Hello! My name is
Jake Nordstrom and welcome to my new blog on the Basics of Baseball. Today, I
will continue to talk about the "Other Plays" in Baseball.
http://youtu.be/XuAtdxoJa9w
OFFENSE
Home Run: Hitting a Home Run feels
AWESOME! A home run is when the hitter hits the ball over the fence. Another
kind of home run is when the batter hits the ball inside the
park, and runs all the way around the bases successfully without being called
out.
Foul Ball: A foul ball
is when the batter hits the ball, and it goes to the outside of the white
“foul line”. If you hit
a ball, and it has to go past 1st or
3rd base before it
goes foul, it is fair. But any time it goes out before those two bases, it is
foul. If the batter hits the ball “on” the line, it is usually fair, but is up
to the umpire as to whether it is actually fair or foul.
http://youtu.be/fnzawrTASZI
Head First Slide: A head first slide is only allowed at some levels of
baseball. A head first slide is when you slide with your
feet behind you, and your hands out in front (and it is totally fun in the
rain, especially on turf). Here is a video of a Head First Slide that I
did in Cooperstown. I was called out, but was CLEARLY safe!
Hit By Pitch: A hit by pitch is when the pitcher
throws the ball, and it hits the batter. It can be either accidental or on
purpose, but it still counts, and the runner gets to advance to first
base. Here is an example of me getting hit in the back...OUCH!
Gotta be TOUGH in baseball!
Running Outside the Baseline: When the runner is running around the bases,
if he runs to the left
or right more than three feet, they will be called out for running outside of
the baseline. This is to avoid the defense not having to chase down a runner,
like a game of tag, where they can run freely, wherever they want to go.
Stealing a Base: There are different rules to stealing
bases for different levels, so I will explain the rules for little league.
Little League: First
of all, you can’t leave the base until the ball has crossed the plate. If the
ball gets by the
catcher, you are allowed to leave. If you leave early however, when the play is
finished, you will most likely be called back to the previous base.
Juniors, Travel Ball,
High School, Minor/Major Leagues: The lead-off is encouraged. You want to get off the base enough so that you can
get back easily, but not so close that it takes little effort. The expression
that is said is “a step and a dive”.
The runner may steal
the base at any time he likes. He could even do it if the pitcher hasn’t thrown yet. Some runners, who are
fast, will tempt the pitcher with an extra long lead-off to make the pitcher
throw. This can sometimes distract the defensive player, so that another
runner can attempt to get closer to home. Lead-offs takes lots of practice, but
are fun once mastered.
DEFENSE
Pickle: A Pickle is basically when the runner gets caught in between two bases and gets into a chase.
Pick-Off: A pick-off is when the pitcher catches the runner off the base and throws it to a teammate. This can sometimes result in a pickle. Here is an example.
Errors: An Error is
basically when a player on the team misses the ball when it is playable. However, if the player dives and misses, it is
totally different, and is counted as a hit. In the playbook, the player is
scored "E, plus the position that made the error".
So dive for those hard-to-get balls!
Charging the Mound: When a team charges the mound, it is
usually because a batter purposely gets hit by a pitch. When the team charges
the mound, someone usually ends up getting hurt, and/or suspended.
Strike Out: A strike out
is when the pitcher throws 3 strikes before 4 balls. Great for the
pitcher, and not great
for the batter. This is scored with K in the playbook and a backwards K for
when the batter strikes out looking. Here is one of my latest strike
outs!
Join me for my next
blog on Exercise Routines and Nutrition for building core and strength muscles WITHOUT using weights. Help me out
by clicking on the “Join This Site” Button in the upper right hand corner of
this page. Thank you!
REMEMBER...TRYOUTS ARE AROUND THE CORNER...TO REVIEW ON HOW TO HAVE A GOOD TRYOUT, SEE MY 1ST BLOG, DATED DECEMBER 2012...THEN FOLLOW EACH MONTH FOR MORE ON "THE BASICS OF BASEBALL".
REMEMBER...TRYOUTS ARE AROUND THE CORNER...TO REVIEW ON HOW TO HAVE A GOOD TRYOUT, SEE MY 1ST BLOG, DATED DECEMBER 2012...THEN FOLLOW EACH MONTH FOR MORE ON "THE BASICS OF BASEBALL".
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Special Thanks to my Sliders team who
make "other plays" possible and fun.
