|

6/30/1893 – The New York Giants order for the game in Chicago had William “Shorty” Fuller hitting in the eight spot followed by George Davies. In the second, the Giants manager, Monte Ward, incorrectly told Davies to bat before Fuller. Fuller hit next and was called out for batting out of turn.

ByTom

6/30/1893 – The New York Giants order for the game in Chicago had William “Shorty” Fuller hitting in the eight spot followed by George Davies. In the second, the Giants manager, Monte Ward, incorrectly told Davies to bat before Fuller. Fuller hit next and was called out for batting out of turn.

|

5/24/1893 – The St. Louis Browns were in Pittsburgh playing the Pirates. The Browns scored two runs in the ninth and lost the game 8-7. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Joe Gunson made his first appearance and batted out of turn. That paper did not have a box score for the game. However, the boxes in three other papers and a brief mention in the Boston Globe indicated that Gunson was a pinch hitter for the pitcher, and as such he was not batting out of turn.

ByTom

5/24/1893 – The St. Louis Browns were in Pittsburgh playing the Pirates. The Browns scored two runs in the ninth and lost the game 8-7. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Joe Gunson made his first appearance and batted out of turn. That paper did not have a box score for the game. However, the boxes in three other papers and a brief mention in the Boston Globe indicated that Gunson was a pinch hitter for the pitcher, and as such he was not batting out of turn.

|

10/7/1892 – The St. Louis Browns were playing in Cleveland against the Spiders when this puzzling one happened. We have found only a brief story that said with Cleveland ahead 8-3 in the fifth inning and it was starting to rain, the Spiders George Davis intentionally batted out of turn in order to make the third out of the inning quickly. The game ended after five innings because of the rain. There are a couple of reasons for it being puzzling. We don’t know if Cleveland was batting last since in those days the home teams sometimes elected to bat first so they could hit against the new ball in the first. If they were batting last, it was already an official game due to a rule revision for the 1892 season. The original 1876 rule required five full innings to be played for a game to count. However, the Spiders may not have known about the new rule. The batting out of turn rule in effect was the original one from 1876, and it said in effect that the improper batter would not be out until his plate appearance was completed. So a Cleveland hitter could have just swung and missed at the first three pitches to make a quick out. The umpire of the game was John Gaffney, who was quite experienced. However, perhaps he was not fully versed on the rule and ruled Davis out after a pitch had been thrown and maybe Davis pointed out that he was not the proper batter. We will try to get more information about the game.

ByTom

10/7/1892 – The St. Louis Browns were playing in Cleveland against the Spiders when this puzzling one happened. We have found only a brief story that said with Cleveland ahead 8-3 in the fifth inning and it was starting to rain, the Spiders George Davis intentionally batted out of turn in order to make the third out of the inning quickly. The game ended after five innings because of the rain. There are a couple of reasons for it being puzzling. We don’t know if Cleveland was batting last since in those days the home teams sometimes elected to bat first so they could hit against the new ball in the first. If they were batting last, it was already an official game due to a rule revision for the 1892 season. The original 1876 rule required five full innings to be played for a game to count. However, the Spiders may not have known about the new rule. The batting out of turn rule in effect was the original one from 1876, and it said in effect that the improper batter would not be out until his plate appearance was completed. So a Cleveland hitter could have just swung and missed at the first three pitches to make a quick out. The umpire of the game was John Gaffney, who was quite experienced. However, perhaps he was not fully versed on the rule and ruled Davis out after a pitch had been thrown and maybe Davis pointed out that he was not the proper batter. We will try to get more information about the game.

|

10/3/1892 – The Louisville Colonels visited Pittsburgh to play the Pirates. Sometime during the game, Lou Bierbauer of the Pirates was called out for batting out of turn. No further details are known.

ByTom

10/3/1892 – The Louisville Colonels visited Pittsburgh to play the Pirates. Sometime during the game, Lou Bierbauer of the Pirates was called out for batting out of turn. No further details are known.

|

7/4/1892 – In the first game of a holiday double header in Chicago, the Giants catcher, Jack Boyle has hurt by a foul tip in the first inning and had to leave the game. The starting shortstop, Jack Doyle, who was batting in the number five spot took over as catcher while Abram Hardy Richardson went to short and hit in Boyle’s number seven slot. In the second game, Richardson and Doyle reversed with the former hitting fifth and the latter seventh. Apparently, they did not pick up on the switch because Doyle came up in the first with two outs and flied out. Richardson was called out since he was the proper batter. We do not know how it was pointed out the Doyle was out of order. The Colts had no reason to do it since Doyle had made an out. The umpire, Tom Lynch who had more than four years of experience might should not have acted on his own, but perhaps he did. According to the Chicago Tribune, Doyle batted first in the next inning. However, the proper batter to lead off once Richardson is ruled out is the number six hitter, Denny Lyons.

ByTom

7/4/1892 – In the first game of a holiday double header in Chicago, the Giants catcher, Jack Boyle has hurt by a foul tip in the first inning and had to leave the game. The starting shortstop, Jack Doyle, who was batting in the number five spot took over as catcher while Abram Hardy Richardson went to short and hit in Boyle’s number seven slot. In the second game, Richardson and Doyle reversed with the former hitting fifth and the latter seventh. Apparently, they did not pick up on the switch because Doyle came up in the first with two outs and flied out. Richardson was called out since he was the proper batter. We do not know how it was pointed out the Doyle was out of order. The Colts had no reason to do it since Doyle had made an out. The umpire, Tom Lynch who had more than four years of experience might should not have acted on his own, but perhaps he did. According to the Chicago Tribune, Doyle batted first in the next inning. However, the proper batter to lead off once Richardson is ruled out is the number six hitter, Denny Lyons.

|

5/5/1892 – The Phillies were in Pittsburgh. Before the game, a preprinted scorecard from the previous day was posted in the Philadelphia dugout showing Lave Cross batting sixth and Joe Mulvey batting seventh. However, the two had been switched by manager Harry Wright. The two players batted in the order specified on the scorecard (out of turn). In the top of the fourth, Mulvey singled and was called out. The Pirates won the contest, 5-2.

ByThis Day in Baseball

5/5/1892 – The Phillies were in Pittsburgh. Before the game, a preprinted scorecard from the previous day was posted in the Philadelphia dugout showing Lave Cross batting sixth and Joe Mulvey batting seventh. However, the two had been switched by manager Harry Wright. The two players batted in the order specified on the scorecard (out of turn). In the top of the fourth, Mulvey singled and was called out. The Pirates won the contest, 5-2.

|

4/30/1892 – In a game in Louisville, in the first Brooklyn had three runs in with one out and the bases empty with the number five hitter due up. However, William Darby O’Brien, number six in the order hit. He walked, stole a base, and scored on a passed ball. At that point, his batting out of turn was discovered (we don’t have the details), and he was called out.

ByTom

4/30/1892 – In a game in Louisville, in the first Brooklyn had three runs in with one out and the bases empty with the number five hitter due up. However, William Darby O’Brien, number six in the order hit. He walked, stole a base, and scored on a passed ball. At that point, his batting out of turn was discovered (we don’t have the details), and he was called out.

|

9/29/1891 – According to the Milwaukee Sentinel, John Carney of the American Association Milwaukee Brewers was out in the top of the second for batting out of turn in a 10-5 loss at home against the Louisville Colonels. No further details are known.

ByTom

9/29/1891 – According to the Milwaukee Sentinel, John Carney of the American Association Milwaukee Brewers was out in the top of the second for batting out of turn in a 10-5 loss at home against the Louisville Colonels. No further details are known.

|

9/10/1891 – Bill Dahlen of the Chicago Colts was called out for batting out of turn in the first inning of the game in Philadelphia against the Phillies. No further details are known.

ByTom

9/10/1891 – Bill Dahlen of the Chicago Colts was called out for batting out of turn in the first inning of the game in Philadelphia against the Phillies. No further details are known.

Pittsburgh when they had two players called out for batting out of turn

Pittsburgh when they had two players called out for batting out of turn

ByThis Day in Baseball

9/2/1891 – The Phillies were visiting Pittsburgh when they had two players called out for batting out of turn. Manager Harry Wright listed Billy Shindle sixth in the batting order and Ed Mayer eighth. In the second inning, Mayer batted in Shindle’s place because that was how the order had been the day before. After Mayer struck out, Pirates manager Bill McGunnigle talked with umpire Jack McQuaid about the Phillies batting out of order. McQuaid declared Shindle and William Brown (in the seventh spot) out for allowing Mayer to bat ahead of them.