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Orange Blooded [3730]
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Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
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Jun 4, 2023, 7:41 PM
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With the bases loaded and no outs, would a drag-bunt toward 1st base with the 3rd base runner in a suicide squeeze play have had a shot there?
Worst case, 1st and 2nd base runners advance, and the 3rd base runner is out if the pitcher can get to the ball from the mound.
Best case, 3rd base runner scores and Clemson wins.
What am I missing here?
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All-TigerNet [10824]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
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Jun 4, 2023, 7:50 PM
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It could have worked. All depends where the bunt was dropped. At the very least, the Tiger hitters should have choked up on their bats and tried to punch the ball somewhere. But you know, today everyone is swinging from the heels. Simply have to give the Tennessee pitcher credit for toughing it out.
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Rock Defender [53]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
Jun 4, 2023, 7:54 PM
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All-In [27374]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
Jun 4, 2023, 8:46 PM
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I don’t think you bunt with the bases loaded and no outs. As a coach I would talk to the next batter and make sure he understood the importance of this at bat. Positioning the batter in the box is more important than many realize. You certainly want him to hit a ball that he can elevate.
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CU Guru [1707]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
Jun 4, 2023, 8:52 PM
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I wondered about that too....it would've been worth 1 try and would had to be a good bunt.
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All-In [27374]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
Jun 4, 2023, 8:56 PM
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100 per cent hind site is always good!
Bases loaded. No outs. You have your opponent by the “$:@.
Don’t give up a single out.
You work on this in practice sessions not during the game,
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110%er [5021]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
Jun 4, 2023, 10:02 AM
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The infield was drawn in completely…No you don’t bunt there. Just need a need a simple fly ball to the outfield.
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All-TigerNet [13038]
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Probably missing the fact that it's not always easy to lay
Jun 4, 2023, 9:02 PM
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down a bunt, especially the suicide variety. If the pitcher throws one out of the zone Grice just gets tagged out at home.
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Orange Blooded [2345]
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Re: Probably missing the fact that it's not always easy to lay
Jun 4, 2023, 9:15 PM
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you would still have another chance to squeeze
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110%er [5512]
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Re: Probably missing the fact that it's not always easy to lay
Jun 5, 2023, 1:25 PM
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On a true squeeze bunt, the runner from 3rd takes off with the pitch. It's not "wait and see if he makes contact".
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Orange Blooded [4009]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
Jun 4, 2023, 9:21 PM
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Bases loaded squeeze is tough because there is a force out and home, so it’s a lot easier play for the defense to make. On top of that there were no outs and the infield was already playing way in to try and cut the runner at home.
Really the batter just needs to put the ball in play in that situation. Any fly ball of depth or any ground ball not hit directly at an infielder scores the run.
Was is Blackwell that was up the ? Seemed like he couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat (or make a good throw to first)
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Hall of Famer [22281]
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Yes, it would work.
Jun 4, 2023, 9:23 PM
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If executed properly.
There's the rub. Who is at bat? Can he bunt? How well? How likely is he to miss the bunt and the runner be tagged out at home?
A suicide squeeze is no guarantee. A safety squeeze is no guarantee.
That's why managers get paid the big bucks. They make the decision of what play to try and execute.
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Orange Blooded [4562]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
Jun 4, 2023, 9:30 PM
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Anything but a double play would have worked in that situation.
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Commissioner [900]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
Jun 4, 2023, 10:07 PM
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We made significant progress making contact this year but several players still have a ways to go.
Regarding the bunt, both 1st/3rd baseman were cheating, so only a great bunt would have scored a run.
There are bat-control drills to emphasize making contact. We generally think of two-strike situations but there are specific drills against an infield playing in too. Essentially, it is a much shorter swing with a slightly open stance … much like the traditional pepper games from the past.
Think about it. The batter is only 80 feet from the 1B/3B and 95 feet from the 2B/SS. A controlled swing to hit the ball past these infielders or over their heads is a simple skill set for most players to learn. Goal: Short swing - Make contact - Do not Strikeout.
I’ve seen the drill done with 8’ wide screens in the field and rotating batters taking 2-3 cage swings driving it through or over the infield. This is so basic but a critical late-game tactic.
The drill has a base-running aspect too.
- Leads from 3rd
- Strategy with 0, 1 outs
- Strategy with 2 outs
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Freshman [0]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
Jun 5, 2023, 6:12 PM
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We made significant progress making contact this year but several players still have a ways to go.
Regarding the bunt, both 1st/3rd baseman were cheating, so only a great bunt would have scored a run.
There are bat-control drills to emphasize making contact. We generally think of two-strike situations but there are specific drills against an infield playing in too. Essentially, it is a much shorter swing with a slightly open stance … much like the traditional pepper games from the past.
Think about it. The batter is only 80 feet from the 1B/3B and 95 feet from the 2B/SS. A controlled swing to hit the ball past these infielders or over their heads is a simple skill set for most players to learn. Goal: Short swing - Make contact - Do not Strikeout.
I’ve seen the drill done with 8’ wide screens in the field and rotating batters taking 2-3 cage swings driving it through or over the infield. This is so basic but a critical late-game tactic.
The drill has a base-running aspect too.
- Leads from 3rd
- Strategy with 0, 1 outs
- Strategy with 2 outs
Weight was at bat. Struck out. Blackwell hitcinto the double play.
All ideas about bunting are good, but remember all the practice in the world can’t prepare you for trying to bunt against a 97 to 98 mph fastball.
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Standout [331]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
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Jun 4, 2023, 10:22 PM
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Sacrifice fly for 1 out scores a run
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Orange Blooded [3730]
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Great feedback…more factors to account for than I was…
Jun 4, 2023, 10:31 PM
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…hoping to have to think through.
The way that it played out was just about as bad as it could have been, i.e., batter strikes out, then, hit a ground ball into a double play.
I just look back at it and think that I would have pulled the next 2 batters and put in my best play to get that 1 run to the plate.
I’m not a baseball coach, but I am just struggling with that loss.
Additionally, that 1st umpire that called the runner to 1st safe, and we thought the game was won, he was looking DIRECTLY and INTENTLY at the 1st baseman’s foot. He WITHOUT HESITATION called SAFE. He was 6’ from the bag. I think he saw that the 1st basement’s foot left the bag as he caught the ball.
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Orange Blooded [3730]
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Bakich had to have seen the players struggling with that…
Jun 4, 2023, 10:39 PM
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…TN pitcher and trying to get decent contact with his slider.
So, in this situation, as cerebral as I have perceived Bakich to be, I’m just at such a loss as to how that bases-loaded-0-out scenario was not capitalized upon properly for the WIN.
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Walk-On [142]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…***
Jun 4, 2023, 11:41 PM
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CU Medallion [65422]
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I don't think you are missing anything, except that we did
Jun 5, 2023, 8:34 AM
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not show an ability to lay down sacrifice bunts with much efficiency for most of the year. We did it a couple times against lesser opponents, but against the Big Boys, it was not a weapon.
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All-TigerNet [10635]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
Jun 5, 2023, 10:07 AM
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There are 13 ways to score from third base. Seems like we could have found one of them, but then again second guessing and 20-20 hindsight is always right. This is baseball and these sort of things happen. I'm not going to second guess a coach that knows a lot more about his team than me.
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All-TigerNet [10824]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
Jun 5, 2023, 6:02 PM
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"13 ways to score from third base"
Wasn't this a Paul Simon song?
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CU Guru [1998]
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Certainly a viable option
Jun 5, 2023, 10:33 AM
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I know UT had the infield in so that would have made it more difficult. Worst case probably would have been one out, bases still loaded. I believe Wright is hard to double up.
I was disappointed in Wright's approach. Fly ball or ground ball to the right side gives us a chance. He was pulling off the slider, and that led to the strikeout.
He did get the double in the bottom of the ninth. The bases loaded deal was the 11th I think?
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CU Guru [1300]
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they just now covered this on WCCP
Jun 5, 2023, 10:36 AM
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They said Bakich said he never bunts with the bases loaded. It’s one of his philosophies.
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110%er [5960]
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Re: Question for baseball experts from 9th inning last night…
Jun 5, 2023, 10:49 AM
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bases loaded and no outs :
1. get into the batters box on the chalk line closest to the plate, legal stance. If you are scared of being hit then you should not play baseball, especially if being hit wins your team the game.
this means the pitcher has to be much more accurate and precise with pitches. Any breaking ball that would start in off the plate will be hitting you, thus you win the game. Also this very well could make the pitcher feel the need to pitch off the outside corner since hitter is crowding the plate.
This move does have ramifications though. You could get hit by mid to upper 90's fastball, not fun. Also makes it nearly impossible to get good contact on pitch inside or over the plate.
I think the real problem was our guys at the bottom of the order did not have the confidence needed to get the job done. The ball up the middle was perfect, but the hitter failed to get out of the box quickly and looked very slow of foot leading to double play. You have to beat out a double play on a slow roller. I think that was nerves that slowed him down, he did not have the juice to take off after contact.
It is still hard to believe we lost a game we controlled completely for 8 2/3 innings. Nobody on base, 2 outs, 2 strikes, and end up losing.... which also lead directly to losing to UNCC, the team just looked lost and unable to get any mojo.
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All-TigerNet [13038]
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When that slow grounder came off the bat i started
Jun 5, 2023, 11:51 AM
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celebrating. I couldn't believe the play was that close at 1st base. There a lot more big, bulky, slow guys in the MLB, but 90% of college BB players can run well.
I never saw a replay of him getting out of the box and running down the line, but he must've been very slow for them to turn that DP.
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110%er [5960]
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Re: When that slow grounder came off the bat i started
Jun 5, 2023, 1:15 PM
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no doubt, I could not believe it was even a close play at first much less that he was actually out...which he was easily out.
I was also pumped, felt all we needed was contact anywhere other than directly at an infielder and the run scores....WRONG!
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