04/24/24
June 20, 2009
Scutaro steals second base after Base on Balls: Blue Jay Marco Scutaro catches the Phillies middle infield napping, and takes second after drawing a walk. As one of the commentators says, it reminds him of little league. Video here.
Nice. Scutaro's pretty sneaky to even be thinking of the possibility. I wouldn't trust that guy.
posted by rcade at 02:55 PM on June 20, 2009
Great play by Scutaro. That is definitely something you don't see very often, even in Little League.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 11:02 PM on June 20, 2009
I always kinda thought "time" was sorta called after a walk. Guess the Phillies did too. Chin music must have been in order on his next ab, no?
posted by tselson at 12:17 AM on June 21, 2009
For stealing a base on a walk? I think any pitcher who threw at him would get immediately tossed, and chewed out by his own manager.
I think the ethics of the reliatory HBP is when a player is either a pitcher who's been throwing at people, or one of the better hitters being used as a proxy for that pitcher (in the AL), or on occasion for uncalled for behavior on the basepaths. Slide into second in a malicious/potentially injury-resulting way, and you'll get beaned (and quite possibly suspended); but a good hard play, or exploiting the laziness of the fielders in this case, should only leave those players pissed at themselves.
posted by hincandenza at 02:39 AM on June 21, 2009
If the Jays were blowing the Phils out at the point he stole second, I could see the Phils throwing at him. But it was 2-1 at this point, so the fielders just need to take the embarrassment like men...
posted by MeatSaber at 04:44 PM on June 21, 2009
Great play by Scutaro. John McDonald would've gotten to third.
I always kinda thought "time" was sorta called after a walk. Guess the Phillies did too. Chin music must have been in order on his next ab, no?
Time is never officially called until an umpire signals so (except in dead-ball situations). Players will often ask for time and think they've automatically gotten it, but the ball's in play until the umpire actually calls it out. I think you will find umpires, though, who will call time immediately after the batter leaves the box so as to brush the plate or whatever.
There's another version of this play. Runner on third with less than two out and a weak hitter up next. The batter either draws the walk or is hit by a pitch and jogs to first, then immediately takes off for second. At the same time, the runner at third (who has wandered off the base) cautiously breaks for home.
If the pitcher goes toward second, the runner continues and you trade the out in the rundown between first and second for the run. If the pitcher makes no move or looks toward home, the runner at third retreats. If the pitcher throws to third (what you're really hoping for), the runner makes it home easily.
Even if the runner at third gets caught in a pickle, the trailing runner will get to at least second and sometimes third.
This play works surprisingly well up through the elite levels of high-school baseball. It's not uncommon for the pitcher to fire the ball over the second or third baseman's head, or simply hold the ball and let the guy take second. I've even seen a catcher take one in the chops when the pitcher threw home, but the catcher had removed his mask and wasn't paying attention.
posted by wfrazerjr at 07:59 PM on June 21, 2009
I was always taught NEVER to call time out after a base on balls until the award was complete (batter-runner had reached first) for exactly the reason that Scutaro's play highlights. I once had a coach come out to talk with his pitcher immediately after a walk. He continued to the mound despite my admonition that he should wait. When he got there, the pitcher was still holding the ball, and being totally distracted by his coach, was unable to see the batter-runner take off for second. Of course, the coach tried to argue that he had called time. I advised him that only the umpire can call time, and that I had told him to wait. He was still arguing when I asked him to return to the bench (with the implicit threat that if he didn't, he was gone). He complied, and after the game admitted that the only reason he argued was that he was embarrassed.
Fraze, your scenario with the runner on third works on a walk, but after a hit batsman, the ball is dead, and no advance can be made by the runners.
posted by Howard_T at 08:51 PM on June 21, 2009
heads up baserunning for sure.