The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-02-21
HIT- -AND-RUN CAME
 IS GREAT WINNER Hal Chase Gives Reasons for
 Use of the Play SACRIFICE NOT BEST 
SACRIFICE NOT BEST
The Sacrifice Hit Has Been Overworked By Many Managers and the ResuiIt Is Loss of Games Which Might
 Otherwise Have Been Won
Ky HAL CHASE


 New York, February 2O-(Speeial.) )-The winning ability of a baseball club is no better than it's practical Knowledge of inside" play. Inside play means any number of things It applies equally to defense and offense. It embraces the cut ting off of opposing runs and the manu- facture of runs for Nyour own side. In side play implies unselfish, conscience work for the good of the team, not the individual. It means harmony-puling together in union.
 Inside baseball cannot be confined to any special marked varieties. It must assert itself in every play that happens in game. It means simply accomplish ing best results with smallest hazard But from the present development of the national pastime two things stand out most prominently as examples of the idea. These are the sacrifice hit and the hit-and-run.
 The hit-and-run is the father of the sacrifice. It was the old Baltimore club that developed the latter to its highest standard. McGraw. Keeler, Jennings and those famous Orioles were skilled bunters, and for a while they worked the play almost exclusively. Other clubs natural ly caught on The hit-and-run was for gotten for the time. The sacrifice was overworked. It was worked so persist ently that much of it's usefulness was lost.
 That's why some teams of the major leagues today have almost excluded it. They prefer the hit-and-run. But in so doing they are putting this play where the sacrifice was a couple of seasons ago. They are oyerworking it. The hit-and- run comes once more to the fore. But it should not be killed by being made an unwavering stock in trade.
 To my mind the hit-and-run dovetails into the sacrifice. The successful team is generally the one that can so cover it's designs as to keep the opposition In doubt as to which of the two plays is contemplated in a crisis. A team that pulls nothing but the sacrifice cannot get away with 1t for long. A team might use the hit-and-run exclusively with good results, but only when every man on the club is a finished batsman and a fine pldCc nlllcT. 1H6 DtSI ledfnS IIllX IQcS6 two.
 The sacrifice hit is perhaps, over worked by most managers. This is the case, at least, with the leaders who per sist in running their teams under an system. There are managers who do not give their players the credit of reasoning ability. They say: Go hit if 's t,4 out and never forgive the disobedience of such order. Now there is no manager who can think for the man at bat. Con- ditions may change in a twinkling. If a pitcher is looking for a sacrifice he can make the task a mighty diff | cult operation for the average batter 1 If he is looking for a sacrifice then that is the ideal opportunity to effectively work the hit-and-run. That is why the should be placed on his own | That is why. with the aid of live base runner he may always take a chance with the unexpected.
 The sacrifice hit is naturally an emer- gency play. AS a rule it should be worked in its routine character only in the pinch. It is almost indispensable in a tight squeeze when a run means a victory. Naturally it is least costly when Olit UT lHOic are OH DdSt WlIi1 none out. The sacrifice comedies one of the three necessary put-outs to the en- emy. Its purpose Is to advance the base runner to position where a single or long fly will result in a score
 The hit-and-run, on the other hand is not confined to such emergencies. It may be masked as an ordinary situation. Certainly it should be associated with every attempted steal, unless the run oct sfor hot f1oar te possible chance of his being headed by the catcher's throw The hit-and-run cannot be worked by the batsman alone He must have the cooperation of the runner The idea is that the runner pull one of the infelders from his natural ter ritory to cover a base for a throw. The hitter then drives the ball through the improvised gap. If the fielder does not cover the batter has simply to let the ball go unless he is in a hole. The run ner in that case gets the extra cushion unmolested.
 The batsman should generally devise the nature of an emergency play. He knows best whether he should attempt a bunt or hit it out. A curve ball is by far the easiest to place properly by bunting A batsman can follow it right to the bat. A spitball is perhaps the hardest to bunt accurately. A high, straight, fast ball is also very difficult. A right-handed batsman, in bunting. nat uraly pushes a wide ball to the first base line or pulls a close ball in the opposite direction. The reverse holds good for a 1eft-handed batsman.
 With a runner on first on sacrifice play the batsman should bunt toward first base if the first baseman is right handed. If the first baseman is left handed and fast, chances should be taken on the third base side. The throw to man under such conditions than 1t would be for a eft-handed first sacker.
 To advance man from second to third the batsman should always lay the ball down the third line. It pulls that fielder off the bag and forces him to play for the batter. If the shortstop covers third. or if the pitcher fields the ball there is a chance to pinch the runner at the third cushion, especially if the pitcher
 is a southpaw But under ordinary cir cumstances, especially if the runner gets away as he should, he is absolutely safe The time lost by the fielders in turning almost completely round to throw to third makes it almost impossible to play for any but the first base.
 When I smell a sacrifice play I always signal the pitcher to take the bunt, if to the right of him. l go in for any thing to the left toward my side. The second baseman covers first and the shortstop second. This leaves our defense in pretty good shape should the batter cross us and attempt to hit it out.
 There are certain players for whom I rarely ever go away in. These are such