Evening star., 1919-03-05
BASE BALL ON THE INSIDE
WITH BILLY EVANS

Does play automatically cease the
moment a player is put out OF the
same? What should be done with
any action that might take place
after the player was elected? These
two questions developed last summer
in a minor league game. The fol-
lowing situation existed when the
dispute came up:
1t was the last half of the ninth
inning, with the visiting team lead
ing, to !. The first man up for
the home team went out on an easy
fly to the left fielder. The next bat
ter hit safely. The hit-and-run sign
was flashed. and when the third man
up singled sharply to right field the
runner on first base went to third,
the batter reaching second on the
throW-in. The play at third was
close, the umpire declaring the rum
ner safe, mucn TO the disgust OF the
third baSeman. who made strenuous
protest. After it seemed the dis
pute had been settled the pitcher got
on the rubber ready TO deliver the
ball Just then the third baseman,
still paying his respects to the UNI
pire, said something that failed to
agree with the Official, VINO inme-
diately put him out or the game
The pitcher, not knowing what had
happened, started TO wind up, after
the third baseman had been re
moved He went through with the
delivery. ignorant of the fact that
his third sacker had been put out
of the game. The third baseman paid
no attention to the order OF the un
pire. The batsnlan hit long ny
t.Ff GaId
muffed and followed with poor re-
turn. so that before 1t could be re-
trieved all three runners had scored
apparently winning the bail game Tor
the homo team The umpire. now
ever, soon let it be known this was
not the case.
With major league umpires, the mo-
ment a player is put out OF the game
tim automatically is called. Csualiy
when l decide TO remove Player, the
first thing / do is to call time: tnen let
the athlete know his fate. Often after
letting the player know he is through
I veil time almost in the same breath.
RfIt even IL | didn't yell time before
or after the penalty. I would consider
play suspended, and that being the
case, no bases can be run or runs
scored
In the play described the umpire had
only one course to pursue. Tine OATS
man who hit the long fly should
have batted again. while the runners
who had scored from second and third
on the hit should have been sent
back to the bases they originally oc-
cupied l feel the moment an umpire
puts player out of the game he al
ways should regard play suspended,
and under no conditions allow any
thing to stand that happened after
the player was elected.
There also is another angle to bear
out the contention I have made. The
moment a player is sent from the
field by the umpire, the numbers Of
players actively engaged in play is
cut down from nine to eight. The
rules specifically state in no case
shall more or less than nine men be
allowed to play on side in a game.
Thus in reducing the number of men
to eight, because of the removal of
the third baseman from the game.
play was really suspended for another
reason.
Offhand il might seem il would be
i'm poss bile for team TO try 10 play
with less than nine men, and rule
TO that effect was entirely unneces-
sary, yet such a thing has happened,