Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1888 — BASE-BALL. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BASE-BALL.

A'Highly Interesting Chapter on the American National Game. Some Noteworthy Episodes of the Fast Season’s Flay. Welch’s Trick—A Wonderful Triple Play—Death on the Ball Field. [NEW YORK CORRESPONDENCE.] Henry Chadwick, the well-known baseball expert, was asked to tell about several of the remarkable episodes of the past season’s play, as he had witnessed them. “Just about the most noteworthy,” he replied, “was that which marked the game of May 21st, at Philadelphia, between the Chicago and Philadelphia nines. The game opened favorably for Chicago, but in the second innings

a play occurred which virtually enabled the Philadelphia team to turn the tide of expected defeat into that of a wellearned victory. In thia innings, after two men were out, Flint, of the Chicagoes, hit a long high ball to the extreme end of the left field, on which he easily secured third base; but thinking that he could score a home run on the hit, instead of stopping at third, he continued on to the home plate. In the meantime McCarthy had run for the ball, with Wood after him to assist in returning it in, and though Flint had nearly reached third base before McCarthy could handle the ball in the out-fiek], so prompt was his throw in to Wood —half way down at left field —and so swift and accurate was Wood’s forwarding of the ball to the catcher, Clement, at home base, that Flint was landed out just before he reached the plate, the mcst enthusiastic applause greeting this fine piece of out-fielding. The Philadelphia team eventually won the game by 4 to 3, and chiefly from preventing flint’s home run as they did in the second innings. “Thompson, the noted right-fieldei’ of the Detroit team, was the victim of a rather amusing accident which occurred in the game played at Detroit . on July 5, between the Detroit and Boston teams. The accident occurred in the innings in which the Detroits virtually won the game. Rowe was on third base, and Thompson was at first. Thompson started to steal second base, and Rowe at the same time ran from third for home base. On the throw to second, Sutton, who had the ball, seeing that he could not throw the ball back in time to have Rowe put out at the home plate, turned his attention to catching Thompson between the bases. As the latter ran back to first base he made a big slide in, feet foremost, but did not slide far enough to avoid the ball, and consequently was put out. Just here came in the amusing part of the occurrence, for, while the players walked in from the field, Thompson lay at full length on the ground, making no effort to rise beyond a sitting posture. At first it was thought he was hurt, and some of the players went to him to rise; then it was, however, that it was discovered that he had torn his breeches in such a manner that it was impossible for him to get up, right before the grand stand, without making an awkward exposure of himself. Morrill, who was standing by Thompson, called to Richardson to bring him his coat, and a large water-proof coat was procured, and, with this covering him, Thompson walked to the club house and there changed his torn breeches

for another pair. The occupants of the stand were convulsed with laughter when they learned the true intent of Thompson’s accident. “In a game at St. Louis, last July, between the champions and the Metropolitans, Welch, the St. Louis cen-ter-fielder, played one of his characteristic tricks on the opposing players, which resulted in Nelson’s failure to score a run on Orr’s long three-base hit, and kept Orr on first base instead of his reaching third, as he might easily have done. It is a rule of play in base-

running when runners are on the bases for them to watch, the ball closely in the case of a long, high hit to the outer field, so as to be able to do one of two things promptly, and that is either to run on the apparent failnre of the fielder to get under the ball for a catch, or to be ready with one foot on the base they occupy to run to the next base the moment the apparently sure catch is made. In the case in question Nelson was on second when Orr hit a long, high ball to right center which really insured the scoring of Nelson’s run, and the giving to Orr his third base on the hit. But Welch, in running to catch the ball, tried a trick on the runners which succeeded admirably. As he ran out to get under the ball, though he saw that it was going beyond his reach for a catch, and would surely strike the fence at center field, he settled himself -with lifted hands in such a manner as to lead the runners to think that a catch would be certain. So Nelson waited on second base until the catch should be made, ready to start for third the moment the ball was handled. To his disgust, however, he saw it returned from the fence and picked up by W elch, and before Nelson could get a chance to leave second the ball was back in the infield, and Orr had to be content with a single base for his hit for three bags. “One of the best tests of a pitcher’s skill which the progress of a game presents is that afforded by the position in which the first man at the bat in an innings play makes a three-base hit, and obliges the pitcher to put forth his very best efforts in the form of skillful strategic play in the position, in order to prevent the base-runner from scoring his run. A striking illustration of this point was shown in the contest at Philadelphia on May 21, between the Philadelphia and Chicago teams. In the eighth innings of this game, while the Chicago team were within one of tying the Philadelphia team’s score, Sunday, the Chicago outfielder, opened the innings at the bat with a clean base-hit to left center field, on which he earned third base. Ferguson was in the box as the Philadelphia pitcher, and the point he had to attend to was to keep Sunday on third while pitching out the next three batsmen. He began by retiring Ryan —the next batsman—out on strikes. Sullivan came next, and after two strikes had been called on him he was retired on a foul fly. Next came Daly, and lie, too, after barely escaping being put out on strikes, was finely caught out on a sharp fly tip, and this left Sunday on third base, the innings play ending in a blank. It was a feat in strategic pitching well worthy of special record. “In the contest at Chicago, on Sept. 15, between the Chicago and New York teams, a point of play occurred which plainly pointed out the necessity for the introduction of an amendment to the rules regulating the position at the

bat of players whose names are printed on the score cards. The play in question was as follows: The score card, in naming the order or batting, placed the names of “O’Rourke or Brown” as the occupant of the catcher’s position on the New York side, and the order of their batting as fifth on the list, while the names of Nelson and O’Rourke were placed eighth on the list as third-base players. That is, if O’Rourke caught, Nelson was to play third base, and if Brown caught, O’Rourke was to play third. According to the order as placed on the card, if O’Rourke played at third base he was to be the eighth striker, but if he played as catcher then his batting order would have been fifth. In the fifth inning O’Rourke, who had been playing third base, went to the bat after Connor, and in accordance with the order of the card was not in his proper position to bat. O’Rourke then hit the ball for a home-run, and as he came in Anson stepped upto the w pire and claimed that the run could not count as O’Rourke had batted out of order, and his appeal was granted, and the run declared no count. The New-Yorkers claimed that as both O’Rourke and Brown’s names were on the card for fifth place either had the right to bat; but this was not so, inasmuch as the position alone gave the right to bat, and as O’Rourke was down to play both as catcher and third base the order belonged to the position he filled; as that was third base, his batting order was eighth on the list. As it happened the loss of the run by the New York team did not result in that of the game, as New York won by 4 to 3. But the incident showed very plainly that the rule governing the play should be changed so as to give the legal order of batting under such circumstances. “On July 9 the Metropolitan team met the Cincinnatis on the home ’grounds, and on the occasion found themselves opposed to the strong battery fire of Pitcher Mullane, who on that day was in fine form for his best strategic work in the box. In addition td the effective pitching of Mullane, the splendid support given behind the bat by Catcher Baldwin was especially a noteworthy feature of the contest. But the Metropolitans also played a remarkably fine game, and the most striking feature of it was the splendid

triple play of Radford, who was playing second base for them on the occasion. Baldwin was at the bat, Carpenter at second base, and Tebean at third. Both the runners had taken ground in base running and were ready to start on the first fair hit Baldwin caught the ball square on the bat and hit a hot liner just as both the runners ran for their respective bases. But Radford caught the swift line ball beautifully, and touching second base with it before Carpenter could get back, promptly threw the ball to third base in time to cut off Tebeau. This put the side out by a model triple play, and Radford’s skillful performance brought out tumultuous applause. “One of the saddest events of the season of 1887 was the fatal occurrence at Lincoln, Nebraska, on June 13, which resulted in the death of young Edward Likely, of Lincoln.

Ihe accident did not occur in a match game, but only while a party of ball players were practicing for a contest arranged for the next day. The party of, half a dozen or so were playing when young Likely took the bat and stepped up to the home plate for a hit. Harry Claskey was the pitcher, and he was sending in very swift balls. As Likely struck at the ball it just touched the bat near the handle and glanced off like a rifle shot to the batsman’s face, striking the latter with such force as to cause him to fall unconscious with his head striking the ground squarely on the top. He was taken up insensible and carried from the field to the nearest hotel, where he was promptly attended to by physicians. But he never rallied from the effects of the blow and fall combined, and within ten minutes time the poor boy was dead. He was a bright youth, just twenty-thiee years of age, and highly esteemed by his companions. Various theories as to the immediate cause of death were advanced, but it is probable that it was due mainly to the severe shock to the nerve center. The blow on the face was not alone sufficient to have caused death. It was the only actual death on the ball field last season “A curious incident happened in the contest of May 16th, at Bridgeport, Conn., between the Bridgeport and Danbury teams. It is a rule of the game that any ball hit from the bat can be legally caught, provided it is not caught on a rebound from the ground, and an object other than the person of a fielder. But if it is caught after rebounding from the hands or the person of any fielder engaged in the game the catch is a legitimate one. In the case in question a high ball was batted to the field, and both Lovett and Wilson ran to catch it. The ball as it fell first struck Wilson’s hands, but singular to relate, after he had three times failed to hold it securely as it rebounded from his hands, it went to Lovett’s hands, who was standing close by ready to assist in the catch. But Lovett similarly failed to hold the ball securely, and on the second rebound from his hands Wilson grasped it, and this time the catch was made, after five distinct failures to make the catch before the ball could reach the ground. “In looking over the striking events of the last season, mention should not be omitted of the records made in rapid base-running. Prizes had been offered for superiority in this matter, and the contests took place at Philadelphia on Oct. 17. The 120 yards run is very different from the same distance straight away, and records in this feat are novel. It is to be hoped that the contests be continued in coming seasons, as it will improve the game

and add a new feature of interest to the sport. Ferguson, of the Philadelphia team, won the first prize and made the record 14 4-5 seconds. ” A little boy of our acquaintance had had his use of shall and will so often corrected that one night in saying the Lord’s prayer he said, “Thy shall be done” in place of “Thy will be done. .Baby hood. The Yankee is equal to the occasion, be it what it may. A Yankee girl pays her way through Wellesley College by sewing on shoe buttons for the whole college.

THOMPSON’S ACCIDENT.

WELCH’S TRICK.

RADFORD’S TRIPLE PLAY.

A DEATH ON THE FIELD.

AN UNUSUAL FLY CATCH.