Should he stay or should he go

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by bluehair

1. If you are 1/2 way to 3B and the ball is still in the outfield when R1 is approaching 3B at some point you're gonna want to get home. You call out, "Tom, I'm headin back home" and start to hustle back. Agree ? R1 goes 1/3 of the way home, then puts on the brakes and goes back to 3B. The cutoff man throws behind R to 3B. Who's call is this now PU or BU ?

2. Would you go 1/2 way down 3BL with R1 and B hits a gapper past the outfielders and you anticipate a scoring opportunity (or is anticipating wrong)?

I'm not trying to justify my mistakes (I know I made some). What I'm trying to figure out is, if it is acceptable/reasonable/prudent on a R1 sitch, to ever not go 1/2 way to 3B when the ball is not going to be back in the infield before R1 rounds 3B.

If by "anticiapte" you mean "read", then you are correct.

You needn't go 1/2 way up the line to read, but you should be heading in that direction.

And, as yo've noted, communicate both that you are going to third and that you are returning home.

In the play described, I have this as BU's call.