Clipping:Chadwick and the new balls and strikes and wides rule

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Date Sunday, April 5, 1874
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[from a letter from “Old Atlantic” describing how Chadwick umpired the Atlantic practice game of 3/30/1874] Every ball which went beyond the reach of striker’s bat, or over his head, or too close to base to be struck at, he called “wide,” and one time he gave a man his base on three “wides” called in succession, and they were wide, too, beyond a doubt. In calling balls I noticed that when a ball was not “wide” but yet not over the base he did not call it, but simply counted it by passing a penny from one hand to the other until three such balls had been pitched when he would call “one ball;” then he would count two more that were similarly pitched–that is not “wide” but either not over the base or not at the height the striker called for–and when the next third ball was pitched he would call “two balls.” In the meantime, he called every wide ball as soon as delivered, he not counting “wides” among balls to count as called balls.

At one time he called two “wides,” and before another “wide” was called he called “two balls,” but before either a third “wide” ball was called or a third “ball,” the ball was hit fairly. All balls which hit the striker’s person he called “dead.” ... I noticed also that Chadwick did not call many strikes. He says that no strikes can now be called on a batsman unless he refuses to strike at a ball sent in over the home base and at the height called for. Philadelphia All-Day City Item April 5, 1874 [See also PSD 4/12/1874 below.]

Source Philadelphia All-Day City Item
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Submitted by Richard Hershberger
Origin Initial Hershberger Clippings

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