Card Baseball 
by Sid Sackson 
from A Gamut of Games 
Copyright 1969 by Sidney Sackson 
New York: Random House 
Number of players. Two. 

Equipment: A standard deck of fifty-two cards. A rough diamond on a piece of paper and a few coins will prove helpful in marking the position of the base runners. 

To start: Cut, and high card has the choice between batting first or last. Ace is low, counting as 1 throughout the game. The player who has the field first deals six cards to each contestant and you're ready to "play ball." 

Pitching: The pitcher winds up and throws one down consisting of any card he thinks best to fool the batter. A picture is a deliberate ball, so the pitcher will usually only lead one when he intends a walk. In any other case he leads a number card (1 to 10) to which the batter replies with a card from his hand. What he plays, of course, determines how well he does. His best bet is to play a cart of the same suit as that led. But if he hasn't one or, for some strategic reason chooses not to play one, he discards any card of another suit and takes a strike. 
If the batter throws a card of the same suit, however, he fares much better. If it is a picture, he fouls, which saves him on the third strike at least. If it is a number card lower than that thrown by the pitcher, it is a ball, four of which send him to first base. If it is a higher number card, he connects. But don't start rooting; it isn't a safe hit yet. 
Lets take a few examples. Mr. A, the pitcher, leads the Spade 7. Mr B, the batter, puts on the Heart Queen. Strike one! 
(Both players, pitcher first, now take a card from the top of the deck, bringing their hands back to six cards. Throughout the game the hand is replenished to six cards every time a card is played. When the deck is exhausted all the cards that have been played are reshuffled and reused, going through the deck a soften as necessary to finish nine innings. Once the game begins the hands are never changed. So play with an eye to the future. Remember, you won't get six new cards at the end of the inning.) 
Mr A tries another, the Spade 5, on which B drops the Club 5. Strike two! A, having found a sucker, conitnues with the Spade 8. But this time B foul tips with the Spade Queen. Still strike two. 
A, out of spades, switches style and sends the Club 6. B drops the Club 3. Ball one! A throws the Heart 7 and B tops it with the Heart 9. It's a hit! But it's far from a safe one because B still has to get the ball past A's fielders. 

Hitting: Now that the batter has connected he tries to place the ball where the fielding is weak. He leads any card (don't forget to bring your hand up to six cards first) and the fielder (who is, of course, the same player as the pitcher) responds with one of his own, trying to get as close to the ball as possible. A piece of very simple arithmetic tells you how well the batter fared. 
Subtract the lower card from the higher card regardless of whose was lower. (What happens when the batter leads a picture will be explained later. If the fielder is careless enough to have only a picture to play, i tis over the fence for a home run.) If the two cards are of unlike colors, multiply the difference by 3; if of the same color but of unlike suits, multiply and difference by 2; and if of the same suit multiply by 1. Then compare the results with the following table and see where the batter lands. 
0,1, or 2 ---------------out 
3 or 4 ------------------single 
5 or 6 ------------------double 
7 or 8 ------------------triple 
9 or more ---------------home run 
Runners on base advance as many bases as the length of the hit. 
Let's clarify the above with a few examples. B has just connected with A's pitch. He leads the Heart Ace and A counters with the Diamond 2. 2-1=1, and then multiply by 2 (same color but different suits). The result is 2 and the batter is out. 
Suppose B had led the Diamond 8 and the best that A could reply with was the Club 6. 8-6=2, and then multiply by 3 (different colors). The result is 6 and the batter is safe on second. A runner on second goes home and one on first moves around to third. 
And finally, suppose B had led the Spade 6 and A had dropped the Diamond 6. 6-6=0 and the batter is out. 

Calling for a new ball: In the course of an inning the pitcher's hand is apt to get cluttered with a mass of pictures. Before any pitch he can clean up the situation by calling for a new ball. This is accomplished by discarding two pictures, no more, no less, from his hand, exposing them to his opponent, and replacing them with two cards from the deck. He may pull this deal as often as he wishes, even twoor more times in succession, but obviously not between the time a batter has connected and the fielding play is completed. Only the pitcher has the righ to call for a new ball. 

Stealing: Baseball would not be BASEBALL without the opportunity for legal thievery. In CARD BASEBALL the player with men on base and ambition for advancement can act before any pitch. He announces a steal and plays a picture from his hand. If the fielder plays another picture of the same suit, the base runner is caught flat-footed and is out. If the fielder plays a picture of another suit, the runner is sent scurrying back to base. But if the fielder plays a number card, the steal is successful. A player is limited to only one steal try before any one pitch. 
Men can be advanced from first to second or from second to third in this manner, but stealing home is another and much more difficult proposition. The play is started in the same way, by the player announcing a steal and leading a picture. But in this case any picture of th same color from the fielder's hand results in an out, and any the other color or any number card of the same suit brings the runner back to base. 
For example, B, the player who is up, has a man on second base and announces a steal. He leads the Diamond K and A counters with the Spade J. The runner stays put on second. After a pitch has passed, B tries again Diamond Q and this time A drops the Diamond2. The man makes it to third. 
A little later in the inning B attempts to make it home. He plays Club J. A answers with the Club 7 and the runner is chased back to third. B is persistent and, after a lapse of a pitch, plays the Heart Q. A tops it with the Diamond J, and the man is tagged out somewhere between third and home. 

Multiple stealing: A player with two or three men on base can go for multiple larceny. He announces each attempted steal and, specifying which card belongs to which runner, plays one picture card for each steal. 
The fielder can choose which attempt he wishes to play to first. That one is handled according to the rules for a single steal. The other one or two steals have a better chance of success. In stealing second or third, a higher-ranking picture card of the same suit is required for an out, while a lower picture card of the same suit or a picture of the other suit of the same color is required to send the runner back to base. In stealing home, a picture card of the same suit is required for an out, while any other picture card is required to send the runner back to base. 

It has been pointed out that my posting of the rules of Playing Card Baseball (copyright Sidney Sackson, 1969) was truncated. Here's the rest; anyone who's interested can splice these two messages together. 
For example, a player has bases loaded and attempts a triple steal. For the runner at third he plays the Spade K, for the one on second the Diamond Q, and for the one on first the Heart Q. The fielder plays first to the steal for home and uses the Club J. The runner is tagged out. To the steal for second he plays the Diamond J and the runner is forced back to second. To the steal for second he throws off a Diamond 5. The runner on first could advance to second except that the base is still occupied and he scurries back to first. 
If the third out is made before a runner steals home, the run does not count. 

Table of steals: For a quick reference on the above material on 
stealing, the following table is included which shows the result of the card played by the fielder in respect to that played by the player 
attempting the steal. 

Situation Out Returned to base 
Single steal--2nd or 3rd Picture of same suit Any other picture 
Single steal--home Picture of same color Picture of other color 
or number card of same 
suit 
Multiple steal--1st 
runner played to Same as above Same as above 
Multiple steal-- Higher picture of Any other picture 
subsequent plays-- same suit of same color 
2nd or 3rd 
Multiple steal-- Picture of same suit Any other picture 
subsequent plays-- 
home 

Any other card is a successful steal, except that in a multiple steal 
the runner must return if the next base is still occupied. 

Sacrifice: The player at bat can also make use of a sacrifice to 
advance his base runners. A sacrifice is attempted after the batter has 

connected with the ball. Instead of leading a number card he leads a picture card. If the fielder plays another picture card of the same suit the batter has inopportunely hit into a double play. If the fielder plays a picture of another suit the sacrifice is a success. The batter is out, but the base runner or runners advance one base. If the fielder has no picture card to play, the sacrifice is more than a success. Not only do the base runners advance but the batter is safe at first. 
Men can advance from first to second, from second to third, or both at the same time by a sacrifice, but a man on third cannot be sacrificed home. 
For example, we will continue with the further adventures of Mr. A and Mr. B. A pitches the Diamond 6 and B connects with the Diamond 10. B, with men on first and third decides, with dubious strategy, on a sacrifice. He leads the Heart Q and A puts on the Club K. B's batter is out but he now has men on second and third. (If a double play had resulted, the batter and the man running from first would be out, while the runner on third would remain. ) 
In another situation B has men on first and second and again tries a sacrifice. After connecting with A's pitch he leads the Spade Q to which A replies with the Spade J. B's batter is out and also the man running from second to third. B is left, considerably sadder, with two outs and a man on second (who reached there from first). 

Advanced situations: With the foregoing under your belt, you are ready to stage a full-fledged game of BASEBALL and get a lot of fun out of it. The remaining seven plays constitute the fine points of the game. You can take them or leave them. But with these added plays every facet of BASEBALL can be reproduced with astounding realism. 
The first four situations call for the use of the "companion card," 
a matter of simple definition. The two cards of the same denomination and the same color are termed companions. Thus the companion card of the Heart 7 is the Diamond 7, and the companion card of the Spade J is the Club J, etc. 

Catching a foul: When the batter fouls by throwing a picture of the same suit on the pitched ball, the fielder can catch the foul, making the out, by playing the companion card. 
For example, A pitches the Diamond 6. B fouls with the Diamond Q. If before drawing a card (being an exception to the rule) A has the Heart Q among his five cards, he can play it thereby catching a foul for the out. He now draws two cards to refill his hand. 

Errors: When the batter connects with the ball he leads a card, the 
fielder replies with another, and the two determine how far the batter travels. If the batter can now throw the companion card to that played by the fielder, he causes the latter to make an error. An error allows the batter to one more base than he would otherwise be entitled to. 
A few more examples will serve to make this clear. B, still up at bat, has a man on third. A pitches the Spade 7 and B connects with the Spade 9. B now leads the Diamond 3 and A fields with the Heart 4. 
4-3=1, x 2=2 and the man should be out. But B, without drawing, has the Diamond 4 among his five cards and plays it. A has no committed an error and B's batter goes to first while the man on third goes home. B must now draw two cards to replenish his hand. 
In another situation B has a man on first and then connects with the ball. He leads the Club 8 and A answers with the Diamond 7. 8-7 = 1, x 3=3 and the man has hit a single. B, however, now plays the Heart 7 and A juggles the ball long enough for B's batter to reach second and his base runner to make third. 

Hit by pitcher: If, in answer to a pitch of a 10 or a 9 (but no other number), the batter plays the companion card, he has been hit by the pitched ball and goes to first. 

Double play: One way of making a double play was discussed in connection with sacrifices, but the fielder has another trick he can pull to produce the multiple outs. When the batter connects with the ball and leads a number card the fielder can, if there is at least one man on base, consummate a double play by throwing the companion card. This does not apply when a sacrifice is attempted. 
For example, B, with a man on third, has just connected with A's pitch. He leads the Club 3. A counters with the Spade 3 and B has hit into a double play. The batter is out and so is the man on third. If, however, B had had men on first and third, the man on first would have been out, leaving the man on third safe. And if B had had men on first and second, the man running from second to third would have been tagged while the man from first would have reached second safely. 
When the bases are loaded it is easier for the fielder to pull a double play. In this case another card of the same denomination results in two outs, while the companion card itself hits the jackpot for a triple play. 
For example, B has the bases loaded and connects with the ball. He leads the Club 8. A plays the Diamond 8 and B is left with two outs, a man on second and third, and a stunned look on his face. If A had had the Spade 8 it would have been a total blitz, three outs. 

Long flies: After connecting, if the batter leads a 10 or a 9, it is considered a drive deep into the outfield. If it is caught, a man on second can advance to third, or a man on third can reach home after the out, provided, of course, that it is not the third out. 
If the long hit results in a single, a man on second can reach home while a man on first can make third. Finally, i fthe long hit results in a double, a man can go home from first. 
No examples, just for a change. 

Pinch hitters: Up to three times in a game each player may substitute a pinch hitter for the man scheduled to come to bat. This is accomplished by the player announcing a pinch hitter and then drawing two extra cards from the top of the deck to simulate the added hitting power of the new batter. 
He continues to play with eight cards instead of six in his hand until the pinch hitter has reached a base or has been put out. Then he must immediately reduce his hand to six cards by discarding any excess. 

Relief pitcher: Once during the game each player may replace his pitcher with a relief hurler. Before any pitch the player announces the subtstitution and draws two extra cards from the top of the deck. He plays with eight cards in his hand until the termination of that half of the inning, at which time he discards to reduce to six again. 
A player may not make use of a relief pitcher until his opponent has made at least two hits in that half inning. This is to prevent a player from yanking a competent pitcher and putting in the spare hurler simply as a precautionary measure. 

