Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-26


| That question in past years has been the
| subject of much comment. In past years
section of rule As which governs balls
batted outside the ground read as follows:
\ fair batted ball that Eoes over
| the fence or into the stand shall
| cntitIe the batsman to home rum
| unless ii should pass out of the
| ground or into stand at n less
| distance than 235 feet from the
| home base. In w htch case the bats
i man shall be entitled to only two
| bases.
i There have been several cases where
| a batter after making a nome run by
| hitting the ball over the fence has care
| lessly neglected to touch a certain base
, In such a case. if a. member of the team
i in the field called the attention OF the
umpire to the play 1t has been customary
! for the umpire to put new ball in play
and upon Il visiting player touching the
| base missed to declare out the batter
who hit the ball over the fence. The UNI
| pire in such plays has always quoted rule
| 50 to substantiate such ruling. That
rule relates to the scoring of runs and
/ specifically says:
Ono run shall be scored every time
| n base runner. after having legally
| touched the first three bases, shall
legally touch home place before
three men are put out
Rules Conflict.
At a. glance it can be seen that these
| two rules conflict. One states that the
batter is entitled to home run when
he hits ball over a fence which is the
| required distance from the home plate.
Yet the other rule says a run cannot be
scored unless the runner touches all the
| bases. Many managers have commended
| that since home run entitled the bat
| ter to score, it was impossible to put MIN
out, regardless of his failure to touch the
| bases. The rules committee by the add
! ton of one short sentence has made deli
| mite the duties Of the batter after he hits
| a ball over the fence. The sentence which
| follows the rule quoted above reads as
! follows:
In either event, the batsman must
| touch the bases in the regular or
| der.
| Plays in which the batter interferes at
the plate have long puzzled many people
who profess to know the game pretty
| we'll. Just who should be declared out on
such plays have often created much argu-
| ment and discussion. Reading rule 81
which follows would lead one to believe
! that the batter was always out. 1t Is as
| follows:
| The batsman is out IL he attempt
| to hinder the catcher from fielding
| or throwing the ball by stepping
| outside the Hnes~Of tie batsman's
| position, or in any way obstructing
|
Bars Interference.
A perusal of the above would make it
seem that on all interference plays at
| the plate the batter was always out.
Such, however, is.not the case. Further
down in the playing code, to be exact
section 10 Of rule So we find another in
depreciation. That section reads as fol-
| lows:
| The base runner is out If, with one
! or NO one out and a base runner On
third base, the batsman interferes
with a play Mt the plate.
Thus again we have sharp conflict.
| One rule says the batter is always out
| when interfering with the catcher; then
| an exception appears. Briefly, the inter-
probation of the two rules is as follows:
| With runners on any base other than
! third, the batsman Is always out when
| interfering with the catcher; with run
| ner on third and one or no one out, the
| runner Is out If the batsman interferes
with G. play at the plate; with two out and
! a. runner on third, the batsman is out if
he interfere with a play at the plate. The
| rules committee has got away with the
| conflict this year by adding the follow
! ing clause at the bottom of section , of
| rule 81:
| Except that the batsman shall not
be out under this section IL the base
runner be declared out according to
section 15 of rule SO.
| Several years ago the rules committee
! decided that any time a fielder stopped a
| batted ball by throwing his glove or
| cap at the ball the batter was entitled
| to three bases. No action was taken on
a thrown ball. Umpires in the big leagues
| in the few instances that such a play
! has come up have always granted the
runners two bases, just as If the ball
went into the stand or players bench,
| which is the rule covering that point.
! This year the committee has incorpo-
rated a clause in the code which gov
ems the throwing of cap or glove at a
| thrown ball. Section of rule "a now
| reads:
Must Not Throw Gloves.