A Little Courtesy Please

It hasn't happened since 1949 and it will never happen again. No, we are not referring to a perfect game. David Cone did that as recently as July 18, 1999 at Yankee Stadium and someone will pitch another. No, we are not referring to an unassisted triple play. Rafael Furcal did that as recently as August 10, 2003 in St. Louis and it will happen again. What we are referring to is a courtesy runner. Of course, while perfect games and unassisted triple plays are still allowed, a courtesy runner is not. What is a courtesy runner? With the permission of the opposing manager, teams used a courtesy runner as a temporary substitute for a player who was injured but not injured severely enough to prevent him from continuing to play after brief medical treatment. Another player, even one in the game, could be designated at the courtesy runner and he could be used again later in the game.

As an example, the Yankees could use Homer Bush to run for Jason Giambi in the sixth inning if Jason was injured and at the end of the inning, Jason could return to first base. If Bush were needed in the eighth inning, Joe Torre could use him again since he appeared as a courtesy runner, not as an offensive or defensive replacement. It is fascinating that in the modern baseball rulebook, Rule 3.04 refers to a courtesy runner, a fact that most fans in the media and in the stands do not know.

RULE 3.04

A player whose name is on his team's batting order may not become a substitute runner for another member of his team. This rule is intended to eliminate the practice of using so called courtesy runners. No player in the game shall be permitted to act as a courtesy runner for a teammate. No player who has been in the game and has been taken out for a substitute shall return as a courtesy runner. Any player not in the lineup, if used as a runner, shall be considered as a substitute player.

The last courtesy runner in major league history was Jim Hegan, which is amazing because Hegan was a catcher, which indicates something about his speed. In the bottom of the ninth inning in a game at Cleveland, Ray Boone (yes, Aaron's grandfather) was hit on the arm by a pitch thrown by St. Louis Brown's right-hander Karl Drews. Hegan was already in the lineup as the Indians catcher but Indians' manager Lou Boudreau used Hegan as a courtesy runner. Hegan scored but it was all for naught as the Browns won, 4-2.

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