It’s All. About. Timing. Scoring a run on a triple play is by far one of the rarest plays in baseball. The Yankees did it the second inning against the Reds on July 25, 2017. With none out and the bases loaded, Todd Frazier, hero of the Tom’s River, NJ, Little League World Champions, a […]
If the third out occurs at about the same time a runner is crossing the plate and the out is not the result of a force or the batter-runner making the third out before reaching first base, it’s a race against “Time.” What occurs first, the runner touching home plate or the tag of a […]
The 2017 baseball season wasn’t quite two days old when we had our first “Time Play” confusion. When the third out of an inning is not the result of a force play and it happens about the same time a runner is crossing the plate, the plate umpire must decide “in time,” what occurred first-the […]
There are several factors that interfere with the successful execution of a “Time Play.” The runner approaching the plate often slows down before touching the plate when he realizes there will be no play made on him; The runner approaching the plate will often look back to watch the play behind him which slows him […]
There are different ways that a back runner can help create a “Time Play.” With a runner on second, the batter singles to the outfield and makes a hard fake to second base drawing a throw. This is what happened in the Moss/Molina play above. With runners on second and third and two outs, the […]
The next day, the Los Angeles Angels beat the Detroit Tigers in Detroit 3-2, despite losing a run on a “Time Play” that could have been pivotal. In the top of the seventh, the Angels had Caleb Cowart on third and Mike Trout on first with one out when Albert Pujols hit a long fly […]
Teams often lose a “Time Play” run when the runner advancing to the plate looks back to see what’s going on behind him. The Dodgers dodged a bullet when Joc Pederson made this mistake while the Dodgers hosted the Milwaukee Brewers on June 16, 2016. It took instant replay to confirm the Dodgers’ tying run […]
The runner approaching home plate needs to touch the plate ASAP. I would prefer that he run through the plate rather than slide. In the following play, however, the runner hustled home and slid to beat the third out. The Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the Boston Red Sox on August 7, 2016. The Dodgers had […]
Clever base running by the St. Louis Cardinals’ Yadier Molina helped produce a run by gaining time for a preceding runner to score in the Cards 3-1win over the Oakland A’s on Aug. 26 in St. Louis. Here is what happened: In the bottom of the sixth, the Cards had Brandon Moss on third and […]
A “Time Play” occurred on May 1, 2016 that was kept alive by clever running by a runner going to second base which created time for a preceding runner to score. The play occurred at Wrigley Field where the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves played. This one affected the outcome of the game since the […]