In the Real World News this last weekend...an amazing bit of girl's softball scheming, practicing and teamwork payed off to win a championship. The "Hidden Ball Trick" is pretty old, but usually happens with the 1st baseman holding/hiding the ball in his/her glove and tagging the runner at 1st out as soon as they take a leadoff step off the base.
This, took it to a whole different level. 5 different players had to act on this play, to convince the runner at 2nd that the pitcher had overthrown the 2nd baseman and that the ball went out into centerfield, while in reality, the pitcher never even threw the ball to the 2nd baseman. She hid it in her glove, and the runner, seeing the fielders all scrambling to retrieve the "wild throw" ran for 3rd. The pitcher had the ball concealed in her glove the whole time, ran over and tagged the runner out between 2nd and 3rd base to win the game and the championship. Imagine the amount of practice involved in getting this down pat and the coaching to decide when to use it. Watch carefully at 0:04, as the catcher throws the ball back to the pitcher...The fielders made this work with their superb acting, chasing a non-existent wild throw. You're eyes will want to watch the action in the field, but keep your focus on the pitcher and the runner. Good job girls!
That was a fast and slick move,Good coaching and execution. Seen many years of baseball as a St.Louis boy but never seen that one pulled off in a game.
[This message has been edited by davylong86 (edited 05-21-2019).]
Yeah, I'm a Cardinals fan. It's a city of birth thing.
I may come back here later or tomorrow with video of one of the trick plays that he has pulled off. There was one from last season. I think I would have to search through some data here on my hard disk to find it. I do expect that I would find it.
Steve Stone likes to tell a story about a similar play they used to practice when he was a pitcher for the Orioles. It required a very specific situation: left-handed pitcher, less than two outs, runners at 1st and 3rd. Pitcher pretends to throw to 1st to pick off the runner, but "slips" and pretends to fall to the mound. Runner on 3rd takes off for Home, and the pitcher throws to the catcher who of course tags the runner out. They worked on it over and over all through spring training and then occasionally throughout the regular season, but he says they only once used this play during an actual game in the whole three years he was on the Orioles.
It was just a base on balls. A walk. With base runners at first and second. The base runners move up and the batter takes first.
After advancing to third, the Reds' Eugenio Suarez was lulled into a false sense of security. Nonchalantly waiting for the next batter to arrive at the plate and step into the batter's box. Suarez expects the Cardinals catcher to toss the ball back to the pitcher. The common expectation. The script that this moment in a baseball game always adheres to.
But not this time.
That was early in the 2017 season.
[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 05-22-2019).]
Molina has been the best catcher in baseball and the smartest Cardinals player for a number of years and a hoot to watch,The guy is a highlight machine. Didn't know you was from the St.Louis territory rinse.
Born and raised (during my earliest years) within the city limits of St Louis. After that, University City, which is a suburb that extends west, from the western city limits of St Louis, proper. I think they named it "University City" as a nod to Washington University in St Louis, which was a nod to George Washington.
