Base Running Situations

There are five factors that affect the decsion to advance a runner. In order of priority, these factors are:

1. The location of the fielders and the ball;
2. The number of outs;
3. The probability of a safe advance;
4. The score;
5. The inning or time of the game.

Your base coach will consider all these factors and communicate his instructions to you each time that you are a base runner. It is the coach's job to make the best decsion for our team. It is your job to quickly do what he tells you.

To run the bases smartly, it is helpful to understand the game situations that commonly affect base running decisions. In the chart below, general guidelines are provided to help you become a better base runner. Common situations include:

the best time to stretch a hit;

when to advance past third and go home on a hit or an error;

scoring from third base on an infield ground ball;

tag plays on fly balls that are hit to the outfield.

As you look at the chart, notice how much the situation changes according to the number of outs that have been made. With no outs, safety is our prime consideration. Play it safe, and go for the big inning. With two outs, we are willing to take more chances to get a runner scored, or to get him into scoring position at second base.

What about the score? If our team is behind, the score becomes a big factor. If we are behind by two runs or more, safety is always the primary consideration. The important runner is the one who represents the tying run. Any runner in front of him must be protected to keep the inning alive. When our team is behind, extend a rally by understanding the situation and maintaining your focus and control on the base paths

GAME SITUATIONS
Outs	Stretch a Double Into a Triple	Score a Runner From 2B on a Hit or Error	Scoring a Runner from 3B on an Infield Grounder	Tag up at 2B on OF Flys
0	Always better to be safe than sorry. In other words, don't be sorry!	Unless there is a 100% chance of scoring, hold at third base.	Score on a slow roller to the right side that passes the pitcher's mound. Anything else, make it clear the infield.	The runner at 2nd base must tag up on any fly ball that may be caught.
1	If you have a better than 50/50 chance, this is the only time to try to stretch a double into a triple.	A 75% chance of scoring is good enough to get the green light.	Try to score on any ground ball hit past the mound. If the pitcher fields the ball cleanly and throws home, force a rundown.	Go halfway to 3rd base on a fly ball that is a questionable catch. You score if it drops.
2	After you reach 2nd base, stay put! Only try to stretch the hit to 3rd, if it is 100% certain you will be safe.	Ordinarily, a 50% chance of success is probably enough, but we won't take the bat out of a hot hitter's hand.	On contact, the runner is off. If hit to the pitcher and he throws home, think about stopping and taking your chances in a rundown.
Learning these base running quidelines will help our base runners and coaches to communicate better. Anticipating the coach's instructions in these important game situations will increase your contributions to our team's primary offensive goal--score valuable runs.