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3 years, 5 months ago

Why, in baseball, is the first baseman not included in the "pass around" after a batter strikes out?

It is customary in baseball for the catcher to initiate a "pass around" after a strike out if no runners are on base. The first baseman is always left out of this routine.

Does anyone know why this position is excluded from this tradition?
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james_bond | 3 years, 5 months ago
The real reason for this is that when the First Baseman fields a ground ball he rarely needs to make a throw. He simply fields it and takes it to the bag himself, or makes a quick underhand toss to the Pitcher who should be hustling over to cover. Third, Shortstop and Second have to make a substantial throw on a ground ball play, so they throw the ball around to these positions after a strikeout in order to keep their arms loose.

This is especially true when going, "around-the-horn" which is Third, to Second to Shortstop and back to the Pitcher. These are all of the positions that need to keep their arms loose for a potential Put-Out. When throwing, "around-the-bags" however, it traditionally goes Third, to Shortstop, to Second and then to First before being returned to the Pitcher.

Also, after a Put-Out, when there aren't any runners on base, the First Baseman traditionally throws it back to the man that made the Play and it continues around-the-horn from there.

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jhales | 3 years, 5 months ago
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Because the pass around is a way for the infielders to keep their arms loose. Most of the time, the first baseman is not involved in any throwing plays.

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spudrph | 3 years, 5 months ago
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In American English, we usually call this "around the horn". It is to keep the infielders, who were not involved in the strikeout, alert. The first baseman handles many more plays than the other infielders, and thus would not need extra work.

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bmlhailstone | 3 years, 5 months ago
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Typically, the first baseman starts the "pass around" which is actually commonly referred to as "Around the Horn". The catcher starts it after a strikeout since he has the ball, and often the first baseman gets the ball last. The ball will go from the catcher to second base since it is his longest throw. Second base throws to third, third throws to first. Third throwing to first is often last and sometimes gets excluded because the next batter is up and the ball needs to either go to the ump or back to the pitcher.

Throwing around the horn is often initiated by the first baseman though when he makes a force out at first. He usually starts by throwing to second, which then throws to third, and then often home. That circular motion is why it's called "Around" the horn.

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doctorcheese | 3 years, 5 months ago
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The real question is, "why do the infielders throw the ball around after a batter strikes out?" Think about how much (or little) action any given position may get in an inning and you'll have your answer. The infielders throw the ball around to keep their arms warm (sometimes young players forget the purpose and totally botch it). There isn't that much time between throwing the ball around and the next batter so the outfield isn't included and the first baseman (who doesn't generally throw the ball at all) isn't either. The other infielders have more of a stake in staying warm and sharp.
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37 years of playing baseball and common sense.

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joeknows | 3 years, 5 months ago
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Our coach said that it was because the other infield positions need to keep their arms loose to make throws to first and also to turn double plays. The first baseman is far less likely to need to make a throw so to save time he is left out of this routine.
-joe

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