Clipping:Scoring a stolen base on a base on balls
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| Date | Wednesday, May 29, 1889 |
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| Text | [from Chadwick's column] I notice that President Young decides that a base-runner should be credited with a stolen base under the following circumstances:--For instance, Quinn was on first base and Ganzel at bat with two strikes and three balls called. As the next ball is pitched, Quinn makes a dive for second without knowing whether the umpire would call a ball or a strike. It turned out that the umpire called four balls, but Quinn gets credit for a stolen base. This is a correct decision. In estimating stolen bases, there cannot well be any arbitrary rule to govern every case, as circumstances so frequently alter cases. The effort to steal must go into the calculation largely. For intsance, the moment the runner at first sees the pitcher's arm move to pitch, and he starts for second, he has attempted a steal without regard to the action of the catcher or the batsman; and if he reaches the base safely, he is entitled to the credit of the steal, irrespective of a wide throw, a muffed ball, a passed ball, a called ball or a wild pitch; as the very effort to steal may help to cause either the wild throw or the passed ball, as also the muff at second. There are ordinary steals and clean steals, and the latter comprise the minority. But no base can be justly credited as stolen, where the runner at first is induced to start for second after seeing the error made by the pitcher or catcher. To limit the credit of a stolen base to clean steals, would be discouraging to base stealing. A runner will not take the risks under such circumstances that he will when he is given credit for his effort to steal irrespective of the fielding errors the effort may have led to. In order to encourage base-running, I think, a latitude should be allowed, which may justly be reduced hereafter. |
| Source | Sporting Life |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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