Strategy
From BR Bullpen
The strategy for the game of baseball is just like the strategy in every sport, you want to win. The traditional setup for a Major League Baseball game is simple. The defense sends nine players out to the field. The players and positions consist of:
- One pitcher, who stands on the mound in the center of the infield
- One catcher, who crouches behind home plate
- Four infielders: 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base, shortstop
- Three outfielders: right field, left field, center field
The game starts with the home team sending their defense out to the field first.
Their are different strategies that the manager will call for, depending on the type of hitter at bat. Some forms of this strategy are shifting the fielders. For example, if there is a right-handed hitter who consistently pulls the ball to left field, the manager may call for a shift in his infield or outfield for everyone to move towards right field or third base.
[edit] Further Reading
- Bill Felber: The Book on the Book, St. Martin's Press, New York, NY, 2005
- Robert K. Fitts: "The Evolution of Japanese Baseball Strategy", in The Baseball Research Journal, Number 36 (2007), SABR, Cleveland, OH, pp. 61-67.
- James D. Szalontai: Small Ball in the Big Leagues: A History of Stealing, Bunting, Walking and Otherwise Scratching for Runs, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2010.
- Tom Tango, Mitchel Lichtman and Andrew Dolphin: The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball, TMA Press, NJ, 2006.
