The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-07-16
Sporting NeWs
DISCUSSION OF
CINCINNATI HIT
Experts Disagree as to Justice in Moth
cd of Scoring Considered Joke
by Most Scorers.

The Cincinnati base hit method of
scoring is being widely discussed NV
baseball writer's and other authorities
The Springfield Republican, FOLLOWING
a raw exemp1ifcation of that method
OF scoring fielder s choice. wrote 70
some OF the experts and published the
following comprehensive article:
An interesting play showing up the
weakness OF the claims for the so-coIIed
Cincinnati base hit arose duripp tba
recent Pittsfield series in this citv
Howard Baker of Pittsfield was on
second base with none out when Gouob
came to bat. Cough sent a grounder
straight to More, the Springfield pitch
en- There is no doubt in the minds Of
anybody that More could have thrown
out Cough at first base at any time
even the delayed instant when bo
heaved to third base The throw was
all right but the runner was safe at
third base, play all around being clean
Cough by any sense of Justice could
never be credited with hit on sucb
a play, though naturally he and the
other Pittsteld players differed with
the scoring of his play as a fielder 5
choice. Cough claimed a Cincinnati
base hit
The play was not a hit anyway vo1,
look at it and the only excuse for cali
ing 1t one of these Cincinnati fpkes
/ IS to agree with the baseball rules com.
mittee of the big leagues. That does
not make il hit. though. and that
committee has not convinced so very
many that the Cincinnati affair is con
sistent with good judgment.
William Harridge, secretary of the
American league, says Cincinnati base
ants are ''onlv given on unsuccessful
/ forces. Yet Mr.. Harridge saws he
WoHld have given Cough hit. His
/ logic is weak, for there was no force a+
/ all to Cough $ play. Secretary HevdIer
/ OF the National league SAYS Cough is
entitled to a Cincinnati hit. Billy Han
/ ma OF the New York Sun, one of tbe
/ tIeNefest sporting writer's in the land.
anu the best of them all in many re-
/ Spects, would give Cough a hit Mr.
llama IS member of that committee
Whlch put the Cincinnati hit into use
/ lie says the more he sees of the Gin
cInnati hit the better he likes if.
When batter so hits the ball as 10
advance runner and reach first him
self without error being made saws
BlIlY, he brings to a successful cul-
mlnatlon play which, the wav | see
1T, entities him to a hit Mr.. Hanna
| hgures that when a batsman develops
| such situation that forces the fielder
to choose quickly between two points
to throw to is doing something and
When ne advances a runner and reaches
llrst base himself, no error resultino he
! does all that could he asked for a nit
irving Z. Sanborn of the CHICAGO
Tribune, one Of the keencst OF baseball
minds, would score a fieIder's choice
tor Cough. But he saws if he were
sending in his official score he would
have to call it a hit. as these are the
instructions to major league scorers
ofhclally. Says Mr.. Sanborn: 1.-the
great majority of scorers disregard the
Cincinnati base hit altogether and treat
1T as joke, but the few who do score
II make it unfair to batsmen in other
cities, unless it is scored that way in
the official scores There is move
ment on foot among the writer's 10
untangle the mess during the winter.
but | 10 not know if ANYTHING viii
come of it. =
n
natl base hit, which really was intend
ed to cover cleanly-played unsuccessful
forces, but evidently can cover clean
ly-played infield failures of another
stripe. The batsman is getting credit
Tor something he does not do The
American association has thrown the
Cincinnati base hit overheard, and in
the small leagues the play is often
scored that way for no other reason
than that the big leagues have voted it
proper. The Eastern association stvle
OF scoring IS go-as you-please affair.
10 revert to that particular play in
cough S case-with q man on first and
Cough s grounder going to the pitcher,
Cough would be credited with a Gin
clnnati hit if the play at second was
unsuccessful, but not erratic, for the
sake of uniformity for the Eastern
ASSOCIATION scorers, without advice
from anybody, are following what they
consider the big league style In such
q case the offense has more work on
ITS hands and the defense has less work
to do IN making the force than it
would have in the case of Baker on
second and nobody on first 1t was
not case of getting the ball over to |
the base ahead Of the runner Baker /
had to be touched by the ball before
he got to third base, and he avoided /
being touched by his own speed and
skill and not by any special effort of
the batsman. There would be as much |
justice in crediting the runner stolen |
base under the circumstances. and I
there is no sense to either 1t seems /
a funny situation to reward one fellow |
for the bright work of another. If I
Baker had been less speedy, had been
hemmed in on the base lines and had /
been forced to go back to second, no
error resulting, the Cincinnati squad /
would have scored the play fielder s
choice on the same batting action. But
because. of Baker s skill in the case
that actually happened, they would re-
ward another man.