Running Third to Home
The Giants and Cubs played at Wrigley on September 5, 2023. In the bottom of the seventh, the Cubs had Jeimer Candelario on third base and Yan Gomes on first with one out when Nick Madrigal hit a ground ball to Casey Schmitt. The Giants’ third baseman threw errantly to the plate. Most likely the…
Andrew McCutchen Called Out of the Baseline…What?
Did Andrew McCutchen go beyond the legal three feet base path to avoid this tag? You make the call. Then, read the expert analysis by Rich Marazzi on what is legal on the base paths. Expert Analysis by Rich Marazzi In the bottom of the seventh with the score tied, 4-4, the Phils had Andrew…
How a Smart Baserunner Can Exploit the Basepath Rules
In the game of baseball, as in all major sports, coaches instruct their players to take what the defense gives them. Conversely, it would be a good idea for defensive players to take what the offense gives them. Let’s look at the following play. The Cardinals and Pirates played two games on Sept. 18 at…
Javier Baez – Sneaky Single or Out of Baseline?
The Cubs and Dodgers played at Wrigley on Tuesday, April 29, 2019, when an interesting “out of the baseline” controversy developed. In the bottom of the second, Javy Baez was batting with an 0-2 count and one out when he tapped a soft ground ball to Dodgers’ first baseman, David Freese. It looked like an…
Benintendi Baseline Call Preserves No-Hitter
The Baseline rule (5.09 (b) (1) played a major role in preserving A’s pitcher Sean Manaea’s no-hitter against the Red Sox on Saturday night. With two outs in the sixth inning, Boston left fielder Andrew Benintendi sent a soft grounder up the first-base line and was ruled safe at first base after first baseman Matt Olson failed to tag…
