By: Ron Bing, Puritas League, Cleveland, Ohio
4/8/98 FIELDING 2. Who takes the relay throw on balls hit to right field and right center? 3. On a bunted ball toward first base, who is the person most likely to cover the bag? 4. On a bunted ball toward third base with a runner on second and less than two outs, who should 5. On a ball hit between the first baseman and second baseman in which the second baseman 6. If the fielder is within ten feet or less of another fielder and he is going to throw him the ball, what 7. On a fly ball hit to the outfield and two players think they can catch it, who should? 9. A ball is hit between first and second and neither player calls for it, what do you do? 10. A runner is on second base with less than two outs and you are the third baseman. A line drive 11. What does the expression, “Look a runner back” mean? 12. What does the expression, “Hit the relay man” mean? 14. When going out for a relay throw from the outfield, what five things must you do? 15. A ball is hit to you on the ground and gets by you a short distance then stops, how do you pick
Date: April 08, 1998 at 18:05
1. Who takes the relay throw on balls hit to left field and left center?
Ans. The shortstop.
Ans. The second baseman.
Ans. If the play is to first base, the second baseman should cover first since the first baseman and
pitcher are charging the ball.
cover third?
Ans. While the third baseman and pitcher charge the ball, the shortstop covers third, and the second
baseman covers second.
It is important for the catcher to tell the fielder who gets the ball whether he should go to third with
the throw, or go to first. If he doesn't say anything, the fielder may go to third much too late, or he
might look to third and take too much time before throwing to first, or worse, the runner going to
third might be a dead duck, but the fielder doesn't look and goes immediately to first.
knows he can catch it, what should he do?
Ans. Yell to the first baseman and let him know you have it. That way the first baseman can go
back to first and be ready for the throw there.
is the best way to do it? There are five parts to this answer.
Ans. 1) clearly show the ball in your bare hand to the person you are throwing to; 2) toss him the
ball with a firm underhand; 3) do not throw it too hard or too soft; 4) don't put too much arc on the
ball; and 5) aim for the chest of the person you are throwing to.
It is very important that the fielder who is receiving the underhand toss use both hands to catch
the throw. You can “feel” a normal throw as the ba
ll hits your glove, but you probably will not feel
anything if the throw is tossed softly. That is why it is important to use both hands. If the ball is
barely in your glove, your free hand must be right there to insure that you hold onto the throw. Of
course you should always use both hands on every throw and hit whenever possible.
Ans. 1) if you are sure you can get it then call for the ball loudly; 2) if both call for the ball, then the
boy who has the easiest chance should call off the other player, “I've got it, I've got it!!”, or “Mine,
mine!!”; and 3) if both boys have an equal chance of catching it, normally the center fielder takes
charge. The worst thing you can do is not call for the ball while going after it. Usually one of two
things happens, no one catches the ball because each thought the other guy would get it, or they run
into each other and drop the ball. Remember, when calling for the ball make sure you yell it out.
With planes flying overhead and all the other commotion going on, it is not easy to hear. Also, do
not just call for it one time, keep calling so the other players really know you have it. There will be
times when the ball will be falling into an area where no one may be able to reach it, where perhaps
three boys are running for it at the same time. In that situation it is better for one guy to call off the
other boys, even if he might not catch it, because someone could get hurt in a collision.
8. What is an error?
Ans. An error occurs when a fielder does not catch a batted or thrown ball, which should have been
caught with “normal” effort, and which if it had been caught, would have retired the batter or a
runner. Another error occurs when a fielder, after fielding a ball cleanly, throws the ball to a base in
an attempt at retiring a runner or the batter, but throws it in such a way that t
he person taking the
throw cannot catch it. These are physical errors that are recorded in the game summary. Another
kind of error, but which is not officially charged to the guilty party is a mental error. An example of
this would be an outfielder who catches a fly ball, and thinking that there are three outs starts to jog
off the field; however, his catch was only the second out, and in the meantime the runner on third,
who was not going to tag up, now does so and scores. Although no error was officially charged to
the outfielder, his mental error cost the team a run. Another example would be an infielder who
fields a ground ball and tags the bag to retire the runner - only there was no force play in effect and
the runner slides into the base safely.
Physical errors are called errors of commission, mental errors are errors of omission.
Ans. Both players should go after the ball, and the pitcher should cover first.
is hit right at you, what should you do next?
Ans. 1) before the ball is hit know what you are going to do with it if it is; 2) make sure you catch
the ball; and 3) as soon as you catch it look at the runner on second, if he was running with the hit
you may be able to tag him out. If he is off the bag at second, determine whether you can get him
out there if you throw back. If you believe you can get him out, make a good, strong, accurate
throw to the second baseman who should be covering the base. If the runner is still at second, look
at the runner, then simply get the ball back to the pitcher. Three things are very important if you
want to have a chance to get that runner out: know what you want to do before you have to do it,
stay calm and relaxed, and do not rush your throw. If you hurry your throw, there is a goo
d chance
that the ball will end up in right field, where, naturally, your always thinking right fielder will be
backing up the play!!
Ans. This usually involves a runner on third base with less than two outs in a non force play situation,
and who you do not want to allow to score. It also will come into play in certain situations when a
runner is on second with less than two outs in a non force play situation. Both situations deal with
ground balls hit to the pitcher or an infielder. After fielding the ground ball cleanly, the infielder will
look at the runner in question while getting the ball into his throwing hand. By looking at the runner
you will force him to go back to the base he was on, because if he tried to advance you could easily
throw him out. The key is to not take too much time looking at the runner, because if you do, the
batter could reach first base safely. What you are attempting to do here is prevent the runner from
advancing, while still retiring the batter at first base.
Ans. When an outfielder catches or retrieves a ball hit to or by him, make a good throw to the
player coming out to take the throw. The reasons for this are because one long throw to a base is
more difficult, and has a greater chance of a mistake being made, then does two shorter throws. The
relay man is either the shortstop on the left side, or the second baseman on the right.
The key to any relay lies in the outfielder making a good throw to the relay man. Very often you
will see an outfielder rush his throw, and more times than not the throw will be at the feet of the relay
man. This not only makes the catch more difficult, but even if he catches it he will not be in a good
position to turn and get the ball to the proper base. One bad throw usually leads to another bad
throw, while a good throw is usua
lly followed by another good one.
13. You are the shortstop and there are two outs and a runner on third. If you get a ground ball and
see the runner trying to score, what should you do?
Ans. If you can get the batter out at first, do not even worry about the runner at third, just be sure
you get off a good throw to first. If you are worrying about the runner on third, it can disrupt your
concentration and that could easily lead to you fumbling an otherwise routine ground ball.
Ans. 1) get out there right away so that you are set and ready to turn and throw if need be, or run in
with the ball and halt play; 2) be sure you go out far enough so that the outfielder can reach you with
a good throw, but do not go any farther then you have too; 3) wave your hands over your head so
that the fielder can see you easily; 4) line yourself up with the base that the outfielder is throwing to;
and 5) listen for an infielder in case he is telling you to do something with the ball right away.
It is important that you do not go out too far, because it does not do any good if you run out so
far that the outfielder just has to easily toss the ball to you. Remember, every step you take going
out is taking you farther from the infield, and you could go out so deep that now you need a relay
man!! Also, know your outfielders, know which ones have good arms and which do not, and which
have accurate throwing arms and which do not. It is also important that you know the score, inning
and outs. Depending on these factors, you may or may not try to get an advancing runner.
the ball up and why?
Ans. Look at the ball as you calmly pick it up with your throwing hand. The reasons for this are that
1) trying to pick the ball up with your glove will probably re
sult in the ball falling out of it; 2) if you
are looking at where to throw the ball instead of at the ball, you might not pick it up the first time you
reach for it; 3) if you hurry too quickly you will probably end up fumbling around trying to get the ball
up; and 4) if you pick the ball up with your glove you will first have to transfer the ball from your
glove to your hand before you can throw, and that not only takes extra time, there is the chance you
could fumble the ball or not get it out of your glove cleanly.
By picking the ball up with your bare hand as you look at the ball and not the runner, you not
only increase your chances of picking it up the first time, but you will already have it in your throwing
hand. Since you didn't field the ball cleanly to begin with, you need to pick up the ball and throw it
as quickly as possible. However, if the runner is clearly going to be safe at the base you are
throwing to, hold onto the ball. If you hurry your throw to a base where you are not going to get the
runner out anyway, you increase the chances of making a bad throw and the runner getting an
additional base.