
Okay, all you fine baseball minds, answer me this:
When the infielders throw the ball around the horn after a strikeout, why do they always skip the first baseman?
Random rantings and ravings about the Los Angeles Dodgers, written by a small consortium of rabid Dodger fans. With occasional comments on baseball, entertainment, pop culture, and life in general.
4/3 vs. SF (W, 5-4): Sax
4/15 vs. WSH (L, 4-6): Dusty, Orel, Sax
5/6 vs. MIA (W, 6-3): AC, Sax
5/16 vs. CIN (L, 2-7): AC, Sax
6/12 vs. TEX (L, 2-3): Sax
7/5 vs. MIL (W, 8-5): Sax
7/21 vs. BOS (W, 9-6): Sax
7/24 vs. SF (L, 3-8): Sax
8/24 vs. TB (L, 8-9 (10)): Sax
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10/5 NLDS G1 vs. SD (W, 7-5): Sax
10/6 NLDS G2 vs. SD (L, 2-10): Orel, Sax
10/25 WS G1 vs. NYY (W, 6-3 (10)): Sax
13 comments:
I was at the Cardinals-D'backs game this past weekend with my wife's family and, being a former first baseman, was ranting about that same thing.
Probably because he'd throw the ball into left field and delay the game.
vr, Xei
The best I can figure is:
It goes "guy who made the out" to 2nd to short to 3rd. So if the out is at first, the first baseman would be involved. On a strikeout, it goes catcher to 2nd to short to 3rd.
(I could just be making this all up.)
You will notice that with some catchers, when a right hander strikes out, the horn starts at first base.
With EK at first base, any errant throw knee-high or lower might lead to a two-base error.
With Loney, we should be okay.
The around the horn thing, and its quirks and permutations, intrigues me. I'd like for Ken Burns to do a 12-part series on the subject.
"With EK at first base, any errant throw knee-high or lower might lead to a two-base error."
Says Steve Sax with no small amount of irony.
I think that only started after Pedro Guerrero played 3rd... Because they wanted to give him and Sax some extra practice...
Around the horn is a "bases empty strikeout" situation. Sometimes teams go around the horn on an easy play to first with the bases empty, but why the first baseman is skipped... I have no idea, maybe he gets enough touches anyway, so they just skip him... yeah, great baseball fodder talk anyway.
I read somewhere that it's a practice to keep the infielder's arms warm.
That doesn't explain why the 1st doesn't get a touch, but I've always assumed that it's because he gets a lot of touches recording outs.
Mr Customer, fair point. Around the horns that included me usually ended up in the loge section.
And don't get me started on Mackey Sasser.
I think that you are misusing the term "around the horn". In my baseball education, "around the horn" is a double play started at 3rd (3rd to 2nd to 1st). This was also something we used to do at baseball practice when taking infield: the coach would drop a bunt down and yell "around the horn!" and the catcher would throw to 3rd, 3B throwns to 2B, 2B throws to 1B and then 1B back to the catcher.
When a routine ground out is made, the players "throw it around" beginning with the 1st baseman throwing to short, short flipping to 2nd as the 3rd baseman takes a couple of steps in toward the mound to toss the ball back to the pitcher. On a strike out the catcher throws down to 3rd, 3B throws to 2B, 2B flips to short as the 1B takes a few steps toward the mound to give the ball back to the pitcher.
That's how I did things in little league, I never pay attention to what they do in the bigs other than notice when the catcher throws down to 3rd after a K with nobody on.
That was really long. Sorry. Go Doyers.
Thanks to everybody who responded. This has been very educational for me.
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