Official scorers, rule makers and others identified with the statistical end of baseball, should get together soon on a uniform system of scoring, pa… - James Jerpe

" "

Official scorers, rule makers and others identified with the statistical end of baseball, should get together soon on a uniform system of scoring, particularly with regard to what is and what is not a base hit. The "baseball uplifters" have ceased their racket; football is over and plenty of time can now be given to a matter that is very important, but which, it seems, has been neglected for many years, particularly last year, when official scorers were hopelessly divided in the matter of scoring a fielder's choice that comes up when a batsman sets out to advance a runner by sacrificing, but gets his base through a play that fails to get the man ahead of him. In some cities they scored this play a hit; in others they gave the batsman nothing excepting a time at bat and still in others the scorers compromised by scoring it a sacrifice hit. A season of this kind of scoring could render team batting figures obsolete. Such a play may come up just often enough in one city where it is scored a base hit to make a material difference in team batting over the club in another city where the scorer does nothing but charge the very successful bunter with a time at bat when a perfect play is made on the man going to second and fails, allowing both runners to land safely.