The Situation: Runner on second, nobody out. The hitter knows that he’s swinging away, and knows that it’s his job to get the runner over to third.
The Play: The pitcher throws a curve that bites into the dirt. The runner on second takes off for third. The catcher grabs the ball and makes the throw to nail the runner at third. The hitter, disgusted at the bad base-running, steps back into the box quickly.
The Outcome: The pitcher throws a fastball on the outside, and the hitter hits a weak ground ball to second.
What Went Wrong?
Obviously the runner made a mistake trying to take third in this situation. But the hitter made a mistake as well.
When a runner gets caught on the bases, it changes the situation of the at-bat drastically. The hitter’s entire mindset has to change along with the situation.
With a runner on second and nobody out, the hitter is looking to go the other way with the ball and advance the runner from second to third. If the runner had not been thrown out on the bases, his grounder to second would have made for a successful at-bat. But once the runner was thrown out, the hitter allowed the game to speed up on him.
When the situation changes on you quickly, you have to make a conscious effort to slow the game down. Step out of the box and take in the new situation. Set a new goal for your at-bat based on the new situation. Think about your pitch selection. You have to mentally clean the slate and reset yourself for the rest of your at-bat. You don’t want to compound your teammate’s mistake by throwing away the rest of your at-bat.
Slow the game down. Understand the situation and adapt to anything that happens during your at-bat. Think the game.
