Thursday, September 5, 2013

Other Plays In Baseball (Part 2)

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!

http://youtu.be/k0mn5pMZl0E

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".


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Special Thanks to my Sliders team who make "other plays" possible and fun.

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