the 7 representing the name of the fielder, and the letter F the initial of the word fly, showing by whom and in what manner the player was put out. Opposite the name of the seventh fielder, too, under the head of “On fair fly,” you write down a dot, which gives him credit for the fly catch in the score of good plays. The second striker now takes the bat, and, hitting a low grounder to centre-field, makes his second base just before the ball is well fielded in to the second baseman. To record this properly you place a dot opposite the batsman’s name to the left under the head of “number of times” bases are made on hits; and in the next column you place two dots, showing the number of bases made on the hit; or, if you like to be more particular, you can write the figure 2 in place of the two dots, and then you will know the bases he made on each hit. The third striker now comes to the bat, and hits a ball to short-stop, who passes it to the first baseman in time to put the player out. You now have to record the second hand out, and you do it thus: first, the figure 2 for second hand out, and the figure 3 for the name of the short-stop, who is the third striker on the list of names on the other side, and then 4 for the first baseman, who is the fourth striker. The square will then appear thus: 3-4 A
2
thereby showing that the batsman was the second hand out by a ball fielded to the first base player by the short-stop. You then, opposite the fielders’ names to the right, under the head of “number of times assisting,” place a dot opposite the third fielder’s name, and under the head of “on bases,” a dot opposite the name of the fourth fielder, thus crediting the short-stop with the assistance rendered and the first baseman with putting the batsman out. The fourth striker now takes the bat and strikes out, and you then record the out by the figure 3 for the third hand out, and the letter K for struck out (in this instance, as in one or two others, as we have shown, we use the last letter of the word), and under the head of “on third strike,” opposite the fielder’s name acting as catcher, we place a dot. This closes the innings. When the game is closed, we add up the total outs and runs charged and credited to each batsman, and place the totals under the heading of “Outs and Runs” to the left of the batsmen’s names. The above will suffice to show the general plan of scoring we adopt in this system. The statistics of the batsman’s play, to the left of the batsmen’s names, include his total score of outs and runs, the total number of times the first base is made, and the number of bases made on clean hits; and a similar record of bases made on “muffed” and wildly thrown balls, and on balked and called balls, together with the number of times base-runners are left on bases, and the number of clean home runs. The statistics of the fielding, to the right of the fielders’ names, include the totals of outs on bases, on fair fly catches, on foul fly and foul bound catches, on three strikes, from being run out, the totals of the players put out, and of times assisting to put them out.
The American game of base-ball will be found an excellent substitute for cricket in England, for those who have not the leisure time for the English game, as a full game of nine innings a side can be played in three hours at most. It is a more vigorous exercise than cricket, and in a closely contested match, fully as exciting to spectators, when understood. For boys, after school hours, it is far better than cricket, owing to the short time required to play a game.
AMERICAN BILLIARDS.
The four ball, or “American game” of billiards, differs both from the English and French game, and in a measure combines the merits of both. Though it does not require the skill the French game does, it avoids, by custom, the simple, mechanical “hazard” feature of the English game, as first-class American billiard-players at the hazard and carom game never hole the spot ball consecutively, as in the English game. In fact, the hazard feature of the American game is rapidly falling into disuse, the four ball carom game taking its place.
The American tables now are made without side pockets, and no saloon has any tables of this kind, except for playing pool; the four pocket tables and carom tables without pockets being the only style in vogue now. The four pocket tables were introduced by Michael Phelan, Esq., the “father” of the game in America.
The general principles of the American game, which unites those of all others, are as follows:—