Stole base
The stolen base (in German "conquered mal" ) is a technical term from baseball and is the result of a steal . In the baseball statistics it appears as SB .
As stolen base of the move is a Base Runners refer to operations where this during pitches forward runs to the next base and this managed to be made without "off". A runner may try to reach the next base at any time when the ball is in play and released (live ball situation). This is done at your own risk and with the risk of being tagged "off" by a defense player . The official scorer decides whether a runner has "stolen" a base or whether he has advanced due to some other circumstance (this distinction is only relevant for statistics). Without an attempt by the defensive team to prevent the steal , no stolen base will be counted. If the runner's attempt can be thwarted and if he is turned "off" in the process, this is a caught stealing and is included in the statistics as such. An unsuccessful attempt without negative consequences (i.e. if the runner does not reach the next base, but returns to his starting base and is safe there ) will not be included in the statistical record.
The attempt at stolen base is most often made between first and second base, since second base is farthest away from the catcher , who is usually the player who has to throw the ball there to stop the attempt; these attempts are relatively often successful. A steal between the second and third base is less common , as the third base is already relatively close to the catcher. Home steals , i.e. stolen bases between the third base and the home plate , which also mean a point gain are very rare and therefore particularly spectacular . These only succeed if the defense makes a gross mistake, for example if there are coordination problems between the players or if a throw is not caught.
There is no stealing of first base because the batsman is not allowed to run until he has successfully hit the ball into the field. The only exception is the situation that a pitch that would have been the third strike and thus the end for the batsman is not caught by the catcher or gets out of control. In the case of such an Uncaught Third Strike , the batsman is still allowed to run under certain circumstances and is safe there when he reaches first base in front of the ball . However, this is extremely rare in professional games and is not counted as a stole base .
In order to successfully conquer a base in this way, a player must have a high sprint speed , good responsiveness and a keen eye for the situation. The assessment of whether a player is a good base stealer depends less on the number of stolen bases and more on the ratio between caught stealings and stolen bases. At least two-thirds of the attempts should be successful for a player to be considered valuable in this category.
Importance in the game
A stolen base is often of great importance for the course of the game, as it brings the runner at least into the so-called "scoring position" . Is called a runner on second or third base as "in scoring position" because from there in many cases even by a simple stroke (Single) a point (run) can be achieved. Running from the stroke to first base takes a little longer than running from one base to the next, because you cannot take a lead on the stroke (distance from the base to get to the next base more quickly) and you have to change your posture from strokes to Running and dropping the club further delay the process. Therefore, if the ball remains out of the field team's control for so long that the batter safely reaches first base, then this time is often enough for a runner already on base to safely run off two bases. In addition, the throwing distance of the ball to home plate is usually farther after a ball has been struck and the throw there therefore takes longer than a throw to first base. This creates another time advantage for the runner.
Tactics and execution
A distinction is made between different actions that lead to a stolen base, mainly according to their timing, but also according to the situation in which they are used.
Regular steal
With a regular steal , the runner runs to the next base at the moment when the pitcher has prepared his pitch movement so far that he definitely has to take the pitch and cannot break it off without committing a balk .
Early steal
The early steal is an attempt at stolen base that is started early compared to the regular steal and is sometimes used in a situation where a runner is on first and third base and you want to get the defenders to hit the ball Throwing first or second base so that in the meantime the runner from third base can reach the home plate and get a run. The risk of being "off" with one tag is higher than with a regular steal , but at the same time the defense is more likely to make mistakes .
In softball, an early steal is a too early release from the base. The rule here is that a baserunner may only leave the base when the ball has left the pitcher's hand. In softball , the early steal is punished with the "off" of the basrunner.
Delayed steal
The delayed steal is a tactic that leads to a stolen base with a deception maneuver. Here a runner behaves as if he is not making a serious attempt to steal, but then runs to the next base. On the one hand, the deception reduces the attention of the infielder, but also the catcher does not prepare for a throw to second base. In addition, the infielder is tempted not to cover the second base (cover the base) and a possible throw of the catcher will not find a target. This way of achieving a stolen base is also feasible for less strong sprinters.
Double steal
In the double steal , two runners try to achieve a stolen base at the same time or with a short delay in the same play. The purpose can be to resolve a force play situation or to achieve a run directly . If one of the two runners starts his sprint to the next base somewhat delayed, this is known as a delayed double steal .
Hit and Run
Here is a hidden character (sign) of the batter instructed definitely beat on the following pitch when it is just kind beatable. The early start of the runner can often move two bases forward instead of just one. If the stroke fails, the play becomes a regular steal , but it can also lead to double play if the struck ball is caught out of the air. The successful hit and run is not counted as a stole base, but after its execution it is a steal.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Christian Posny , Sven Muencheberg: Rulebook Baseball . Revised 2007. Ed .: Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband e. V. 6. revised. Edition. Meyer & Meyer Verlag, Aachen 2008, ISBN 978-3-89899-365-4 , 07/10, p. 153-156 .
- ↑ MLB Playing Rules Committee: MLB - Official Rules: 10.00 The Official Scorer ( English , PDF; 290 kB) In: Official Rules (# 10.07) . mlb.com. 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2008.