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The mechanic he is using is more MLB, 2nd base umpire in 4 man crew...however I have seen it used in a 3 man, and have set up that deep myself occasionally...
With R2 only U1 is in B. Why he was that deep depends on the situation. If the infielders are playing in, which doesn't seem logical with R2 only, he would want to be behind the fielders.
MLB
Another mechanic, that that is more of a pro mechanic...is that on a routine ground ball U1 is to hustle back from position B to a 90 degree angle similar to the position he would take on a routine grounder with no runners on. This is for a routine groundball to the left side of the infield. And once again is a case of umpiring by the situation and not the manual. The level of baseball has to be taken into consideration, as 2nd base is left unattended, and the physical shape of the umpire needs to be addressed also, as it takes a great deal of hustle to get from B back to A to make a call on a grounder. The key is knowing where the ball is, and having a good feel for the game. If the play is broken U3 then has to hustle into the slot to help on any rundown situation on R2, but if R2 is a good base runner he should be standing on 2nd...
On a sidebar, with R2 only the umpire crew can make the decision to leave U1 on the line instead of the slot, as most logical 3rd out is 3rd and a bunt situation to move R2 into third is not likely, which is why U3 is on line with less than 2 out.
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Sat Mar 04, 2006, 09:23pm
Linear Mode
