3-6-1 Double Play
Posted on | June 22, 2009 | No Comments
This Father’s Day weekend was exciting for a baseball fan. Since I’m so full of player stats, injuries, and prospects (I have a problem, I know) I cannot recall quite how many games were decided in extra innings or by one run, but suffice to say when that I had to get myself out of the house in order to get away from trying to keep up with every pitch of five different games.
As such, I’m inspired to talk a little baseball with you. A couple of weeks ago, I was catching a Sunday Night Baseball game between the Dodgers and Cubs with one of my sports handicapped friends at Toby’s Public House. The Dodgers were pummeling the Cubs at the friendly confines of Wrigley field so we weren’t too wrapped up in the game, at least my buddy, who is a mild Cubs fan, was not. He was chatting with the bartender about the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade, which took place this past Saturday, when I saw a sharp ground ball hit to the right of the veteran Cubs first baseman Derrick Lee. After making a diving stab, D Lee threw to second base to get the lead runner. As he is making this throw I think to myself, will the Cubs pitcher, a middle reliever whose name escapes me, be agile or smart enough to cover first for the 3-6-1 double play? He doesn’t and the play is over with the batter reaching on a fielder’s choice.
As overly cerebral as I am, watching or playing sports is like putting on an oversized suit, my head becomes smaller and my body bigger. My mouth begins to run out of control. Any pain I feel dissipates. Any anxieties plaguing my decision making are forgotten as my thighs and calves swell. I’m ready for action. The possibility of a 3-6-1 double play has put me in this state and my buddy takes notice. “What happened?” he asks searching the television screen for answers.
Naturally he is not impressed by the play. “Yeah, I wouldn’t expect the pitcher to get to first, I mean, how can he even make it there?” I raise my empty for a refill and explain the mound is closer to the first than home and that pitchers are trained to cover first on any ground ball hit to their left (towards first base). Getting no reaction, I realize I shouldn’t have expected one. This is fairly esoteric baseball stuff. Well, prepared to be enlightened.
Baseball is all numbers. Pitcher = 1, Catcher = 2, 1B = 3, 2B = 4, 3B = 5, SS = 6. Outfielders aren’t important for this discussion. So a 3-6-1 double play starts with the 1B, makes a stop at the SS, and is realized with the pitcher. Typically, double plays are 4-6-3, or 6-4-3. Rarer, but still common double plays are 5-4-3 (AROUND THE HORN!) and are personally my favorite. A 5-4-3 requires the ball to travel 180 feet, 90 feet from third to second and another 90 to first. As does a 3-6-1, so I was and still am a bit perplexed as to why they are less common.
My hypothesis is relying on a pitcher to complete a double play is contrary to the old baseball axiom to never force the play, to take the safe out and make sure you don’t keep the runners in motion. A fairly mundane conclusion to this inspired post, but it is the pure skill and excitement of a 3-6-1 DP that is to be cherished. Not only does the ball need to go 180 feet, but the SS must avoid a maliciously sliding runner to make an especially accurate throw to a pitcher who has a normal sized glove and little practice picking the ball out the dirt on an in-between hop. (!) Lucky for me, this weekend’s Boston Red Sox game broadcast on FOX gave me the pleasure of seeing one completed by, of all people, the ancient knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. Thanks Baseball Gods! (who were also smiling on the Cubbies this weekend)
Tags: Boston Red Sox > Chicago Cubs > Double Play > Father's day > Stone Brewery > Tim Wakefield
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