Another point about the official scorer - I think that most of the time that person is employed by the home team, and at times there will be calls that seem to go the home team’s way (say the home-team batter gets credit for a hit when maybe he should he should have been ruled safe on an error).
I noted, in two accounts of the 1945 World Series, that Hank Borowy–whose wavier out of the AL that year merits a thread all by itself-- pitched in all of the last three games, winning one and losing two. He had shut the Tigers out in the opening game, but because of an injury to the pitching hand of the Cubs’ Claude Passeau in that wild 6th game, Borowy had to pitch without enough rest. Borowy could only do so much. In contrast, Darold Knowles (7 games for the A’s in 1973), Dan Quisenberry (6 games for the Royals in 1980), and Mike Marshall (5 games for the Dodgers in 1974), all relief pitchers, appeared in all of the games of the particular Series. (I think Borowy finished the 6th game for the Cubs, and won it, but Detroit knocked him out early in the finale.)
Quite a contrast from Deacon Phillippe of the Pirates pitching five complete games–winning three and losing two–in 1903, when one of his teammates was out due to a severe nervosus breakdown and another appeared hardly at all. Phillippe couldn’t do it alone.
Although there are some rules of thumb (for example, a bunt that moves over a runner is always going to be ruled a sacrifice, even if the batter was obviously bunting for a hit), the role of the official scorer is very subjective. The way I understand it, they use their judgment to determine if a player should have made the play (would the average player have made the play?), or if it would have made a difference even if they had. If a shortstop boots a high chopper with a speedy runner, the official scorer can decide that the runner would have beaten it out anyway and award a hit based on that decision.
Zev, I could have sworn that Charlie Brown got picked off during Snoopy’s last at bat of the season. Aaron beat Snoopy during Snoopy’s off season. However, I do know that Snoopy was having some trouble sleeping during that time, so it may have affected his performance. He was concerned that the pile of hate mail that he was receiving would collapse and fall on top of him at night.
Dougie,
Also note Borowy, over those 4 days, pitched only 9 innings. 5 in game 5 before being knocked out, 4 in relief game 6 (came in in the 8th and apparently did well) and failed to retire a single batter in game 7. Knowles also pictched less than 1 full inning on 4 of the 7 games in 73.
Marshall is notable - I think that was the year he pitched in over 100 games, and I think he’s still the only pitcher to do that.
The most notable WS right-back-at-em is Mathewson’s 3 CG shutouts over 6 days in 1905. 3-0, 0.00 ERA.
I think that if a batter bunts - even with a man on first - and it’s a swinging bunt on which he runs right out of the box, to the official scorer he was bunting to get on base. In this instance, the scorer would not score a sacrifice if the batter was actually thrown out (this happens mostly with fast-running batters).
Dan,
a “swinging bunt” is where he made a full cut and just barely hit a trickler. The intent was to get a hit. A better comparison is a guy trying to bunt in the ninth inning with one one when he’s 2 runs down. A fast runner may try to drag a bunt. If he does. he was trying to bunt his way on, not advance the runner. The runner means nothing, they need 2. He should not, and usually isn’t, credited with a sacrifice in that instance. The scorer has to try to discern intent. Down 1 run, he may well get a sac. Then the runner means something, especially if there was no one out and one of the team’s best hitters coming up next.
Wow! You’re good. CB did get picked off second (kind of wonder how he got to second to begin with 
). I thought I was the only one with my Peanuts books from the 70s…
Zev Steinhardt
Well, that’s what I meant.