Cubs, Cardinals Play With Two Balls at Same Time
By David Hill
There are times when it is difficult enough to follow the action on the diamond with just one ball in play. Imagine if a second live ball was also in use during those moments. That scenario happened on this day in 1959 in a game between the Cubs and the Cardinals.
These days, a baseball is changed out if it even touches the ground, with the idea that a fresh, unscuffed ball is preferable to one that has been hit and boxed about. However, that was not always the case. Until recently, a ball was used even after being put into play, kept in the game so long as the cover was not falling off or the ball was damaged. In fact, on this day in 1913, the Reds and Cubs played a 9-6 game using only the one ball.
That one ball was one fewer than the number of balls in play during a bizarre moment on this day 46 years later. This time, the Cubs were facing the Cardinals, with Stan Musial facing Bob Anderson in the fourth inning. On Anderson’s 3-1 pitch, the ball sailed wild, heading to the backstop. Cubs catcher Sammy Taylor, thinking that the ball hit Musial’s bat, ignored the ball, leaving the ballboy to pick it up and hand it to field announcer Pat Pieper.
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This is where the tale gets interesting. Musial went to first on the walk, then sprinted to second, knowing the ball was live. Meanwhile, Cubs third baseman Alvin Dark got the ball back from Pieper, knowing that it was a live play. Simultaneously, home plate umpire Vic Delmore and Taylor were in an argument about the walk, and Delmore absent mindedly handed Anderson another ball.
With Musial heading to second, both Anderson and Dark threw to the base in their attempts to get the runner. Anderson’s throw sailed into center over second baseman Tony Taylor, leading Musial to try to get to third. However, Dark threw to shortstop Ernie Banks, who handled the throw and tagged Musial out as he attempted to advance.
Delmore and umpire Al Barlick got together to determine the call on the field. Musial was ruled safe at first, but out at second. Naturally, this call angered both teams, with the Cubs and Cardinals playing the game under protest. The Cardinals would drop theirs after posting a 4-1 victory.
In quite the unsurprising move, Delmore was let go by the National League after the season, in large part because of this game. Unfortunately, he would not have a chance to work his way back into the good graces of the NL, as Delmore died almost a year later due to a heart ailment.
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Sometimes, even one ball in play can lead to a confusing situation on the diamond. On this day in 1959, a second ball was introduced to play, with disastrous results.