Most baseball fans have probably already seen this video, but it’s worth the watch if you haven’t:
But this makes me wonder: What is the rule here? Is there one at all?
UPDATE: In response to this very incident, a new rule was drafted: the pitcher must declare which hand he’s going to throw with first. The batter can then respond by declaring which side to hit from. Each may change sides once during the at-bat, but only after the first pitch is thrown, from the side originally declared by the pitcher. It’s worth noting that this is exactly the opposite of what our resident baseball expert digglahhh told us in comment #5.
I suppose I could look this up myself, but I’m lazy: Is it scored as a fielder’s choice any time when you have a double-play situation but only one out is made (sans an error), or only when the batter is the one who’s safe? I suspect it’s the latter, but I’m not sure.
Example 1: Runner on first, batter grounds to the shortstop, who throws to second, getting a force out. The second baseman chooses not to throw to first, or throws too late. Fielder’s choice, clearly.
Example 2: Runner on first, batter grounds to third. The runner gets a good jump and the third baseman isn’t sure he can get the throw to second in time, so he throws to first and gets the force there. My guess: Not fielder’s choice, just 5-3.
Discuss.
P.S.: I’m thinking of going to Huntsville this weekend to go see a Stars game. Has anyone been? Any thoughts what to expect?
