I just watched on TV, for the first time, the baseball movie "Eight Men Out," which is about the Chicago White Sox who threw the World Series in 1919. (I was surprised to see the Chicago denizen Studs Terkel in this movie, playing a sports writer.)
This set me to thinking about signaling in baseball. The catcher makes hand signals to the pitcher indicating what kind of pitch is to be thrown next, and the pitcher either nods in agreement, or shakes his head to ask for a different choice.
What is the purpose of such signaling? I infer that it is to ensure that both pitcher and catcher agree on what to throw, so that the catcher can catch the ball more skillfully. (How does that work?)
But the communication is one-way, from catcher to pitcher. I infer that this is because the catcher can hide his signals between his knees so that only the pitcher (or a spy in the outfield) can see them, but any signals from pitcher to catcher would be seen by everyone, including the batter, who could prepare for the kind of pitch that is coming.
Who decides what the next pitch will be? Is it the catcher? Or is it the pitcher, who waits till the catcher cycles around to the kind of pitch the pitcher wants to throw?
How detailed are these signals? How many of them are there? Are they standardized?
Signaling is not part of baseball, in the sense that it is an optional rather than mandatory part of the game. Right?
Hand signals are not the only conceivable mode of communication, and pitcher and catcher are not the only conceivable participants. What if catcher and pitcher were to wear small earpieces, to receive instructions from their team's manager? Would that be legal? I don't see why not. And if it is illegal, why?
Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY)
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 