March 5, 2008

read story | posted by justgary to Baseball at 1:45 PM CDT (24 comments total)

Those seem more difficult than they should be considering I've played baseball for the past twelve or so years. I'm confident with my answers for five out of the seven.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 1:59 PM CDT on March 5

A tenth grader would know the question should read "Are you smarter THAN a tenth grader?". You flunked.

posted by wowjimi at 2:54 PM CDT on March 5

That's what I get for copying and pasting.

posted by justgary at 3:05 PM CDT on March 5

I'm 7 for 7, but then I had to do the Babe Ruth umpire's exam a few weeks ago. These questions go into some of the more arcane rules of baseball. Just to keep the fun going, who knows how you can record 4 outs in a half-inning (and why it's important)?

Fun post, justgary. If anyone wants it, I'll put some of the Babe Ruth exam on The Locker Room. Maybe about 5 questions at a time, and leave them there for a week.

posted by Howard_T at 4:09 PM CDT on March 5

who knows how you can record 4 outs in a half-inning (and why it's important)

Score is 0 to 0; 1 out, runners on 2nd and 3rd

Batter hits a fly ball

The runners both run home (2 to 0)

The ball is caught (2nd out)

The defender tags 2nd base (3rd out, score is now 1 to 0)

At this point, the inning is over. The defense may run off the field and the score will remain 1 to 0, or they can tag 3rd base to record the 4th out and the score will be back to 0 to 0.

posted by Toad8572 at 4:22 PM CDT on March 5

I'm terrible at this stuff, so forgive a stupid question, but if you can record 4, why not 5 (with the bases loaded)? Is there some sort of force?

posted by yerfatma at 4:38 PM CDT on March 5

When a batter strikes out, but the catcher drops the ball, and the runner makes it safely to 1st, is that not an out? I know it counts as a K. If it is, there's another avenue to the fourth (or fifth, or sixth) out.

posted by trox at 4:50 PM CDT on March 5

is that not an out?

It's not an out, unless...

You're correct about the pitcher earning a K.

posted by BoKnows at 5:36 PM CDT on March 5

So wikipedia informs us that a player that reaches base safely after an uncaught third strike is not called out. I've often wondered if a pitcher has ever recorded 4 strikeouts or more in an inning. Anybody know more about that?

posted by chamo at 6:08 PM CDT on March 5

That's in the link too, chamo. It's happened 47 times in the Majors.

posted by BoKnows at 6:31 PM CDT on March 5

Knuckleballers do it a good deal, but you should see the numbers in the minors. I know someone's Kd at least 5 in an inning.

posted by yerfatma at 6:35 PM CDT on March 5

According to wikipedia, there's never been 5 strikeouts in an inning in a regular season MLB game (Joe Niekro did it in Spring Training once), but it's happened 3 times in the minors.

posted by goddam at 8:31 PM CDT on March 5

Six out of seven, as I didn't know about the pitching rubber rule.

I've seen people argue until almost blue in the face over question #7.

posted by grum@work at 8:45 PM CDT on March 5

I was actually the pitcher in an incident nearly identical to the first, minus the base runner. Poor kid took a hanging curve ball in the chest and ended up striking out because of it. His parents in the stands directly behind home plate weren't too happy...

posted by robbx213 at 9:41 PM CDT on March 5

I don't know much about baseball, but I'm intrigued by this, and the fact that these situations have actually occured. Thanks for posting.

One of these days, guys, we'll have a discussion on cricket's LBW (leg before wicket) rule.

posted by owlhouse at 10:05 PM CDT on March 5

Something similar to #6 happened in a Yankees/Royals game last year. Melky was the batter. Only in this instance the ball hit pitcher's foot before sailing over the Yankees dugout and into the stands. He got an automatic double as a result. One of the most bizarre plays I've ever seen.

posted by goddam at 11:22 PM CDT on March 5

Only in this instance the ball hit pitcher's foot before sailing over the Yankees dugout and into the stands.

Jesus, seems like it would break the pitchers foot.

posted by justgary at 11:42 PM CDT on March 5

One of these days, guys, we'll have a discussion on cricket's LBW (leg before wicket) rule.

Can't come soon enough, honestly. I bought myself Beyond a Boundary on the strength of an Atlantic article calling it the best sports book of all-time, but I only made it about half through before I had to put it down because I was too confused. There's not a lot of options for cricket coverage other than 10 minutes of Sky Sports wrapup on FSC and the odd match on an Asian cable channel, AZN.

posted by yerfatma at 7:04 AM CDT on March 6

6 out of 7 here...
I always thought if a runner was hit by the batted ball he was out. Maybe the fact that the first baseman was in postition to make the play, but didn't, changes that. Sort of like the infield fly rule, I guess.

posted by MAYANKEE at 8:24 AM CDT on March 6

posted by NoMich at 9:29 AM CDT on March 6

What makes the pitching rubber so special? If a batted ball hits one of the bases and then lands in foul territory, the ball is still in play. However, if the batted ball hits the pitching rubber and lands in foul territory, it's a foul ball? WTF, man? Can anybody explain that? Hell, is there even an explanation for it? It just is?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but I don't think it is that the pitching rubber is special so much as it's 1st or 3rd base. Once the ball reaches 1st or 3rd base in fair territory, it is a fair ball regardless of what happens after that. The pitching rubber is the only conceivable way that a ball could be hit into fair territory and drastically change trajectory without hitting a fielder prior to passing the bases. Additionally, if the ball hit the rubber and went foul past 1st or 3rd base, it would still be a fair ball.

posted by bender at 10:00 AM CDT on March 6

Oh, right. That makes perfect sense. I guess the same would be true if the batted ball hit home plate and then wanders into foul territory before getting to first or third base.
Thanks for clearing that up, bender.

posted by NoMich at 10:36 AM CDT on March 6

As someone that has both coached and umpired baseball over the years, I have seen #7 come into play on numerous occasions.

I do want to point out that it is a judgement call on the part of the umpire, in that he needs to determine if any other fielder has a chance to play the ball. If another player does have the ability to make a play, the runner would be out. This often happens with a runner on third, and the first baseman playing up to guard against a bunt. The second baseman shifts over, and could make a play.

I will also add that the rule is somewhat ambiguous, in that it states that the runner is not out if the ball passes through, or by a defensive player. How close is by? The rule is to stop a fielder from deliberately letting a ball hit a runner to force an out, but that makes for another judgement call.

Here's a great MLB site for rules. http://www.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2007/07_the_runner.pdf

posted by dviking at 10:58 AM CDT on March 6

I have seen cases similar to number one where kids get plunked while swinging. It is very amusing seeing someone get struck out by a pitch that hit him in the head. Number four is a common one and can be frustrating as umpires do not always make clear calls right away.

Number five happens all the time, it is nothing uncommon. I've seen a ball hit the pitchers mound but it has never bounced foul. However, I have seen a routine pop up fall untouched into the infield only to bounce foul.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 2:54 PM CDT on March 6

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