when to put on a hit and run
Hit and run (baseball) The hit and run relies on the positioning of the defensive players in the infield. The first and third basemen normally stand near the foul lines, generally near the inside of their bases, set slightly back to allow more time to react to sharply hit balls. However, if the runner is on first, the first baseman stands closer to the base to prevent steals by means of pick-off attempts by the pitcher; consequently, such positioning produces a bigger gap between second and first basemen. The second baseman and shortstop stand on opposite sides of second base, covering the areas between first and second, and second and third, respectively. Second base itself is not directly covered, as the pitcher can field batted balls in this direction.
Fourth out On April 12, 2009, in the top of the second inning in a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers scored a run because the Diamondbacks failed to record a fourth out. With one out and Juan Pierre on second base and Andre Ethier on third base, Dodgers pitcher Randy Wolf hit a line drive that was caught by Diamondbacks pitcher Dan Haren. Both Pierre and Ethier broke on contact without tagging up from their respective bases, and Haren, noticing this, threw the ball to Diamondbacks second baseman Felipe Lopez, who tagged out Pierre, but not until after Ethier crossed home plate. Upon tagging out Pierre, the Diamondbacks left the field, thinking that the inning was over and the run did not count. Had Lopez simply stepped on second base – prior to Either crossing the plate – no run would have been scored. Because first base was open, instead of a force play, the play became a "time play", requiring the home plate umpire (for this game, Larry Vanover) to judge the position of Ethier at the time that Pierre was put out. After all of the Diamondbacks players had left fair territory (and therefore losing the chance to launch an appeal play to appeal Ethier's failure to tag from third base), Dodgers bench coach Bob Schaefer informed manager Joe Torre of what was then Rule 7.10 (now Rule 5.09(c))[2] regarding fourth outs, and Torre went to Vanover to alert him of the rule and situation. Vanover then discussed the situation with crew chief Charlie Reliford, and Dodgers were awarded the run before the bottom of the second inning began.[3] If the Diamondbacks had launched an appeal play at third base before leaving the field to garner a fourth out, Ethier's failure to tag from third base would have become the actual third out of the inning and the run would not have scored, and this out would have taken precedence because it would have erased the run.[4][5]