Leaving Runners On - Losing the Game

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Feb 7, 2013
3,188
48
Isn't the whole reason you are batting the order (instead of DP/Flex) is to get ALL the batters some experience and opportunities at the plate?

Also, GM brings up some good points that there are many ways to score from 3B without resorting to a delayed steal which is a very low%, including passed balls, wild pitches, illegal pitch, error on a batted ball, a base hit, dropped third strike, bad throw on pick-off attempt at 3rd base, etc.

Don't beat yourself up over this decision, I think your 3rd base coach called it correct and you did I good job of listening to her. Now go work on improving that batter's hitting with runners in scoring position. That is real coaching.....:)
 
Jun 18, 2012
3,183
48
Utah
Now I prefer the idea of baiting a pick-off attempt more than the delayed steal in this situation.

Regarding the assistant calling it correctly.... I guess we'll never know what would have happened with the fantastic base-runner at 3B doing a delayed steal or baiting the catcher to attempt a pick-off, even if the odds were against success doing either. Personally, I think the odds were significantly higher with this particular base-runner.

I'm not beating myself up. I still think it was a better chance with a delay or a bait the catcher to attempt a pick-off.
 

Greenmonsters

Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Feb 21, 2009
6,168
38
New England
Oh, I think the girl who was on 3B had a higher percent chance of scoring, given her fantastic base-running acumen, than the batter's chances for success in this situation. I made a mistake. I need to trust my gut instinct more.

No worries Doug. Sometimes all it takes is for a hitter to be transformed mentally is to get lucky and come up with a big hit just once. The long-term benefit of that far outweighs a single run that might have been scored by your fill in speed merchant. IMO, Fall ball is best used for development purposes - players, coaches, and even umpires!
 
Dec 19, 2012
1,428
0
Doug, we weren't there but if you say the runner on 3rd had a good chance to score I'll believe you. However, that run only tied the game so there was no guarantee you would have won the game anyway. In pool play, I let the girl hit away.
 

Greenmonsters

Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Feb 21, 2009
6,168
38
New England
Now I prefer the idea of baiting a pick-off attempt more than the delayed steal in this situation.

Regarding the assistant calling it correctly.... I guess we'll never know what would have happened with the fantastic base-runner at 3B doing a delayed steal or baiting the catcher to attempt a pick-off, even if the odds were against success doing either. Personally, I think the odds were significantly higher with this particular base-runner.

I'm not beating myself up. I still think it was a better chance with a delay or a bait the catcher to attempt a pick-off.

Don't forget, a good catcher is always looking to bait an aggressive runner! A potential game-tying runner picked off of 3B is probably the most demoralizing game-ending out there is.
 
Jul 19, 2014
2,390
48
Madison, WI
Doug, we weren't there but if you say the runner on 3rd had a good chance to score I'll believe you. However, that run only tied the game so there was no guarantee you would have won the game anyway. In pool play, I let the girl hit away.

I like this.

You have a bit more leeway in pool play than in the brackets. A lot of teams will experiment with putting different players in different positions during pool play, and learn those lessons with the brackets. For example, DD #3 played 3B for the first time during a pool play game. They won the game, and the 3B coach for the other team (the coaches of the two teams are friends) gave her some high 5's for her play at 3rd. By the end of pool play, she was really confident in her 3B play.
 

Catch61

That Dutch guy
Feb 20, 2015
5
0
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
It's almost never the last play of the game that decides the outcome. Surely there are situations that occured earlier in the game that could have gone better. Plays that could have prevented you from getting in the situation in the first place. The other team scored 4 runs? Are all of those runs earned? You scored 3 did you leave no runners on during earlier innings. Could you have not played more aggresively in earlier innings to get extra runs or pressure on their defense.

I find it hard to believe this was your only chance to score an extra run or prevent a run from being scored. It is easy to feel like the last play of the game was decisive, but most likely it wasn't. In the event it really was, your chance were slim either way. So whatever decission you would have taken, the outcome was most likely a loss at best a tie anyway.
 
Jun 1, 2013
847
18
Doug, without knowing your players or the situation I would agree you need to take more chances. This stud should have been on 2nd within the first 2 pitches of next batter. The next batter bunt moves her to third. Your situation now is either 1 out and runner at third, or no outs runner 1st and 3rd. If there were outs before she got on base then you had her too low in your lineup. IMO, you waited to late to make a base runner gamble. Look at your book and see if maybe you need to rework your short game (1 run) strategy or your lineup.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
What age group and what level TB tournament? A delayed steal of home probably works well in 10U and some at 12U, but is difficult to pull off at 14U and beyond. And any team that is a B-level or better needs to know how to execute a run down - it should never become a "pickle" with multiple throws back and forth.
 

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