Good first sackers like Irving Burns of the St. Louis Browns, are as sure on one hand catches as with both hands. A first baseman must be able to handle his glove hand surely, to catch and hold the many wide and high throws that come his way. On close plays, where he sees that the ball and the runner will arrive at nearly the same time, he will stretch far out to meet the ball and save a split second. This stretch often makes the difference between getting and losing the runner. Burns does this because he knows that umpires judge such plays, by sight and sound, watching the runners foot on the base, and listening for the spat of the ball on the baseman's mitt.