Clipping:Defining earned runs; assists
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| Date | Sunday, November 19, 1876 |
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| Text | Scorers everywhere would thank the League for the definition of an “earned run” which would answer every case. One man holds that a run can be “earned” off the batting only; in other words, that nobody can “steal” a base. Another is more liberal, and allows that there may be good base running as well as good batting. Shall a base on called balls be counted as a base hit in determining an “earned” run and the batting average of a player? Shall the same count as an error for the pitcher? Shall it be simply called “a base on called balls,” and nothing else? Shall the pitcher be given an “assistance” in all cases of thrown balls, muffed, the same as when caught, if the throw would have secured an “out” without an error? It is a necessity to score an assistance in such cases in order to obtain more nearly the total of fielding chances. Philadelphia Sunday Mercury November 19, 1876 quoting the Boston Herald The theory of earned runs is simply to test the skill of the pitcher, and therefore it is not fair to score runs as earned unless they are obtained entirely through the inefficiency of the pitcher to prevent base-hits and their sequence of earned runs. Of course a run is certainly earned when a four-base hit is made. This would be certainly earned, too, off the pitching. A run may be said to be earned in one sense when a batsman makes his first base on his hit, successfully steals to second, goes to his third on a hit to right field on which the striker is thrown out, and similarly scored his run. Such a run is certainly obtained by no fielding error, and therefore can be set down as an earned run; but still it is not a run earned off the pitching, such as comprises the class of earned runs which test the skill of the pitcher. For instance, the first striker makes a first-base hit, and next striker makes another, and the third a third hit of the kind, and the fourth hits a high fly to the outer field, on which the base-runner scores his run from third base. This is plainly a run earned off the pitching. Then, too, the first striker may make a three-base hit, and the second a single-base hit, on which a run is also plainly earned off the pitching. Successful base-running, however, earns runs, just as base-hit batting does; but then the pitching in such case is not at fault, the inability of the catcher to throw the ball swift enough being one cause, and rapid running, in which well-thrown balls are another, not fielding errors being at all involved in the play. In all such cases as this no earned run should be charged against the pitcher, for it is not his fault; and neither is it the fault of the fielders, so far as actual errors are concerned. Were it so, it would not be an earned run at all. We desired simply to show the difference between two distinct classes of earned runs, viz., a run earned from the pitching and one earned by base-running. The best way would be to include under the head of earned runs only those actually earned off the pitching, which earned runs exclude any runs scored through the assistance of successful base-running. New York Clipper November 25, 1876 As it is a question whether a base on called balls is the result of a pitcher’s inability to send balls over the base, or the concession of a batsman’s ability to bat for a base, it may be asked how such a base shall be reckoned in counting “earned runs.” These latter are ugly things to deal with, at best, and we see no way of securing a rule plain enough for universal adoption, except it be arbitrary, perhaps like this: All runs shall be counted as “earned” which are scored before three chances are offered for outs, no matter how the first base is made. This would answer the question propounded, and yet all runs of that character would not, of course, be strictly “earned,” as a run to be earned in the most literal sense must be secured by skillful batting and base running. All other important topics must be passed over save one, and that is the matter of crediting an “assistance” to a pitcher where a batsman goes out on “three strikes.” We should say do not do it, unless the pitcher has like credit for every ball he pitches that is batted so as to be caught on the fly, or thrown to a base in season to put the striker out. The pitcher’s effort is as much the result of skill in the one case as the other, and both, if either should receive credit. Philadelphia Sunday Mercury December 10, 1876 |
| Source | Philadelphia Sunday Mercury |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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