The Washington times., 1913-07-30
GAME IN CHICAGO
FURNISH les APOSER
Baseball Sandots Often Furnishes Situations Not Covered
by the Rules But the White Sox- Tigers Con-
test Contained Peculiar Play

Most of the plays which show up the
insufficiency of the present code of
baseball rules occur on the lots or in
the non-professional games played by
boys and men who probably never saw
the inside OF a rule book and have
gained most Of their ideas of the game
from tradition. Occasionally, however,
the majors with their experts and wise
managers furnish conundrum-that Is
hard to solve.
The historic Merkle incident is fresh
in memory, and so is the more recent
case of Dick Cotter, who went to bat
out of turn and won a ball game
that was afterward thrown out With
in the last few weeks there was a
narrow escape from a tangle in an
American League game which probably
would have gone long way toward
stirring up the magnates to bring about
something like real reconstruction Of
the playing code.
his managers command stood between
the White SoX and a history making
tangle. In the game of Nav % at Co
miskey Park between Chicago and Dee
troit Ted Easterly was sent to bat for
Joe Berger in the last half of the tenth
inning. The score was tied at two runs
apiece, and there was one home player
out. Willett, who was slabbing for the
Tigers. gave Easterly base on balls.
Callahan Yelled.
AS soon as the fourth ball was caught
Manager Callahan yelled to Easterly to
come back to the bench, which in the
Sox park is on the third base side of
the home plate. Rollie Zeider was over
by first base coaching for the Sox and
it was the managers intention to put
Zeider on to run for Easterly.. Con-
sequently he thought he would save
Ted the apparently needless journey
from home plate to first base and back
TO the Sox bench.
Easterly did not hear the call of
the manager, so proceeded to first base,
ard there learned he was to be sue
ceeded by Zeider, who had only to step
from the coachers box to first base.
While Easterly was Ieisurely going back
to the bench Lord made single which
drove Zeider around to third base, and
an instant later a wild pitch let him
score the winning run. which terminated
the game
Not until some time later did it occur
to Manager Callahan to think what
would have been the result II Easterly
had heard the call and had not pre-
vented the Sox manager from pulling
bone play" that would have increased
his nOtoriety II not his reputation as
manager. And what would have been
the actual result no one yet has figured
out.
Lapse In the Rule.
II Easterlv had not proceeded to first
base after being given a pass there
surely would have been a lapse of
ninety feet, or nearly that distance.
IN the winning run of the White SoX.
Easterly would not have made the trip
to first base and neither would Zeider
he already
first If Zeider had gone out from the
Sox bench and taken up Easterly's jour-
nev at home plate, going from their to
first. all would have been well, OF
course. as a player mag be substituted
for another at any time, according to
the rules.
There is no doubt about the intent
Of the rules that somebody must cover
the entire distance of 300 feet from
home plate around to home plate in
not specify that the round trip must
be continuous, for that might be con-
strued in the baCkwoods into ruling out
all runs not scored without stopping at
any of the bases. But there Is no ques-
ton about the necessity of covering the
whole journey in some way or other.
Hit Over the Fence.
This is shown by the compulsory and
perfunctory trip a player makes after
hitting a fair ball over the fence. 1t IS
a home run, and the tally is as good as
the instant the ball disappears
from the umpire's view on or over fair
ground. But the fortunate and pleased
Datsman must go through all the mo-
tiCns of completing the circuit as II the
bali were inside the lot with a couple
1f outfielders running a race in an ef-
tort 10 stop him before he could COM
Dlete the round.
lad TO. go from the plate to first base
after Easterly had been given a base |
On balls. what would have been the