In previous posts we have covered blocking the baseball. Sometimes even if we are skilled at blocking the baseball will still get past us. This post and the next one will cover what happens when the ball gets behind the catcher.
First, when the runner is on third base it is the pitcher’s job to run up and cover home plate while the catcher runs the ball down. This is something that has to be practiced and preferably with a base runner to get the timing down.
Baseball is a game of fractions of a second, anything we can do to gain fractions of a second on our opponent help us. One of the challenges when the ball gets past the catcher is that the catcher doesn’t see where it goes. However, the pitcher does. It saves a lot of time if the pitcher can communicate to the catcher where the ball is especially when a runner is on third base.
We don’t have time for long, detailed conversations in this situation. For example, we don’t have time for the pitcher to say, “Catcher! The ball has rolled about eight steps straight behind you!” That takes too long and the runner on third has already scored.
Instead, it’s important to come up with a brief communication system. So when there is a runner on third base, we use a number system (we only do this when a runner is on third base). This is keyed to the bases. The pitcher is shouting this as he runs up to cover home plate when the ball gets past the catcher.
If the ball has rolled straight behind the catcher then it is even with second base so the pitcher is running up shouting “2!” If the ball is to the catcher’s right hand side (i.e. the first base side), then the pitcher is shouting “1!” If the ball is to the catcher’s left (i.e. the third base side), then the pitcher is shouting “3!” See the image below for a look at this.
Sometimes the ball ends up under the catcher and they don’t know it. When that is the case the pitcher is yelling ‘Down!” as they run up.
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