Play from long ago.

[greymule]

If I recall correctly, if the PU judged the contact was in the fair portion of the batter's box, it was an out.

That might well be the answer. That was the rule then, and this ball actually appears to be in front of the plate.

Supposedly, even a batter who was at the front of the box would be out if he hit a ball downward onto his foot if the foot was in the fair part of the box. I think, though, that even then the umps usually ignored the letter of the rule and called that a foul. Howard's play, of course, is different.

Interest to watch Jocko Conlon's mechanics during that series. When viewing pitches, he kept his legs straight and leaned forward with his hands grasped behind him. (I'm going to check this film again to see how that worked with the balloon protector.)