Catcher Clyde McCullough was the 1952 beneficiary of an illegal "courtesy fielder" assistance call by a misinformed umpire at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.
Had an interesting call from SABR friend Mike McCroskey yesterday. Any call from Mike is interesting, especially if you enjoy baseball trivia and the oddball anomalies of the game from most other sports when it comes to exceptional rules that seem to fly in the face of the great game’s commitment to fiercely competitive encounter on the field of battle.
The old practice in the game of allowing “courtesy runners” by mutual consent between two managers was the subject. Mike and I had been discussing the same at the Astros FanFest this past Saturday. I can’t recall when we first started talking about “courtesy runners”, but I think I may have been the person who brought the subject into awareness for Mike at some recent point, but it doesn’t matter. We had been on the subject in curiosity – without having done any real research – for quite a while.
Mike had called yesterday after watching the old John Goodman movie about Babe Ruth. Apparently this movie depicted Babe Ruth being allowed a “courtesy runner” during that last 1935 series in Pittsburgh in which the Bambino struck three home runs in one game. Mike recalled me saying something (erroneously) about the courtesy runner practice going out after the 1920s – and here was a more recent example.
Well, as it turns out, we cannot use John Goodman movies as a good source on baseball history. A quick check with Retrosheet last night reveals that no “courtesy runner” was used for Babe Ruth in the famous 1935 3-HR game at Pittsburgh, but the same great site also revealed much more.
http://retrosheet.org/courtesy.htm
According to Retrosheet, “courtesy runners” were a legal, allowable practice from the 19th century through the 1949 season when the rules changed to disallow the practice altogether, starting with the 1950 season. While they were allowable, “courtesy runners” were used rarely and only by mutual consent between the two managers in one instance: If a base runner had been temporarily injured or incapacitated, a manager on offense was allowed to substitute a runner for the effected player during that time at bat – and still return the injured player back into the game to continue playing once his team took the field on defense again.
As you can see from the Retrosheet account of confirmed instances of this rule’s deployment, courtesy runners did not happen often relative to the thousand numbers of games played since beginning of baseball time.
But you will also see something else. – Prior to 1950, there were even less frequent times in which clubs were allowed to us “courtesy batters, courtesy fielders, and courtesy mid-play runners.”
In the case of courtesy batters and fielders, injured players were allowed to have temporary help from a designated replacement too, as long as they returned to the game in the next half inning. In the case of the two mid-play substitutions on record, designated runners were inserted into games simply for the sake of completing a play that was in progress when a runner was injured.
Mid-play substitutions apparently are still legal. Both instances (1977 and 1982) have involved the need for a runner to replace an injured player who could not complete his run around the bases on a settled outcome play because of his disability. Makes you wonder why this would even be necessary. If a guy knocks a walk-off game-winning homer and then falls and breaks his leg between third and home on the jog around the bases, why not just give him the rest of the trip by assumption? Why bring in a second guy to basically act as the designated “run scorer?” It all seems oh so unnecessary.
There has been one illegal use of the “courtesy fielder” rule since 1950 due to umpire error that was allowed to stand. It happened on August 10, 1952 in the second game of a Chicago @ Pittsburgh doubleheader:
“In the top of the ninth of the second game of a twin bill, Pirates catcher Clyde McCullough was injured and could not continue. The Pirates’ two other catchers, Eddie Fitzgerald and Joe Garagiola, had already been used in the game as pinch hitters. With the approval of Cubs manager Phil Cavarretta, Fitzgerald was allowed to replace McCullough. The Cubs won the game 4-3. Under the playing rules in effect since the 1950 season, that was an illegal substitution that the umpires should not have allowed.” – Retrosheet.
Well, Mr. McCroskey, I want to thank you again for dropping by to pump the well on another blog subject column yesterday, Just know this much too, as one of our prime Houston Babies vintage base ball team players: Don’t worry about that 1950 rules change against the use of courtesy runners. As long as you keep running as you do, I’m sure that Babies Manager Bob Dorrill will continue to find a courtesy runner for you that meets with the approval of our esteemed opposition.
As for that “courtesy batter” or “courtesy fielder” help you may also seek – you are on your own.
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