Shortstops: The Daylight Play & The Neighborhood Play

This weekend the American and National League Championship Series are wrapping up, and the World Series starts this Wednesday.  It's time for another baseball post.  All three of the teams still standing as of this writing (Red Sox, Tigers and Cardinals) have very good shortstops, which supports the contention that it's pretty difficult for a team without a good shortstop to make it this far in the playoffs.  Other than the catcher, the shortstop is the most important defensive player on the diamond.  It is fitting, therefore, that on this big baseball weekend this post should discuss two shortstop plays you're likely to see at some point during the Series. 

The Daylight Play:  One of the most talked-about plays of this year's post season occurred in Game 4 of the NLCS Tuesday night.  The Dodgers were trailing the Cards, 2 games to 1, in the best-of-seven series. To make matters worse, the Bums were down 4 to 2 with one out in the home half of the seventh inning, so their backs were up against the wall.  But the southern California crowd of almost 54,000 sensed a rally brewing when former Twin, Nick Punto, doubled to the gap. With the top of their order due up next, the Dodgers were ready to mount a comeback.  Then the unthinkable happened. Punto, a thirteen year veteran with twenty-six MLB playoff games under his belt, got picked off second on a quick move by Cardinal relief pitcher Carlos Martinez to kid shortstop Pete Kozma.  Punto, himself a shortstop, should have seen it coming.  The Dodgers' rally was over before it began, the end was near, and the final score stood with the Cardinals winning 4 to 2.

If you watch a replay of the Punto pick-off, it is a classic illustration of the old Daylight Play.  The Daylight Play can commence with a signal from the catcher, or as was the case last Tuesday, with a non-verbal acknowledgement between the pitcher and the shortstop.  Regardless of who instigates the play, the Daylight Play requires a split second decision by the pitcher on whether to throw the ball to the shortstop as the latter sneaks in behind the runner. The rule of thumb is this: When the pitcher spins around to face second base, if he sees "daylight" between the shortstop and the baserunner, he makes the throw; no daylight, no throw.  As long as his foot has not remained on the rubber, the pitcher will not be called for a balk if he does not make a throw, even if he fakes a throw.  On the Punto play, Martinez saw daylight between Punto and Kozma, made a perfect throw, and ol' Nick was thereupon embarrassed in front of the LA faithful, not to mention millions of television viewers.

The Daylight Play is not as easy as it may at first seem.  Unlike a pickoff throw to first where the first baseman receiving the throw is stationary, on a pickoff throw to second the shortstop is moving, surreptitiously gliding to his left toward second base.  The pitcher has to lead his shortstop in a manner similar to a quarterback leading a receiver. Some pitchers might choose to simply aim for the second base bag, but if the shortstop can't get there the ball will end up rolling out to center field.  The better and safer choice is not to aim for the bag but to throw the ball between the shortstop and the bag. 

A skilled shortstop will not only be able to take the pickoff throw, he will be able to block the sack with one or both of his feet as he's applying the tag.  He does not have to worry about being spiked, because on 99% of the close plays of this type, the baserunner will be diving back head first.  The shortstop may get bitten, but he won't be spiked.

Sometimes, if the Daylight Play is not on, you will see the shortstop pounding his glove as he stands directly behind the baserunner.  He wants the baserunner to hear the glove and think the Daylight Play is on.  The idea is that if the runner thinks that play might be on, he will take a smaller lead.
 

Finally, on the subject of a baserunner taking a lead off second base, remember this.  The baserunner's job is to keep an eye on the second baseman.  The runner's lead off second should not be longer than the distance the second baseman is away from the bag.  However, it is the job of the third base coach to keep an eye on the shortstop, for the simple reason that the baserunner does not have eyes in the back of his head.  The third base coach, therefore, needs to keep the baserunner apprised of how close the shortstop is to the bag, so the runner can adjust his lead accordingly.  Good shortstops are tricky and stealth, and usually among the best athletes on the team.  (That partially explains why I played third base.) 
 

The Neighborhood Play:  The Neighborhood Play is deeply ingrained in baseball tradition, although you'll never see it in a rulebook.  You might say it is a gentlemen's agreement that on a force play at second which constitutes the front end of an attempted double play, the umpire will call the incoming baserunner at second "out" if the shortstop -- or less frequently, the second baseman -- accepts the throw somewhere reasonably close to the sack.  What usually happens on a Neighborhood Play is that, with a runner on first, a grounder is hit to the second baseman, the first baseman or the pitcher, and that fielder throws the ball to the shortstop in an attempt to start a double play.  A literal application of the rules of baseball requires the shortstop to have a foot (or other body part) on the bag at precisely the same moment he possesses the throw from his teammate.  But under the Neighborhood Play, that precision is not required. Have you heard that "close" only counts in horseshoes and grenades?  Well, now you know better; it counts in the Neighborhood Play as well.

The purpose of applying the Neighborhood Play "rule" is to provide for the safety of the shortstop.  The incoming runner will slide hard into second base in an attempt to break up the double play.  As long as the runner keeps his spikes low, it is not considered a dirty play.  Obviously, a shortstop who has to jump out of the way while he's throwing the ball to first is less likely to be accurate.  In order to minimize the risk to the shortstop's lower extremities, on such a bang-bang play a little leeway as described above is permitted and the mandated precision is, with the wink of the umpire's eye, not required.
 

Some of the baseball gurus in the media have predicted that the Neighborhood Play is not long for this world. Currently, umpires are only permitted to review filmed replays to determine whether a batted ball is a home run, e.g., whether a fly ball cleared the outfield wall in fair territory.  But starting next year, the replay rules are going to be greatly expanded to permit reviews of all kinds of plays (although not balls and strikes), and the precise timing on force plays at second required by a literal application of the rules of baseball will probably be enforced.  Why?  Because no umpire is going to claim that a runner is forced out if the replay shows clearly that the shortstop did not have his foot on the bag when he caught his teammate's throw.  I predict two other collateral effects.  More shortstops are going to get injured, and there will be fewer double plays.