ffense,
GIVE BATSMEN THREE BASES,
SIabbists Then Would Be Compelled to
Use More Discretion Boxnen, as a
Rulo, Do Not Intentionally Hit Man
at Plate.

h6tVf %N WV NtIk "dH
at Plate.
Many close students of baseball are
of the opinion that the penalty inipos.
ed on pitchers for hitting batsmen is
altogether too light. 1t Is suggested
that the batter who is hit by pitcher
should be allowed to take more than
one base. Some suggest that IL fine
or suspension was imposed on pitch
er every time he hit batter there
would probably be decided decrease
in the "hit by pitcher" part Of the
tabulated scores.
1t is argued there is no satisfaction
in awarding first base when II team
may lose the services for weeks Of one
Of its best players. II the man hit
were allowed to take second or third
base instead of first there would be
fewer wild inshoots and fewer men
struck. Pitchers then would be com
PEELED to use little more discretion
and so many balls would not shoot by
within sixteenth of an inch of
players head. If the pitcher found
that by hitting a man he gave that
player third base and stood In ieop-
ardy Of giving the opposing team a
score he would soon change his tac-
tics.
Some may argue that certain play
ers would walk into the ball and take
a chance of getting hit If third base
were the penalty. but the umpire usu-
ally can decide this point No man is
going to walk into swiftly thrown
ball IL he can help himself, and those
who tried to bump into floater would
not be able to get their point
Pitchers, as a rule, do not Intention
ally try to hit or cripple batsman.
although there have been cases where
strong suspicion was raised by twrI-
er's wild" heaves. A case in point
arose during the first game of dou-
BILE header played In New York last
June between the Highlanders and the
Athletics. Russell Ford was pitching
for New York and Cy Morgan for the
Quakers. Twice Morgan pitched the
ball directly at Ford's head. The sec
ond effort grazed the peak of Ford's
cap He was allowed to take first
base, but he was so completely un-
nerved that the Athletics knocked him
out of the box in the next inning.
1t was said at the time after the
awful howl Connie Mack set up last
fall when Ty Cobb spiked Jack Barry,
that the manager of the Athletics was
somewhat inconsistent In allowing such
tactics.
Through being hit by pitched balls
some of the best batsmen In the game
fell Off in their stick work for months,
and some never got back to their orig
fnal form. Hughey Jennings and Billy
Lauder are In the list. Freddie Parent
was never again as good as before he
was hit by pitched ball. Danny
Hoffman was winged by Jesse Tenne-
hill. almost killed. and has never since
been able to face with any confidence
left hand pitcher. Birdie Cree of the
New York Americans was put on the
injured list for long time through
the same cause
Walter Johnson, the speed merchant
OF the Washington club has a record
for this seeming wildness that some
times looks intentional. He put Harry
Lord. the Boston captain, out of bust
ness for awhile.
Big league pitchers admit that they
use ''bean" on dangerous batsmen in
order TO drive them away from the
plate. Fans can see for themselves
that often when the pitcher is in a hole
and a good batter up the twirler will
send the ball as close to the batsman
as is possible to deliver it. His inten-
ton is to shake the confidence of the
hitter and make him back away. He
figures that the next couple of balls he
can curve over and get the batsman in
a hole Sometimes the first ball comes
too fast for the batsman to get out OF
the way and he is laid out.