Everyone has at least watched baseball on television, so everyone is an expert, able to tell even MLB managers, GMs, and coaches what to do. Try this one....
Little League team, in the field, leading 5-3 in bottom of the last inning. Opponents have runners on 1st and 3rd, with one out. LL team has best players pitching (not strikeout pitcher, but very likely to throw strikes), catching (can catch a pitch and make a throw), and at short (can catch). No doubt, since it's LL, the runner on first will break for 2B on the pitch. Now, coach, what do you do defensively? Do you let the runner take 2B or do you try to throw him out, with, likely, the runner on 3B scoring?
Well, coach...?
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4 comments:
Oh the complexity of a simple question over thought by a 'lawyer' and politician...
Is this house little league or travel? How old? What's the count? Who's on deck? (no, not Who's on first.) Is this a championship game or regular season? Can the runners steal as soon as the pitcher lifts his leg, releases the pitch, or crosses home plate?
Short answer, you give him second. Little leaguers rarely are able to throw runners out attempting to steal. If anything, you tell your catcher to fake a throw to see if the guy on third bites or come up gunning only to throw back to the pitcher.
Besides, thinking logically, in little league they still need three (in the least) more hits to score the winning run...Most of those runners go station to station.
Just my thought...
Disagree.
You gladly trade the run for an out. It shouldn't matter what age group it is. The guy on third means NOTHING.
When I used to umpire (kids anywhere from 12-18), I used to cringe when coaches let the kids take second- sometimes even with a 1-run lead. It almost always comes back to haunt you.
At the higher levels it puts the tying run in scoring position and forces the pitcher to walk the bases loaded(and put the leading run on) and at the lower levels it eliminates the chances of getting an out, a sometimes comically difficult task for the youngsters.
Think of it this way: On a ground ball where would you go for the out? The force at first or second? Or attempt to tag out the runner on third heading home who means nothing?
Matt nailed it!!!!
Gee, I wouild have never figured that out. I guess I should stop watching Ellen while I am unemployed
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