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The Game of Base Ball by Henry Chadwick (1868)

By Patrick Mondout
April 1, 2008

This month's BaseballChronology Book of the Month is The Game of Base Ball by Henry Chadwick, published in 1868. You are on web page 4 of 6 of The Game of Base Ball. Click here to go back to the first page.

The Game of Base Ball continued...

BOOK THIRD.
How to Learn the Game

CHAPTER I.

The best way of teaching anything is to do it by example, and we propose to teach base ball in this way in this third book of instructions in the game, by describing in detail the leading contests of the season of 1867; and, in so doing, to point out the defects of play of the contesting nines, as also the instances of special skill displayed. As we propose revising this book every season, we shall, of course, add to it the detailed reports of the leading contests we personally attend during the Summer, and, therefore, this work will be not only a book of instruction and reference, but a record of the finest games played each year.

In selecting games for record our choice will be based solely on the merits of the contest as a display of the fielding beauties of the game. Very showy batting frequently marks the play of second class playing nines; but sharp and skillful fielding can only be exhibited by well-trained nines or practiced and expert ball players.

The season of 1867 was as prolific of first class fielding games as that of any season known in the annals of the game. Of course the feature of the season's contests was the series of matches played to decide the question of the so called championship of the United States. We say "so called" because the National Association never has—and never will, we trust—recognized any such title, it being one custom alone has introduced and given to the club which succeeds in winning every series of match games they play each season. There is but one club in the United States that has hitherto achieved the feat of winning every genie—not every match simply but every single game—they played in one season, at the same time that they played with the recognized strongest clubs in the country, and that club is the Eckford Club of Brooklyn, which, in 1863, won every first-nine, second-nine, and amateur match they played that year. The Atlantic Club of Brooklyn, however, have—with the exception of the years 1862-3, when the Eckfords were the champions—up to October, 1867, held the title of the champion club of the United States. In October, 1867, however, they had to succumb to the Union Club of Morrisania, which organization—at the present time of writing, February, 1868—is now the acknowledged " champion club" of the country. Singularly enough, the Union nine were defeated the same year, in two games out of three, by the Irvington, Mutual, and Athletic Clubs; but it was previous to their last victory over the Atlantics that these games were lost, and inasmuch as the Unions did not become champions until they had defeated the Atlantic Club in two games out of three, they could not lose the championship until they had afterwards been similarly defeated; had it been otherwise the Atlantics would still have retained the title, as the clubs which defeated the Unions, best two in three games, fahed to defeat the Atlantics. The feat achieved by the Eckford Club in 1863, however, is yet to be equaled by any club belonging to the National Association.

The first fielding game in 1867 worthy of record, is that which took place at Irvington, near Newark, N. J., on the 28th of June, the contesting clubs on the occasion being the Irvington Club and the Mutual Club of New York. Great interest was taken in this contest, and though the journey to the ground involved either a long walk, a hot ride in crowded cars, or quite an outlay for a private conveyance, the grounds where the match took place were crowded to excess, some six or seven thousand people being present on the occasion, the entire field being surrounded by a dense crowd of spectators, outside of which were hundreds of crowded vehicles of every description.

In consequence of a heavy shower which occurred just before the game was to have commenced, the field was placed in a very bad condition for fielding purposes, and the two clubs would have been justified in postponing the match. But so intense was the desire to witness the trial of skill that it was finally determined that the game should be commenced as soon as the sun had dried the in-field sufficiently, the outer field in places being ankle deep in water when "play" was called.

At 3:20 P. M., the innings having been tossed for and won by the Irvingtons, they chose the field and put their opponents in at the bat, that being the customary rule, as it gives the side winning the toss the advantage of going in at the bat in the last innings of a game. The Irvingtons were minus the services of Stockman, their regular short-stop, in the early part of the game, and, instead of putting in the next best short-stop they had in the club, they took an out-fielder from his regular position, and placed him at short field, a comparatively new position, and placed the substitute in the out-field. The best luau to adopt, in such cases, is to take your substitute from among the best players outside of the nine to fill the position of the absentee, and not to weaken your nine still further by taking a player from his home position and placing him where he is not at home; and especially is it injudicious to take au out-fielder, accustomed to make running catches and long throws, and place him in the in-field, where his chief business is to stop hot ground balls and make short and swift throws. Hatfield led off at the bat, and hitting a "bounder" to Pike, near third base, dropped his bat and ran for first base, but Pike picked up the ball neatly, and throwing it swiftly and accurately to M. Campbell, the ball was held on the base before Hatfield could touch it, and "out at first base" was the call of Charley Mills, the umpire, Waterman taking Hatfield's place at the bat. Waterman was no more successful than Hatfield, for he "popped one up," that is, hit a high ball easy to catch, which fell into Sweezy's hands near second base, and " out on the fly" was the umpire's call. Devyr was the third striker, and, though he hit the ball hard, it went to the center fielder and a chance was offered for a catch, but Crawford dropped the ball, and Devyr thereby made his base by the error. When Crawford dropped the ball, though he made up for his error by a good throw in, the captain of the Irvington nine unwisely transferred him to right field and placed H. Campbell at center. The change was worse than useless, for it was a public rebuke of the fielder and it was just as important to have a good catcher at right field as at center. It is the poorest policy possible to make changes of this character on account of errors of play by a fielder. The fact of the failure is punishment enough to any good player, and if he be let alone and not growled at or changed, the chances are that he will make up for his error by better fielding; but to growl at him or rebuke him in open field by changing him, is a school-boy style of action entirely unworthy of first class players. Devyr, when the ball was dropped, started for his second, but the ball reached Sweezy's hands from the out-field before he was half-way there, and Devyr turned to go back, the ball also getting to first base before him, but Campbell muffed the ball and so Devyr not only had another life given him but made his second base on Campbell's failure to hold the ball. Martin was the fourth striker, but before lie could get a chance to hit the ball, Devyr, in trying to run to third base, was not only touched by Pike before he could get to the base, but, also, after overrunning it, the ball being well passed to Pike by M. Campbell. This ended the innings, leaving Martin as the first striker on the Mutual side in the next innings, he being the striker on the list next to the third man out.

In running bases in the early part of a game, players should avoid running risks like the above, as they are only warranted the closing part of a contest, when the score is nearly equal. With two hands out, even, Devyr would have done better to have remained content with the base secured on the dropped fly ball, and have run his chance for a passed ball, especially as he saw that Walters was sending in hot balls for the catcher to hold.

After securing his second, too, by Campbell's error, he again showed a lack of judgment in attempting to run two bases on a muffed ball, especially with a sure catch like Pike at third base. Had he waited his opportunity, Martin might have given him his run by a good hit, or he might have got his base on balls, as the pitching was rather inaccurate, speed being Walters' object more than anything else. Great judgment is necessary in running bases with a sharp field opposed to you, and, unless in the last of the game, it is better policy to play the sure game rather than a risky one. The first innings of the Mutual nine, it will be seen, terminated with a blank score, and the Irvingtons now came in from the field and sent in Pike—their captain—to the bat. Pike opened play by allowing Martin to send him in a ball within easy reach without hitting at it, seeing which Mills called "one strike" on him. In calling "one strike," without first warning the striker, and, also, before being certain that the batsman had some special object in view in not striking at the first good ball sent to him, Mills made a great mistake. In calling strikes, it is the plain duty a an umpire first to warn the striker of the penalty, and lie must also be sure that the batsman has "repeatedly" refused to strike at good balls. Until this is done, the umpire has no right to call "one strike." The correct thing to do is this: When the batsman takes his position, ask him where he wants a ball, and see that the pitcher is made aware of the point to which the striker wants the ball delivered, and then if the first ball delivered is out of the reach of the hat, call out "ball to the bat," or some similar warning, and, after this is done and two unfair balls have been pitched, you can call "one ball." The same rule should be observed in regard to calling strikes, viz., first a warning and then a repeated refusal to strike at fair balls. But there is one important difference between calling strikes and balls, and that is, that in calling balls you can inflict the penalty simply on account of the inability of the pitcher to deliver fair balls; but in calling strikes you must be sure that the batsman has repeatedly refused to strike at fair balls, and that his refusal has been intentional and not from inability.

Pike, not wishing to retire on called strikes, struck hastily at the next ball within reach, and, sending a "high one" to Zeller at left field, ran for his first base; but, though Zeller bad a good chance offered him for a catch, the uncertain foothold he had on the wet and uneven field, led him, like Crawford, to drop the ball, Pike thereby securing his base, and getting to his second on a passed ball, tried to steal his third on Jewett, and he not only succeeded bat also scored his run, the ball Jewett threw to Waterman at third, to cut off Pike, not only being muffed by Waterman—who was not in condition for play in this match—but also by Devyr, who ran behind him to back him up. Leonard, the second striker, then sent a hot grounder to Hatfield at second base, and as Johnny picked it up in the highest style of the art, and passed it in time to Bierman, Leonard had to retire from being put out at first base. Walters was the third striker, and he, like Pike, sent a high one to Zeller, who held it this time, and Walters retired. Hugh Campbell was next, and, after waiting for a chance to hit a fair ball, had his base given him on "three balls," Martin failing to pitch with his usual command of the ball, owing to its being wet and slippery. Campbell, however, did not get further than his first base before Crawford fell a victim to Jewett, who took the high foul ball from his bat on the fly, the innings closing for the one run scored by means of the errors in the field, the "tally"—viz., score of the even innings—being 1 to 0 in favor of the Irvingtons.

Martin led off on the Mutual side in the second innings, and this time Walters became bothered with the wet ball, and, in consequence, his inaccurate delivery led to Martin's taking his base on "three balls." Instead of delivering the ball with more care, Walters increased the difficulty by trying to increase his pace, the result being that Buckley bad to let several balls pass him, on which Martin got around borne. B. Hunt followed Martin, but hitting one up quite handy for M. Campbell to catch, he had to retire, and as Jewett sent back the ball to Walters, which he had pitched to him, and, as Walters held it well and passed it to Campbell, Jewett had to follow Hunt's lead and retire. Zeller, however, hit a safe bounder between first and second bases, and first securing his base, ran round on passed balls and a wild pitch, Walters still striving for speed, despite the cost. Putting on speed, at the cost of passed balls, is poor policy with a dry ball, but trying for extra pace with a wet ball is simply giving bases and runs away gratuitously. Bierman closed the innings by tipping out, two runs being the result of the wild pitching and consequent errors of play. Sweeny now took the bat on behalf of the Irvingtons, and opened play by sending a sharp bounder between short field and third base, easily securing his first base by the hit. Buckley followed suit, and both eventually secured their runs, being assisted by another poor throw by the catcher, accurate throwing, with a wet ball, being next to an impossibility almost. But sonic catchers must throw, good or bad; they get into a habit of it, and send the ball flying whenever they see the base runner off a base, without stopping to calculate the cost or advantage. M. Campbell, after getting his first base on three balls, was captured at second by Hatfield in fine style; Hatfield stopping the hot one Lewis sent hint and then touching the second base, Campbell being thereby put out, from being forced to leave first base, there being no necessity to touch him with tire ball in such cases, holding the ball on the base being sufficient. Hatfield, as soon as he had put Campbell out by touching the base before he reached it, promptly threw the ball to Bierman, at first, to put Lewis out, but the throw being hasty and the ball sent nut of reach, Leads bad his second base given him as well as his first. Pike was next, and sending a safe bounder to right field, secured his first base easily, and sent Lewis home. Leonard followed Pike, but sent a high ball to right field instead of a bounder, and, as McMahon judged the ball well, it was held on the fly, and this being followed by the retirement of Pike at second, who was forced to vacate the first by Walters' hit, 'Walters' ball being well fielded by Waterman to Hatfield, before Pike could get to second, the innings was closed for the three runs scored, the tally of the second innings leaving the totals at 4 to 2 in favor of the Irvingtons.

McMahon led off on the Mutual side in the third innings, and by a telling bounder, which the short- stop found too hot to pick up in time, he made his base. Hatfield came next, and, squaring himself for a good hit, led every one to expect one of his showy long balls to the outer field, bat he failed to time the swing of his bat properly for the swift delivery and the result was he struck out, viz., retired, from missing the ball after striking at it three McMahon, in the interim, had worked his way round to third base on a passed ball, and he was there when Waterman hit a safe bounder between short and third, sending McMahon home and securing his first by the hit. Devyr followed, and first giving Buckley a chance from a sharp fly tip, a little too hot for him, he quietly took his base on three balls, Walters again resorting to extra speed, and, of course, pitching inaccurately. Waterman, who had got round to his third on passed balls, went home on the same third ball, each man, occupying a base when three balls are called, taking the next base. A wild throw, by Buckley, in trying to prevent Devyr from making his third, secured Tommy his base, and Martin's good grounder to second base sent him home; but the ball was so well fielded by Sweezy to Campbell that Martin Himself had to retire. R. Hunt then tried to send a ball out of Pike's reach at third, but Lip grabbed the leather in style, and sent it flying to Campbell, and as the ball stopped in Mike's hands as if it belonged there, Hunt walked out to his position at center field, the innings closing for three runs.

Leonard opened play at the bat on the Irvington side in this innings, and he sent a good one to third base; but Waterman fielded the ball in style to first and threw it to the right of Bierman, and the latter got in the way of the player running to the base, and thereby prevented ]rim from making it. The umpire did not regard the obstruction as intentional and so Leonard had to retire. The fact is, though, that though Bierman did not intend to obstruct the base runner he could readily have received the ball without getting in his way, and the new rules—be it remembered—consider all obstructions as intentional, and very properly so, too, which might have been avoided. Walters followed Leonard, and by a "safe hit"—not a bounder, but a high ball over the in-fielders' heads, and yet not far enough into the field to be caught by the out-fielders —secured his first base, but, through a rather tame hit by Hugh Campbell, Walters was easily captured at second by Hatfield, being forced to leave his first, and, by the sharp fielding of Hatfield, Campbell himself was disposed of at first by Bierman, the pretty double play eliciting well merited applause. This closed the third innings, the tally now standing 5 to 4 in favor of the Mutuals.

The game had now become intensely interesting, and the fourth innings was commenced with the crowd all anxious to see every movement of the contestants. Though the Irvingtons were still minus the services of Stockman, and his absence was felt at short field, they, nevertheless, presented a bold front, and fought every inch of the ground from first to last; and had their pitcher adopted the latest tactics of his department, and resorted more to strategy than speed for success, the result would have been more favorable for the Irvingtons than it turned out to be. But, despite the warnings of unavoidably passed balls, Walters kept up his battery at a cost of powder and shot and no injury to the enemy. Jewett opened play in the fourth innings and tipped out, but Zeller waited for good balls, and, as they did not come to him, he eventually took his base on called balls, and, working round on a passed ball, was sent home by Bierman, the latter falling a victim to Campbell at first. McMahon was next, and, by a high ball, out of reach of the left fielder, secured his second, mid, but for a splendid stop by Pike, would have made his third; McMahon, however, stole home well, after causing 'Walters to show the whites of his eyes two or three times in watching him at third. Hatfield was next, and by a bounder, close to home base and out of reach, secured his first, and, working his way round well, got in on a passed ball, the position of the innings now being two players out and three runs scored. Waterman, after being missed on a hot fly tip by Buckley, sent a hot ball to Walters, the result being his retirement at first base by the fine play of Campbell, Walters passing the ball rather carelessly to the former, who played his position throughout in masterly style. This closed the innings, leaving the total score of the Mutuals at eight. Crawford led off on the Irvington side by sending a high one to right field, which McMahon tried his best to reach, but he was too short of the ball to hold it, and Crawford thereby secured his first. Crawford afterwards secured his second on the "three balls" which gave Sweezy his first, but not being aware of a sharp dodge which Martin plays to perfection, he was caught napping between second and third. The way of it was this: Martin would take his position facing the striker, as if to pitch, but without making any movement to deliver, would suddenly turn and face the second baseman, and nearly every time would catch the base runner off his base by the rapidity with which he would turn and throw the ball to second. He plays this point better than we have ever seen it done. Twice he caught players in this way in this game. In playing this point, great care must be taken by the pitcher not to make any preliminary movement to deliver the ball, for should he do so and then turn suddenly afterwards and throw the ball to a base, the movement would be a b ilk. Some pitcher's excel in throwing to one base and some to another. Martin throws finely to second base, Pabor to third, and Brainard to first. Sweezy followed Crawford, and had his base given him on called balls, but he was afterwards forced to retire at second on Mike Campbell's hit to Hatfield, Buckley previously retiring from a well taken foul fly by Jewett, the innings closing for another blank, leaving the totals now at 8 to 4 in favor of the Mutuals, the Mutuals leading by a score of two to one. It will be seen by the above details that all the advantage accruing to the Irvingtons from their fine fielding was offset by the bases which were given on passed balls and called balls from the wild pitching of Walters, the result of his efforts to pitch swifter than usual.

The fifth innings was no w commenced and sharp play was the order by both parties in this innings, the fine fielding of Pike and M. Campbell disposing of Devyr at first; another well caught tip-bound sending Martin to grass, and a good fly catch by Sweezy cutting off Hunt's career. This result was due to more accurate pitching, Walters finding it advisable to change his tactics; and the three chances thus given to the fielders followed his dropping of his pace—a very good thing to do when you find that your pitching is either too costly in passed balls or too easily hit, though the pace is swift. On the Irvington side in this inning, "one, two, three," was the order of their retirement, Martin's skillful delivery proving more troublesome than anticipated. The three outs were by a handsomely held fly-ball by McMahon, a good catch by Hatfield, and a wall judged foul fly catch by Jewett, the Irvingtons retiring in succession; the totals, at the close of the fifth innings, still standing at 8 to 4, the game having thus far occupied an hour and twenty-five minutes, the umpire having impartially kept the two nines to a strict observance of the rules; and though at times there were occasions for dissent to some of the decisions, every decision given was quietly acquiesced in, the conduct of the two nines, in such an exciting game, and with such amounts at stake as there were in this contest, being creditable to the two clubs.

The Mutuals now went in to make victory certain by increasing their own lead, and keeping the score of their adversaries down to the low figure of the fifth innings. Jewett led off by striking out, but Zeller and Bierman made model hits, sending the ball " wave skimming," as it was called—the term being suggested by the fact that every ground ball sent outside the in-field plowed up the water, so thoroughly was the ground soaked with rain—each easily securing his base. McMahon, this time, gave both Buckley and Pike chances to hold foul balls from his bat, but neither accepted them, whereupon he hit a good one to short-stop, and the ball not being handled, he secured his first, Zeller and Bierman having previously reached home, being assisted by a wild throw and a passed ball. A wild pitch assisted McMahon to his third, and then he managed to steal home again, his running of bases being excellent. When the pitching is swift in a match and the catcher has to stand well back for the ball, it is not very difficult to steal home from third base, unless the catcher is sure in handling the ball and quick in running, and he has a good man at third to throw to, and, also, unless the pitcher is active in running home after delivering the ball. To steal home, a base runner should always run in at least twenty-five feet every time the ball is delivered, and then, if the catcher fails to hold it on the fly, he can readily steal in; besides, the movement bothers both pitcher and catcher, rendering the former less accurate in his delivery, and the latter uncertain in holding the ball.

Hatfield was the fifth striker, and he was disposed of handsomely on a tip-bound. Waterman, after hitting a hot one to Walters, secured his first by an overthrow. He was left on his third, however, as Devyr was put out at first on three strikes, the ball being splendidly held by Campbell as it came to him between Devyr's legs, the catch being an extraordinary effort. This left the Mutuals in the van by the totals of 11 to 6, and things began to look serious for the Irvingtons, especially so when they saw Pike and Leonard retire in this innings—two outs and no runs, with only four on the score book. Pike led off with a high one to right field, which McMahon captured in style, Leonard following suit by giving Zeller a chance at left field, Zeller again dropping it, the condition of the field evidently affecting his play, as he is not one to drop balls often. Though Leonard secured
second by the operation, it did not benefit him, as he, like Crawford, fell a victim to Martin's dodge, Leonard being run out by Waterman—Martin turning quickly and throwing the ball to Hatfield, and the latter to Waterman. Walters also gave Zeller a chance for a catch at left field, and this time the ball was muffed, Walters securing his base, instead of the innings being closed for a blank. The fact was, Zeller's previous errors led him to be too anxious to retrieve them, and knowing that something wrong might be thought by the betting crowd, his very anxiety led him to fail, as it does hundreds under similar circumstances. A very bad muff by Devyr, too, gave Hugh Campbell his first, and, as Waterman failed to hold or stop the hot liner Crawford sent him, more bases were run by the operation, while Crawford secured his first. A splendid grounder by Sweezy then sent two men home, and Crawford to his third, Sweezy easily securing his first; but he had only reached second when Buckley retired on a foul fly, well held by Jewett, the totals, at the close of the sixth innings, standing at 11 to 6 in favor of the Mutuals. By this time the ball had become so soaked with water that a new one had to be substituted, and the fact that they now had something solid to hit at, seemed to give quite an impetus to the Mutual batsmen, for they opened play in this innings in lively style, securing bases on hits, and also three runs, before a man was pat out, a muff by Leonard at short field giving one man a life. Before three hands were put out, too, another run was added, Bierman getting his base on three balls and his run on Hatfield's splendid long hit to center field, Zeller and McMahon being previously disposed of by the fine fielding of Leonard, Campbell, and Lewis, in their positions. Lewis judged Hatfield's ball splendidly, bat tripped just as he grasped at the ball, and, of course, dropped it, and again tripping as he went to throw it Hatfield thereby secured his third; here, however, he was caught napping by Walters and Pike, the innings closing for the three runs scored.

At this juncture, a disturbance occurred among the betting portion of the crowd, but though it temporarily interfered with the game, play was shortly proceeded with, no effort being made to disturb the players, and Mike Campbell had been given his base on called balls, and Lewis had secured Ids base by a misplay of Hatfield—the confusion evidently exciting the Mutuals and weakening their play—when the President of the Irvington Club, seeing the disturbance renewed, and the crowd entrenching upon the in-field, insisted, very properly, upon "time" being called, which was done, and the game was suspended about twenty minutes.

The Presidents of the two contesting clubs used their utmost efforts to clear the field, and, finally, all the members of the Mutual and Irvington-Clubs getting together, with clubs in their hands, the crowd quickly got back, the rioters—some twenty in number—thinking discretion the better part of valor under the circumstances, especially as all, more or less, had been bruised in the melee. The fight was unquestionably started for pickpocketing purposes, as the row began in each place where men stood who had either shown their money or watches. The fact is, these fellows look out for just such opportunities as these, where there are no police force, and, being assisted by their brutal followers of the short-hair class, they generally manage to make large hauls of plunder, as they did on this occasion, and likewise at Hoboken the previous year. Unfortunately for base ball, it all goes down to the discredit of the fraternity, and our game is brought into disrepute by it. Heavy betting, however, has much to do with the trouble. Before this innings terminated, the Irvingtons bad run up their score to 12, Devyr, Hunt, and Hatfield making misplays, Martin becoming less effective in his pitching, while Jewett began to let balls pass him, when lie had previously allowed but one to pass him in the whole game. The totals stood at 15 to 19 at the close of the seventh innings, the feature of the fielding being the good play of Martin in throwing to Hatfield and Bierman, and a good fly tip catch by Jewett, the batting being excellent. The excitement of the disturbance had a great deal to do with the errors in the field.

Encouraged by this rally, and by the fact that the disturbance had evidently had a demoralizing effect on the Mutuals, the Irvingtons went into the field in the eighth innings with renewed vigor and decided hopes of success. In the fight which had occurred, Hugh Campbell had very foolishly concerned himself—with a view, of course, to repress the disturbance, the result, however, was a blow in the neck, which disabled him from taking the field. When the Irvingtons proposed putting in Stockman in Campbell's place, objection was made to it by the Mutuals, whereupon the Irvingtons then stated that they would have to play with eight men. Upon this, McMahon, the Mutual captain, consented to allow Stockman to play, much to the dissatisfaction of the majority of the nine. The act, however, redounded more to the credit of the club and their captain than a victory won after a refusal would have done; and hence the ultimate result was a double triumph. The rules admit of no change or substitution of a player in a nine after the fourth innings has been commenced, "except for reason of illness or injury ;" and, of course, the injury referred to must have been sustained in playing the game. Consequently in this case the Irvingtons had no legal right to replace Campbell, he having been injured outside the game. Manly actions like that of Mr. McMahon's in this instance are worth the greatest triumphs on the field. We heard McMahon say that he would not refuse any club permission to replace an injured man; and he was right, and those who advised otherwise were wrong. The credit given him by the whole press for his generosity is a reward worth giving up a trophy for at any time. In their eighth innings the Mutuals only scored one run, Waterman securing it, after having his base given him on called balls. What the Irvingtons missed in not having Stockman in the first seven innings' play was shown by his admirable fielding in the two last innings. After Waterman had had his base given him, Stockman put out Devyr and Martin in succession by balls splendidly picked up and thrown to Campbell; Pike catching the third man out on a finely taken foul fly. The Mutual score was now 16, and the Irvingtons went in to get four to tie. By some of the best batting of the game they ran up the requisite score before all three were disposed of, Jewett and Hatfield alone putting the side out, leaving Buckley on the third base, all but Lewis having a chance at the bat. This left the totals at 16 to 16—tie game—and after an extra effort had been made to secure a clear field, the contestants went in for their ninth innings at the bat, and a more anxious party of players or spectators were never assembled on a ball-field than were the majority present at this time. Jewett opened play for the Mutuals by hitting a splendid grounder towards second base. Though the ball was traveling, Stockman managed to get it, and by a swift and accurate throw sent it to Campbell in time to cause Jewett's retirement, the splendid fielding eliciting deserved applause. Walters now became too anxious, and, again increasing his speed, pitched wildly, the result being that Zeller for the second time had his base given him on called balls. In positions of a game like this, the umpire should be sure that the batsman is not letting good balls pass him in order to tire the pitcher. Though Walters did pitch wild, Zeller also let balls pass him that were within his legitimate reach, and no ball should be called that is so, when the position of a game is one likely to tempt the batsman to play a waiting game. Before Zeller could get it, Bierman gave Buckley a slight chance for a tip bound, but it was not accepted, and afterwards Zeller got home, a wild throw and an overpitched ball assisting him. Buckley then captured Bierman on a foul fly, and McMahon, sending a good ball to Stockman, was put out at first, he being the fifth man put out in two innings by Stockman's fielding, which was quite a model display and one not afterwards equaled during the season. This closed the innings, leaving the total score of the Mutuals at 17. Now came the agony, as the Irving-tons went in at the bat to get two runs to win. Lewis began by popping up a foul ball, and every eye watched Jewett as lie went after it; and when it came clown and was held, up went a shout. Pike now took his stand, and one of his long hits was looked for, and one came, but it was foul. Again he tried it, and, sending a high one to center field, where Zeller stood, Zeller having been unnecessarily changed from left field, all anticipated a dropped ball, as four fly misses were charged to him. This time, however, he held it finely, although it was a hard ball to catch, and now every one watched with intense interest the third striker, Stockman. One ball was called, and then Stockman hit a sharp one to Martin, who fielded it well, first intending to run Stockman out, but finally concluding to toss it gently to Bierman, and when he did so, and Bierman held it, up went the Mutual hats, and shout after shout rang through the air, as the game terminated in favor of the Mutuals by a score of 17 to 16. The full summary below gives all further particulars:

BATTING SCORE

SCORE OF INNINGS.

FIELDING SCORE.

Base play.—Put out by Bierman, 5; Hatfield, 6; total by Mutuals-11. Assisted by Martin 3 times, Waterman 3, Hatfield 2, Devyr 1, Jewett 1. Put out by M. Campbell, 13; Pike, 1; total by Irvingtons-13. Assisted by Stockman 5 times, Pike 3, Walters 3, Sweezy 1, Buckley 1.
Fly Catches—Jewett, 7; McMahon, 3; Zeller, 2; Hatfiela, total for Mutuals-14. Sweezy, 2; Lewis, 1; Buckley, 1; Campbell, 1; Pike, 1; total for Irvingtons-6.
Foul Bound Catches—Buckley, 4.
Catches on Strikes—Buckley, 2.
Run Out—Devyr by M. Campbell and Pike; Crawford by Hatfield, Waterman, and Martin; Leonard by Waterman, Hatfield, and Martin.
Double Play—By Waterman, Hatfield, and Bierman.
Outs on Fouls—Mutuals, 6 times; Irvingtons, 7 times.
Outs on Bases—Mutuals, 12 times; Irvingtons, 11 times.
Bases Given on Balls—Mutuals 6 times; Irvingtons 3 times.
Time of game-2 hours 30 minutes.
Umpire—Charles Mills, of the Atlantic Club.
Scorers—Messrs. Dongan and Seymour.

EXPLANATION OF SCORE.—The three lines of figures on each side, represent the score of outs (O), runs (R), and the number of times bases were made by hits (B). It will be seen by this score, therefore, that although the Mutuals made the most runs the Irvingtons did the most effective batting. In scoring the base play, the player last handling the ball is the one credited with putting his opponent out, and the fielder who threw him the ball is the player credited with assisting him. The new rule we have adopted in scoring this season excludes all record of errors committed in the field, our plan now being only to record the good fielding shown. We think a fielder is sufficiently punished for poor fielding by having his name left out of this latter record, without attaching to him the additional disgrace of having his errors specially described in the score. Our new score book for 1868—which we have copyrighted—has been arranged according to this plan. It should be remembered by all scorers that the only correct estimate that can be made of batting is that based upon the number of times—not the number of bases—a batsman makes his first base by his hits. It is difficult to estimate the number of bases he makes on his hit, but not the number of times he makes his first base. Of course, whenever a ball is hit and the base is made through a plain error of the fielder, either by a failure to stop the ball when within reach, to hold a fly ball,to reach an overthrown ball, or to hold one thrown within reach, the base is not to be given on the hit but charged to an error in the field.

CHAPTER II.

The finest played game we ever witnessed in New England, was the third of the series of contests between the Lowell Club of Boston, and Harvard of Cambridge, for the championship silver ball, which took place at Medford, near Boston, on the grounds of the Olympic Club of Medford, on the 1st of June, 1867. Having been defeated in two games out of three in 1866, the Harvard Club were, of course, anxious to retrieve their laurels in 1867, and, on May 13, of that year, they began a new series of games for the silver trophy of the championship, but again the Lowells came off the victors, the score being 37 to 28 in their favor. In the next game, however, the Harvards triumphed by a score of 32 to 26. This, of course, necessitated a third game, and this last match we visited Boston to witness, and, though played on a very poor ground, it proved to be the most exciting contest of the series, the result being a victory for the Harvards by a score of 39 to 28, they, thereby, becoming the champions. The title, however, before the close of the season, was resigned to the Lowells without a contest, and it was afterwards won by the Tri-Mountain Club, the first organization to introduce the National game into New England.

The Lowell Club, by the way, arose from the ashes of the Bowdoin Club, of which organization Mr. John A. Lowell was the main supporter. In fact, to no one gentleman is the credit of fostering our National game in New England so largely due as to this gentlemanly, energetic, and enterprising Bostonian. The Lowell Club is named after him, and it has creditably upheld the reputation of its founder. But to the game we were about to describe.

On Saturday morning, June 18, 1867, the clay of the match, the sun rose on a community in Boston, the youthful portion of which were, undoubtedly, thinking more of base ball, and the grand match of the day, than anything else. It was, however, time topic of interest in many adult circles as well. The circumstances attendant upon the .contest were such as to elicit an unusual amount of interest in regard to the meeting of the two clubs, as much so, perhaps, as ever was created in New England by any out-door sport. In Harvard College, it was the absorbing topic in every department. In fact, we doubt whether the honors of Commencement Day were even more eagerly coveted than the rather questionable laurels of the championship; for, to tell the truth, we do not think this championship business has any healthy effect on the game. It has served the purpose of engaging the attention of the public in places where the game was previously unknown, but, beyond this point, the furore which championship contests elicit has been more of an injury to the game than a benefit, from the fact that it has introduced practices which, if not put a stop to, will soon bring the game into disrepute and create two distinct classes of the fraternity; for all clubs who do not ignore the gambling influences and the betting "rings," will be ranked among the class who play the game for money alone, as they do Faro, Keno, or any other game they play. From betting large sums on match-games of ball, to the gambling frauds termed "Hippodrome tactics," the step is but slight, and hence all heavy betting should be regarded as an evil that is a blow to the respectability and permanency of the game. We have had proof of this afforded in New York, and this Boston contest and its attendant occurrences only adds evidence telling strongly against championship contests. The evil of this system of betting heavily on match-games at base ball, a system specially encouraged by championship games, was fully illustrated on the occasion of this grand match at Medford, for not only were the people of an educated community led to display a discreditable partisan feeling, but so far forget themselves as to endanger the reputation of Americans for gallantry to the fair sex.

Since this match and others which followed it were played, the New England Association has been dissolved, and all official recognition of champion games done away with.

An immense crowd of people were gathered on the grounds on the occasion of the match, and we never saw a more intelligent assemblage or so numerous and beautiful a delegation of the fair sex present.

At 3:20 P. M., the field having been cleared, as far as four hard-working policemen and the gentlemen of the Olympic Club could possibly effect such object, the game began. The Lowells won the toss and went to the bat. In New York, our players generally take the field when they win the choice, in order to have the last chance at the bat. Lovett opened play by sending-the ball to Smith at left field, out of reach, Lovett making his second by his hit. Jocelyn was next, and he began by hitting a bounder, the style which takes so well on a hard ground, but which, on a turfy field like that of the Olympic's, can generally be fielded to the bases in time; this time, however, the ball went over Ames' head, and Jocelyn thereby secured his first—Lovett reaching his third. Alline followed, and he also hit a bouncier which ought to have been the means of his retirement; but it was not handled in time, and Milne secured his base. Rogers also went in for the bounder business, but as Parker fielded the ball well to Shaw, the "Brooklyn boy" had to retire. Dowell, seeing how things were working, now went in for a grounder, but Ames stopped the ball prettily, and, sending it sharply to Shaw's trap at first, " out on the first base" was the cry of the umpire—two outs and three runs, Jocelyn having previously come in on hits that had been made, and one passed ball. Sumner then gave the fielders a chance to dispose of him at first, but it was not accepted, and he secured his base; before he could get further than the second, however, Wilder popped one up near Shaw's position and the umpire, first crying "foul," followed it with "out on the fly," Shaw capturing the ball in style, and closing the innings for three runs. When the game began, we took our seat with the scorers and reporters—and every Boston paper was represented—but before the innings was half over we found it would be next to impossible to take a short-hand report, while such confusion prevailed as did around the scorers' position, and we therefore took the umpire's chair, and, even then, had a difficult task to perform, so noisy were the crowd—sharp, short huzzas and hisses following the plays and decisions made, the former being excusable, but the latter a disgrace, for the partisans on each side hissed nearly every decision of the umpire, and we have never seen fewer errors committed or better judgment shown by an umpire. The yells of derision, when errors were committed, were only equalled by the jeers of juvenile roughs in New York on similar occasions, and were entirely out of place as emanating from an educated crowd, as the bulk of the assemblage seemed to be on this occasion.

Clubs should make it their special duty, on all occasions of a grand match, to see that the scorers have a separate table to themselves, and the regular reporters the same, and none should be allowed at the latter table save those in the habit of taking a regular detailed report for papers making the game a specialty, as all others can readily get all the particulars they require from the scorers at the close of the game. To avoid the endless and annoying queries in regard to the position of the game, every club ground ought to have a telegraph, on which to place the total score of the game at the close of each innings.

The Harvards now went to the bat, Sprague leading off by popping one up, by which Jewell was afforded a good chance for a catch; the ball was dropped, however, and Sprague secured his base. Smith then sent a bounder to Joslyn, but the ball was not handled in time, and Smith also secured his first. Hunniwell, not to be behind the rest in liberality, offered Alline a good chance for a catch, but it was not accepted, and another secured base was the result, and Flagg's high, long ball to center field, not only gave him his first easily, also sending the two first men home, but, owing to a rather wild throw of Rogers', Hunniwell reached his third, instead of being put out at third, and, by a passed ball, got home, four runs being scored, when, by good fielding the innings ought to have been closed for a blank. Parker now tried to hit Lovett's balls, but failed, and, as Wilder held every ball sharp from the bat, and on the fly, at that, Parker had to retire on "three strikes, out." Ames, by a fine hit, secured his base, and, as Lovett increased his pace at this time, and pitched, in consequence, with less accuracy, Ames secured his bases and his run on passed and called balls. McKim was next, and hitting a hot one to Thompson, which was not handled in time, he secured his first—a poor throw of Wilder's, and the failure of Sumner to handle the ball, giving McKim his second; he also ran for his third, but Rogers threw in the ball finely, and Joslyn being on the qui vive, McKim was caught napping there by the two, and " out on the third base" was the result, the play being a pretty one. Five runs and two outs was the score when Shaw hit a high one to left field, but the ball being dropped by Lowell—to the surprise of all present—Shaw secured his base, and was at his second, when Willard offered Rogers a chance for a catch, the result being the close of the innings, Rogers taking the ball handsomely on the run, the tally of the innings being five to three in favor of Harvard.

Every player in a nine has what is called his bad days in a season, and this evidently happened to be Lowell's "bad day," for he had previously distinguished himself by his fine out-fielding in the first two matches; but in this game he seemed to lack confidence from the very beginning.

Jewell led off on the Lowell side in the second innings, and, by a long hit to left field over Smith's head—he not laying out far enough—he secured his second base, and eventually reached home on a passed ball. His run, however, was the only one scored, as the next three strikers retired in succession, Thompson popping one up for Parker to take, while Lovett and Joslyn went into the bounder business at the cost of retirement, Ames attending to Lovett's ball in style, and Parker to Joslyn's, Shaw holding the hot ones sent him at first beautifully. In fact, such a trap as he planted at first base, we never saw before; his hands held the swiftest balls like a vice, and when the throwing was wild, lie got hold of the balls and handled them so lively that no chance was allowed the base runner at all. It was the perfection of first base play without doubt, and one of the finest displays of the kind we have ever witnessed.

The Harvards, in this innings, secured but one run, and that only through a poorly judged bail at right field not held. Sprague was handsomely disposed of by Thompson and Jewell, and Flagg by Joslyn and Jewell, Parker again having to retire from Wilder's splendid play behind, a sharp fly tip, held in Leggett style, closing the innings, Hunniwell not securing a run on the ball dropped by Alline, he being left on his third. The tally was now 6 to 4 in favor of Harvard, and the game began to increase in interest every inning.

Alline led off in the third innings, and, calling for a knee-high ball, struck at a shoulder ball, " one ball," of course, being called as he struck. The result was that, though the ball was hit and fielded to first in time, the play was of no account, the struck ball being a called one, and, consequently, dead, both as regards the striker and base runner. But, in such a case as this, if the ball called he a third ball then bases can be given the striker and base runner, and if the ball struck be a balked ball, then the base runner can have a base given him, but not the striker. But in neither case can players be put out or bases run on hit, called or balked balls. Players should remember that there is a difference between a base being given a player and a base run by him. Al-line afterwards secured his first, however, on a low throw by Ames, Shaw stopping the ball handsomely, but that was all lie could do. Rogers was next, and he sent a high one to Smith, which ought to have been taken, but what with the rough field and the close proximity of the crowd, the left fielders, on both sides, had a poor show for catches, and as in this instance, the chances offered in this quarter were not taken. Some excellent batting was now shown, Hunniwell's pitching being punished in style, Lowell's hit alone giving a chance, the ball being prettily stopped by Parker, but not well thrown to the base. Sumner secured his first base on a safe ball to left field; Wilder his on a beautiful bounder; Jewell his on a hot bounder past third base, and Thompson his second by a fine hit past third, out of Ames' and Sprague's reach, passed balls helping the base runners in two instances. Lovett was the first to retire, Parker fielding the ball Lovett sent him beautifully to Shaw, the latter putting the next two strikers, Joslyn and Alline, out on two catches, the former on a foul bound, prettily held, and the latter on the fly, Flagg having previously given Alline a life. This good rally of the Lowells left their tally at 11, and they went to the field to make their opponents retire for a blank score. Ames, however, opened play with a fine hit, and his example being followed by McKim and Shaw, each secured his base, Shaw reaching his second on his line hit—Rogers not being near enough to the ball sent him, to get it in time. Ames failed to secure the reward of his good batting, however, as he was caught napping at third by Lovett and Joslyn—both exceedingly wide-awake fellows when they see a chance of the kind laying round anywhere. Willard was second out on a finely taken foul bound by Wilder, and Smith ought to have been third out on a fly catch at left field, but "John" was too anxious to do justice to his reputation in this match, and his first error only led to others, and the result, in this instance, was that three additional runs were scored, the good play of Thompson and Jewell alone ending the innings, after five runs had been placed upon the books, thereby tying the Lowell score and nullifying the effect of the Lowell play at the bat in the previous inning. The position of affairs was now very interesting, and every movement of the contestants was eagerly watched by the crowd, the Harvards evidently feeling the most sanguine of success of the two parties.

The fourth innings was now commenced, and Rogers, Lowell, and Sumner, the three first strikers, were disposed of in Sticeession, the bounders of the two former being finely stopped, and passed to Shaw by Ames and Willard, while Sumner's high ball towards right field was splendidly held on a running fly catch by Sprague, well merited applause greeting the beautiful display in the field. Encouraged by this, the Harvards went in for some fine batting, Ames leading off, and he was well followed by McKim, Shaw, and Willard, all but McKim earning their bases by their hits, Sumner allowing McKim's ball to pass him. Sprague gave Joslyn a chance for a fly catch, but it was not accepted, and, after Smith had earned his base, Hunniwell had his base given him on a wild throw from short, and a failure to stop the ball at first. Flagg, however, was captured in style by Wilder on another of those sharp fly tips of his, and Alline disposed of Parker by a pretty catch, but then Ames and his four followers came to the bat again and punished Lovett to the tune of four more runs, their batting being excellent, McKim hitting a beautiful grounder, and Shaw a good bounder towards third, Willard following with a chance for Thompson and Jewell, but hasty throwing spoiled the play. Eleven runs had been scored and two hands were out when Wilder was badly hit in the face, and "time" was called for a few minutes. He soon resumed his position, once more facing the battery of Lovett, his pluck being duly applauded, and, after Sprague had scored his run by good batting and a called ball, Smith was put out by the good fielding of Thompson and Jewell, thereby closing the innings at last, after 12 runs had been scored, the totals now leaving the Harvards in the van by a score of 23 to 11. Harvard stock was now in demand at a premium, and the Collegians and their friends had smiles on their faces, while the Lowells began to look serious.

Nothing daunted by the position affairs had assumed, the Lowells went in to the fifth inning to recover their lost vantage ground, but, unluckily for them, Shaw proved to be a serious stumbling block in the way of their success. They tried to avoid him and his assistants as much as possible, and succeeded to a certain extent, a score of 6 being the result of some very good batting by Thompson, Lovett—who hit a beauty to left field—Joslyn, and Rogers, a missed fly ball by McKim, off Jewel's bat, and a failure of Sprague to get at Rogers' ball helping these latter batsmen to their runs, Rogers getting home on his hit, from the ball being thrown in wildly to Parker. It was not a home run, however, as recorded in the Boston papers. After Rogers came in, the next three strikers retired in "one, two, three order," Shaw capturing the entire party, Himniwell assisting him in excellent style twice and Ames once, these outs making no less than thirteen in which Shaw had been the last to handle the ball, three fine catches being credited to him, and not an error charged. Hunniwell led off on the Harvard side, and by a muff of Sumner's made his first. Flagg, however, became a victim of Wilder's on a foul bound, the fly ball being dropped and picked up quickly. Ames was second out on a ball popped up and taken easily by Lovett, and Shaw ought to have been third out on the ball sent to the left field, but he was not, and five more runs resulted, two muffs by Sumner—who certainly was not fielding up to his mark—damaging the prospects of success of the Lowell party considerably, nine runs being the tally of the innings when sharp fielding would have disposed of the Harvards for a blank. The totals now stood at 33 to 17 in favor of the Harvards, and Lowell stock was rapidly on the decline, the quotations, at this point, being at quite a heavy discount.

Wilder led off on the Lowell side in the sixth innings, but Shaw cut him off in his prime, Willard fielding a hot ball to first base in style. Jewell, after being missed by Flagg on a tip bound, had his base given him on three balls—the first of the game—and he came in finally on a called ball passing the catchier, Willard playing a good point by running up to the catcher's position to receive the ball from the pitcher, leaving the catcher to throw it to the pItcher from the field on the called ball. The rule in vogue at the time required the ball to be held by the pitcher while within the lines of his position. Since then the rule has been changed, and now bases can be run on a called ball, except when hit. The crowd laughed at the movement, but it was a good point without doubt. Thompson and Lovett both tried to get hot balls past Hunnewell, but in both instances the ball was well fielded to Shaw, who allowed nothing to miss him, Shaw, for the fourth time, disposing of all three of his opponents—Jewell's run being the only one scored. This was, however, one more run than the Harvards scored, as McKim was well fielded out at first by Thompson and Jewell, Shaw neatly caught by Wilder on a foul bound, and Sprague prettily caught by Alline—Willard, after securing his base on a safe hit, being left on his third—the innings closing with the first blank score for the Harvards, amidst loud applause at the hands of the Lowell party. The tally now stood at 33 to 18, and, though the odds were against them, the Lowells went into their seventh innings for a brilliant rally, and rally they did as handsomely as we ever saw a nine rush to the rescue.

Joslyn opened play in the seventh innings, and both him and Alline secured their second base by their fine hits, Rogers following suit by sending a hot grounder to Parker, and reaching his first before the ball, all three eventually scoring their runs. Lowell was next, but being too anxious, struck out, Sumner following by giving a chance to Sprague for a running catch, but Sprague, luckily for the Lowells, dropped the ball, and, after this escape, the Lowells punished Hunniwell to the tune of six runs before another good chance was offered, Alline being second out from a well taken fly ball by Shaw. Rogers then hit a high, long ball to left field, which was well attended to, Mort only being allowed his first, but he worked his way home in the most plucky manner, his grip on the bases being a firm one each time. He had a rough passage of it, and at the third got hit in the face, but have his run he would, and he finally came in amidst loud cheers, looking like the picture in the Comic Monthly of the man who had lost the fight, his face being bloody and his clothes soiled. He had no sooner scored his run than Lowell was splendidly caught by Flagg on a hot tip bound, one of the finest catches of the match. This closed the innings, the splendid rally yielding no less than 10 runs.

Smith opened play on the Harvard side and made his first by a good hit, but on Hunniwell popping one up which fell into Sumner's hands, Smith had to retire, a double play putting both out, Smith being put out at first base in the confusion resulting from the noise and action of the crowd who stopped the ball. Flagg afterward made his base by a safe hit, and Parker also, but before both could come in, Rogers disposed of the third hand by a beautiful catch, the Lowells thus following their fine rally at the bat by disposing of their opponents for a single run, Parker being left on the third. Rogers was loudly cheered by the crowd, the blushing youth receiving the honor with his usual modesty. The sweet looks given him by the ladies, and the pride felt by one fair and dark-eyed belle, who took great interest in his success, were rewards worth working hard for. Even the Harvard crowd, however, applauded him, the only instance of impartial praise we noticed at their hands. Lowell stock now began to rise rapidly, and, though Harvard paper was still popular, the Lowell scrip was not considered a bad investment, although not yet at par.

The eighth innings was now commenced, and the exciting period of the contest had arrived. Sumner led off at the bat, and popping one up, gave Hunnewell an easy chance for a catch, which was not accepted, and Sumner had a life given him. Wilder was next, and he hit a high foul ball, which was attended to by Shaw in the finest style of the art, Wilder being placed on the retiring list, while Sumner deemed it desirable to retain his first base. He was there when Thompson popped up one which fell nicely into Willard's hands, and, as Sumner left his base when the ball was struck, he, of course, had to return to it; the ball, however, reached first base from Willard's hands before Sumner, Shaw holding it finely, the double play closing the innings for a blank. By the good batting of McKim, Shaw, and Sprague, the Harvards scored two runs; Lovett and Joslyn again capturing a victim at third, while Sumner offset his errors by taking two fly balls well. The Lowells now had but one innings left to work in; and to tie their opponent's score, they not only had to score 7 runs, but to put the Harvards out for a blank. They were, however, handsomely disposed of in one, two, three order, thus leaving the victory in the Harvards' hands, Ames, Sprague, and Shaw putting the Lowells out in their last inning, Sprague's catch being a beauty, Ames also making a good one as a finishing touch to his line fielding. The crowd now rushed in, thinking the game concluded, but the umpire soon gave them to understand that unless the ninth inning was finished, the result would be a drawn game, an understood thing when a crowd interferes with the progress of a match, unless it is a made up thing by the defeated club, when the winning side would be entitled to the trophy. It was 7 P. M. before the Harvards could get the field cleared sufficiently to go on with the game, and, by that time, it being cloudy, it became difficult to see the ball distinctly. But the Lowells played up sharply, like manly players, scorning to take an unfair advantage, and, though it was nearly a quarter past seven when the game terminated, they played as if the contest had not gone against them, Jewell, Thompson, and Sumner disposing of the last three players by excellent fielding., Thompson putting two out. Four runs were added to the score of the Harvards in this inning, the totals standing at 39 to 28 in their favor, the highest score made alike by either party in any single game, 39 being the highest score of the series of games, and 28 the best score on the losing side in any game.

The following is a summary of the match:

BATTING SCORE

SCORE OF INNINGS.

FIELDING SCORE.

Base Play—Players put out by Jewell, 8; Joslyn, 3; total, 11 by Lowells. By Shaw, 15; total for Harvard, 15. Assisted by Thompson, 5 times; Lovett, 3; Joslyn, 1; Sumner, 1; Rogers, 1. Assisted by Ames, 4 times; Parker, 4; Hunnewell, 4; Willard, 3.
Fly Catches—Shaw, 4; Sprague, 2; Parker, 1; Ames, 1; Willard, 1; total for Harvard, 9. Sumner, 3; Wilder, 2; Rogers, 2; Alline, 1; Lovett, 1; Joslyn, 1; Thompson, 1; total for Lowell, 11.
Foul Bound Catches--By Wilker, 3; by Shaw, 1; by Flagg, 1.
Catches on Strikes—Wilder, 1; Flagg, 1.
Outs on Fouls—Lowell, 4 times; Harvards, 6 times.
Outs on Bases—Lowell, 15 times; Harvard, 11 times.
Bases on Called Balls—Lowells, 1.
Double Plays—By Willard and Shaw, and by Sumner, Lovett, and Jewell.
Umpire—Mr. Hayhurst, of the Athletic Club.
Scorers—Messrs. Van Renselear and Fallen.
Time of game—3 hours and 45 minutes.

The errors committed by the two nines, in the form of missed catches, passed balls, overthrows, and missed balls, amounted to a total of 71 in the game, of which, 47 are charged to the Lowells, and 24 to the Harvards, a low average, considering the nature of the ground and the interference of the crowd. There were a dozen chances for catches offered the Lowells by the Harvards, all of which were missed, some very badly, and there were no less than 14 decided failures to stop balls. The called balls we have not noticed, as balls are frequently called that are within the legitimate reach of the striker, though not fairly for the striker in one sense of the word.

CHAPTER III.

One of the most noteworthy events of the season of 1867 was the trip of the National Club through the South-Western States, and of the ten games the club played on their tour—that with the Excelsior Club of Chicago was not only the best fielding game of the series but the most successful display of the kind the club ever made. There are so many occurrences connected with the games of the Nationals in Chicago that we shall devote more than ordinary space to the subject.

The match in question was played on Friday, July 25th, 1867, the Nationals having the day previously been defeated by the Rockford Club of Illinois, by a score of 29 to 23. This triumph by the Forest City players had led the Chicago editors—who knew nothing of base ball—to believe that the Excelsior Club of Chicago would have no difficulty in winning a ball from the defeated Nationals, and hence they began to crow rather prematurely, as the event proved. The Chicago Times, in an editorial on the defeat, stated that: "When the Nationals shall hive lived among us a few days, imbibed pure water from the clear depths of Lake Michigan, breathed the healthy breezes from the prairies, and taken a few lessons in base ball playing, they will begin to realize how profitable has been their trip to the Northwest." The other papers had editorials in still more of a braggadocio style, all anticipating the greatest of triumphs for the "Champions of the West," the noted Excelsiors. Of course the effect of these articles on the Nationals was greatly to increase the sting of their defeat, and to urge them to greater exertions to offset their previous defeat with a victory so signal as to make it a surprise how they were ever defeated.

The 26th of July, the day of the contest, dawned cloudy, and threatened rain, but towards noon it cleared up, and in the afternoon the weather was delightful, a pleasant breeze prevailing from the prairies. At 12 o'clock the Nationals took carriages for the ground, and by 1.30 P. M. were all on hand, and eager for the fray. A strong breeze from the south, on the occasion, made it bad for batting purposes, and hence led it to be more of a fielding game, the breeze blowing in the face of the catcher, while on Thursday it blew strongly in the face of the pitcher. As soon as the Nationals got on the field they began .their preliminary practice of throwing the ball around, and the style in which it was handled gave assurance of first-class play. After nearly an hour's delay, during which the lines were marked, and the two nines grouped and photographed, the two captains consulted as to an umpire. The Excelsiors refused any Eastern man, and the Nationals, adopting the same course, refused any Western man, except Mr. Dietrich, who had so ably acquitted himself in the Rockford game. Although that gentleman did not want to serve, he finally consented, and the game was commenced. A large crowd had been anticipated on the occasion, but not so vast an assemblage as eventually surrounded the field, for by 4 P. M. there could not have been less than ten thousand people encircling the players, between five and six hundred occupying carriages, every hack in the city being engaged at an early hour, while not a light wagon was to be had at a livery stable, so great was the demand. The scene presented, of course, was one never before beheld at a ball match outside of New York and Philadelphia, the crowds at the Atlantic and Athletic games in 1866 alone excelling it; and as the admission fee was half a dollar, the Excelsiors took in quite a large sum. As this contest proved to be one of the finest on record, we give the details by innings.

At 2.30 P. M. the Excelsiors, having won the toss, sent the Nationals to the bat, and "Play Ball " was the call of the umpire, as Parker took his stand at the home base, Bunker playing at first base, and Willard at short field—both old Harvard players—while Blakeslee, of the Waterbury Club, played at center field, all, of course, being members of the Excelsior Club. Parker opened the game by hitting an easy one to the pitcher, who as easily passed it to Bancker at first, and Parker retired. Williams was next, and as he began by tipping out, the result was two outs and no runs, with the promise of a blank score. George Wright now came to the rescue, and, waiting for a suitable ball, sent it bounding to right field, easily scoring his first. By a passed ball he got round to his third, and came in on the third called ball, by which Robinson had his first given him. In the Forest City match it was very properly agreed upon that passed balls should only allow of one base, there being no fence behind the catcher, as there should be on every ground. In this game, however, the Excelsiors refused to allow this rule, thinking that more passed balls would be made off Williams's swift pitching than of that of McNally, a medium-paced pitcher. In this they made a great mistake, for the very reverse proved to be the case, Stearns—the catcher of the Excelsiors—allowing ten balls to pass him in the game, while Norton let but three go by. It is not speed which causes passed balls so much, but inaccurate pitching, consequent upon too great a desire for speed. After Robinson had reached his first on called balls, Fox, Fletcher, Norton, Studley, and Berthrong all batted safely for their bases, that is, made their bases by their hits and not by errors in the field, and all had scored their runs when Parker took the bat for the second time. This time, too, he sent an easy one to Willard, who muffed it; and when it was thrown to Bancker, the latter failed to handle it in time—both players being too anxious—the result being that Parker made his base. By a passed ball Parker reached his third; but there lie was left, as Williams, hitting a ball close to home base, was easily disposed of at first by Stearns and Bancker, the latter this time holding the ball well, thus closing the innings, the score of runs being seven. It was now the Nationals' turn to take the field, and for the first time during the tour they had the right men in the right places, George Wright playing short, Parker at second, and Robinson at left, with Norton behind, and Berthrong in the field. Stearns was the first striker, and he led off with a hit to Fox, the latter coolly picking up the ball and sending it like a rifle shot to Fletcher, who held it beautifully as Stearns was about to touch the base, the fine play eliciting a round of applause. McNulty was next, and before he could get a ball to suit him three balls were called, and he secured his first base, a second ball afterwards giving him his second. Kennedy was next, and lie hit a good one to Parker, who fielded the ball in his best style to Fletcher, and Kennedy took a back seat, McNulty, in the interim, getting to third. Budd now took the bat, and, hitting a good bounder between first and second, ran for his base. Before he could get there, however, Parker had picked up the ball in style and sent it to Fletcher, and "Side out!" was the last call of the umpire, a blank score being the result, with McNally left on his third, the tally of the inning being 7 to 0 in favor of the Nationals —a result so totally opposite to the one expected that there was quite a buzz of talk about it during the interim between the innings, the band playing "Rally Round the Flag, Boys!" a suggestion the Nationals adopted.

Second Innings.—Wright led off in this innings with a fine long, low hit, on which he made his second, the next two strikers getting their bases on called balls, the pitching being very inaccurate. Fletcher then secured his second on a fine hit to left field, after which Norton reached his first from a dropped fly ball by Kennedy; before he could get home, he was captured by Foley at third, Budd throwing the ball in well from the field. Studley afterwards secured his first by a good hit, but Berthrong fell a victim to Willard and Baucker at first; and but for a muff of Fuley's at third, Parker would also have retired at first. Williams, however, again closed the innings by sending an easy ball to McNally, who passed it to Bancker in time, the innings closing for 5 runs, Parker being left. Willard led off on the National side, and sent a high ball to center field, which all thought was a safe one; but Berthrong ran for it and captured it on the fly in brilliant style, amidst the applause of all present, the catch astonishing the Chicago crowd. Foley was next, and lie began by popping up a high foul ball, which was falling behind the catcher's position, but Norton backed down for it as the wind took it, and caught it handsomely with one hand—this play, too, eliciting another round of applause. Blakeslee now faced the music, and, hitting a ball well to third base, managed to get to his first; for though Fox fielded it well, he threw it a little off from first, and Fletcher had to take it off the base. By a passed ball Blakeslee got to his second, and was at his third when Bancker struck out, thus again closing the innings for a blank score, the totals now standing at 12 to 0. Thus far good batting had achieved the runs on the National side, for the dropped fly balls gave lives in both instances to players who were put out afterwards in the same innings, while those who had made their bases by errors in the field (lid not score runs; so the alleged muffinism of the Excelsiors referred to by one of the Chicago papers, did not benefit their opponents much, if any.

Third Innings.—Wright again led off at the bat in this innings, and by a fine long hit to center field, again secured his second, after which Robinson, Fox, Fletcher and Norton all secured their bases by good hits, giving no chance for outs; Studley, however, sent a hot one to Willard, which the latter stopped well, but threw too high to Bancker, and as the latter failed to hold the ball Studley secured his base. Berthrong then hit a daisy-cutter, and easily secured his first, but Parker tipped out. Williams and Wright, however, secured their bases by safe hits, but Robinson popped one up, on which he retired, Kennedy taking the ball on the fly easily. Had Willard thrown the ball which Studley sent him accurately to Baucker at first base, this fly-catch would have closed the innings for 6 runs; but after two hands were put out the score was run up to 21, Budd dropping two fly balls, Blakeslee one and Kennedy one before the inning closed, nearly all of which ought to have been held, for they were not difficult balls to hold. Finally, after the Nationals' total had been run up to 33, Berthrong tipped out and ended the long inning, the total standing at 33 to 0, with the victory for the Nationals a foregone conclusion. When they found that McNally's pitching was easily punished, they brought in Blakeslee to pitch, McNally going to center field; but the change proved useless in stopping runs, as there was very little difference in the style and pace of their delivery. Of course, when a change of pitching or pitchers is made, the change, to be useful, must be from fast to slow, or vice versa, or uo good result will accrue. The fault, however, was not so much in the pitching, for chances were given off McNally's pitching which were not taken. When no chances are offered off the pitching then it is time to find fault with it and change it; but as long as chances are offered and not taken, the fault is in the field and not with the pitcher.

Oberlander led off in this inning on the Excelsior side, and by a good hit, secured his first. By Stearn's hit to Parker, who was playing right short, Oberlander was put out at second by Wright, Parker passing the ball to him quickly, whereby Steam barely escaped being the victim of a double play, so rapidly was the ball afterwards sent by Wright to Fletcher. By a high throw of Norton's to second and a wild pitch, Stearns afterwards got to his third, and after McNally had retired on strikes called on him, for not striking at fair balls repeatedly pitched to him, Stearns came home on Kennedy's good hit to centre field, on which the latter secured his first. Another wild pitch gave him his second, and taking his base on the third called ball on which Budd had his first given him, Kennedy stole home on Norton. A fine foul fly catch by Fox then closed the innings for the two runs scored, Budd being left on his first. The totals at the close of the third innings standing at 33 to 2 in favor of the Nationals.

Fourth Innings.—With such odds against them, and with a nine apparently in such poor form for play, it would not have been unnatural if the Excelsiors had become despondent and disheartened. Not so, however; on the contrary, in this innings they plucked up courage and went in to play a good up-hill game, and by more careful fielding began to improve in their play. In this innings, McNally resumed his place as pitcher, the change made the innings previous having been found useless, from the simple fact that there was no change in the style of delivery; besides which it was not the pitching that was at fault, so much as the lack of good support in the field. The pitcher is too frequently changed, in consequences of errors committed by the fielders in not taking the chances offered by the pitching. Parked led off this time, and giving McNally an easy ball to field, retired a victim of Bancker's at first; Williams, however, secured his first by a safe hit to center field, and Wright, by a beautiful grounder, for the third time made his second on his bit, sending Williams to third, though a fast runner would have got home; but Williams ran slow to save himself for pitching. A passed ball then sent Williams home and gave George his third, Robinson sending the latter home, though lie himself had to retire at first from the good fielding of Willard to Bancker—two out and two runs only, quite a different result from the previous innings. Fox then sent a ripping ball over the head of the left fielder, on which lie easily made a clean home run, it being the third long hit he made in the same direction, one being sent foul by the wind, which blew strongly in the faces of the batsmen. The ball this time went clear over the outer circle of carriages, and was the longest hit ball we ever saw in a match, Fletcher and Norton afterwards followed, with good hits, easily securing their bases, and they eventually got home on passed balls, the pitching being rather wild. Studley then closed the innings by popping one up for Oberlander to take, which he did in good style, the innings closing for five runs. Foley led off on the Excelsior side in this innings, and he hit a hot one to Wright at short field, but the ball was splendidly picked up and sent with such speed and accuracy to Fletcher, at first, who held it beautifully, that Foley was placed on the retiring list. The play was the perfection of short fielding. Blakeslee then sent a hot one to Fox, who grasped the ball when Blakeslee was within a few yards of the base, and sending it to Fletcher almost like an arrow from a bow, and the ball being held in splendid style, the astonished Connecticut gent found himself cut off in his prime. The fielding of Fox in this game was up to the standard of Charley Smith's finest play, and a regular buzz of surprise preceded the outburst of applause which greeted the splendid fielding. Bancker apparently thought he could succeed better with Fox than Blakeslee, and sending him a still more difficult ball to field, ran for his first; the ball, however, was picked up in the finest style, and again it was sent with rifle-like accuracy to Fletcher. This time, however, Fletcher received the ball with his hands too far forward, and the ball, taking the palm of his hands, rebounded out, and Bancker thereby secured his base. But for this error the innings would have been closed. Bancker afterwards made his third on a failure of Parker's to stop a high thrown ball by Norton. Previously