A baseball run starts with the batter taking a swing at the ball and hopefully making contact with it. If the batter hits the ball, he is running to first base. However, if he makes contact with the ball, he’s going to be trying to get to first safely. So, his first objective is to make it to first base safely and not get hit by the ball.
A “pickle” in baseball is a situation where the batter is forced to hit a weak ground ball or fly ball. When this happens, the players on the defense can’t be sure where the ball is going. This can result in a base runner getting extra bases on a weak hit. In this situation, it has been known that some runners will purposely get in a pickle to help advance another runner on base.
Well, there is no real explanation for this.
Just know that a pickle is a piece of fruit.
Why is a Run Down Called a Pickle in Baseball / Softball?
What is an Example of a Pickle in Baseball?
If a New York Yankees player hits a ball to the outfield, and the Colorado Rockies outfielder gets to the ball and fires it to the shortstop, the Yankees runner should go to second base because the shortstop is playing deep. The runner could wait for the Rockies shortstop to relay the ball to the second baseman, but then the Yankees runner would have to run the length of the field–to the outfield–to rejoin the base-running pattern.
How Do you Get out of a Pickle in Baseball and Softball?
A baserunner has two choices. If the fielder throws the ball to the infield, the baserunner has to choose to break for either second base or third base depending on the placement of the ball. If the fielder throws the ball to the infield, the baserunner has to make a choice about when to slide. The two choices to slide are at the moment the hand with the ball is in the air, and after the fielder has completed his throw. Choosing to slide at either of these moments has advantages and disadvantages.
The baserunner must stay in the imaginary line between the two bases to get out of a pickle. However, they can’t go into the infield diamond grass to avoid a tag from a defender. Instead, they must stay in the baselines while still avoiding the defender.
Do Baserunners Purposely Get into a Pickle on Plays?
A pickle on the basepaths is when a runner gets into a difficult spot because they know he has nowhere to run to reach the next base. So the runner cuts sharply on the pitcher and rolls his foot over on the base that he is trying to get to. This will give the runner the proper leverage to slide into the base he is trying to get to.
This can be seen in the 2016 World Baseball Classic. While the defending champions from Japan were playing the tournament, the outfield became lax in their defense. The team forgot to cover the runner between second and third base who was on the bag when he was hit by a ball. This brought about the runner between third and home who was on the bag when the ball was hit. The third baseman was unable to make the play and the runner proceeded to score. At the end of the tournament, the runner was called out.
How Should the Fielders Defend against a Pickle in Baseball and Softball?
The defense should try to protect against the pickle in three ways.
Conclusion: What is a Pickle in Baseball?
The pickle is a defensive play in which a player is between two bases when he’s not out of play. When a team wants to set up a pickle, the runner on the last base is given time to figure out which base he will attempt to reach. The defense then tries to tag him out on the base paths.
