The Washington herald., 1919-11-04
CHANGE
] MADE IN RULES
rredit Denied Batsmen For
Home Run Under Certain
Conditions.

New York. Nov. 3.-Ban Johnson's
Fali for a meeting Of the rules COM
nittee Of the two leagues should re-
Iult In much good There are many
uinor points in scoring and playing
Fuies which nigh be changed. even
hough the greater part Of the base
Psll code hardly could be improved
hpon- One rule that should be al
ered is that referring to a home run.
Cnder the rules now in effect n bats
nan who hits a ball out Of the park
n the final inning of a close game
sometimes gets only a single for
his feat, simply because a base run
per occupies third base when the hit
~ made He might get a double or
triple. according to conditions
which prevail at the time the hit is
Dade. but il there are enough rum
ners on the bases to settle the game
without his score he does not get
|credit for a home run.
This rule. providing that game
ehould end with the scoring of enough
runs to break a tie. might be changed
20 advantage for the benefit of the
|home-run hitter. He should be al
bowed to complete the circuit any
|fime he hits far enough. regardless
|of the base runners ahead of him or
|fhe score at the time. There Is no
reason why a game should
mot end with the score, to >, for
Instance. IL a batsman clouts a homer
In the ninth with the score tied and
\ runner on base His performance
lis denied part of the credit due TO il
when he has to accept a single.
double or triple for a bona fide home
| run.
When Babe Ruth was closing in on
some home-run records OF other years
1uring the latter part of the recent
campaign this point was brought up.
Suppose Ruth. after tying the best
mark of previous years, hit n ball
Into the stands in a close game with
\ runner ahead Of him on base and
one run needed to win the game. He
could not be credited with a home
run. under the present system. 1t
might be argued that Williamson.
Freeman. Cravath and other home
run hitters worked under the same
haidicap. This is true. but that does
not prove that the system should
continue forever. The home run is
the last word in hitting and the pIay-
sr who can hit one should get full
sredit regardless Of when the hit is
made.
Splitter to Die.
There appears to be little chance of
the spitball remaining in baseball
Seldom is any reform advocated which
finds so many advocates as is the
case in this particular agitation.
which has been growing for some
time, breaking out strongly within
the last few weeks. Some opposition
will develop when the time arrives for
definite action against the splitter and
other freak deliveries. as it is not
to be expected that a club owner will
legislate these deliveries out of the
game " such a rule is likely to impair
the effectiveness OF his own pitching
stan. It would be poor policy to
weaken ones own club. However,
most Of the club owners in the two
leagues are against these deliveries,
and the exponents of the deliveries
are scattered to such an extent that
the rule should go through at the De-
eember meetings. 1t is not likely to
become effective fora year. at leas
the delay giving certain pitchers op-
portunity to change their style.
IL might be added that many box
men who appear to be pitching the
spitball or the shine ball steadily do
50 only on rare occasions. The fact
that a pitcher can use the delivery
gives him the advantage of using the
motion as a threat. By going through
the preliminaries used In the freak
delivery he can keep the batsman
gpessing. and he thereby has an al
vantage which other pitchers without
> splitter or shine ball do not possess.
The spitball is used very successfully
by number of pitchers but nothing
like the number OF times that -he
fan imagines as he sees the pitcher
20 through all the motions.