The Catch

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 171, 10 October 1927, Page 7

The Catch

In baseball quick thinking and acting of :en turn a probable defeat into victory, and in America and Australia, until rulc:s were introduced to guard against sharp practices, several stums were worked. The Australians, of course, followed the Americans, ard here is a play by a Melbourne club that caused a good deal of amusement. The catcher had been instructed to wait until a r unner was on third base, and then, when the runner had moved off in the direction of the home plate, he (the catcher) was to throw the ball over th€; third basemai's. head and entice the runner to run home and score a run. The opportunity arose, and the catcher carried out his conti.act to the letter, but the runner was a surprised man when the catcher put the ball on him at the home plate and he was given out by the umpire. The “balk* that had been thrown over tee head of the third baseman was a potato, which the catcher had concealed m his pocket. There was nothing in the ! rules at that lime to prevent this play, ; but it was not long befo:*e the controlling bodies met and inserted a rule to •; prevent a repetition of this “offence.”