Can you help me understand double plays better?

Question

i've just started watching baseball and everytime i see a double play it's always the defensive guy throwing from second base to first base, getting the two players out.

Can it happen the other way? Can you get the guy running to first base out first, then throw it to the second base?

thanks

Answer 1

The reason why they go in order and go from 2nd to first is because of the 'force out' rule.  

they could go the other way (1st to 2nd), but if you force out the batter running to first base 1st, then the guy going to second would need to be tagged since the out at first eliminated the force out.

It is a lot easier to tag a base than to tag a runner.

Wikipedia explains all sorts of different rules on Double plays.

Answer 2

Yes, the double play can occur in either sequence.

If the batter hit the ball to the first baseman near first base, he would just tag the base first then throw to second for the double play.  However, in that case, the SS or 2B would have to tag the runner for the 2nd out.

Answer 3

Yes, a double play can occur any time two runners are out in one play.  This could be a combination of any two bases.  It all depends on who catches the ball first.  Obviously, the person going to get the first out cannot actually catch the ball initially.  It must land on the ground, be picked up, base be tagged and then thrown to another in-fielder.  Now, if you decide to intentionally drop the ball to cause a double play, the umps will be all over you like white on rice.  They will either call it as just one out or no outs at all.  Saw Carolina do that this year, broke my heart.

Answer 4

A double play is simply two out on the same play. The way you described is the easiest scenario. It's known as a 4-6-3 double play (second baseman to the shortstop covering second to the first baseman)

My personal favorite double play, flyball to center, throw out the runner on first.

Answer 5

Any time 2 outs are recorded on a play its considered a double play.

It can (and does) happen where the batter is out at 1st base, then they throw to 2nd base to get the other runner out. This happens most often on a ground ball to the 1st baseman. Sometimes he will tag the base for the quick & easy out on the batter, then throw to 2nd base. However, as soon as the batter is out, the runner get the option of going back to his original base, therefore the force is removed and the runner can only be put out by being tagged, you can't just touch the base, you have to touch the runner.

Here are a few other ways that double plays occur:

around the horn: ground ball to 3rd baseman, who throws to 2nd baseman for 1 out and on to 1st base for another out.

strike-em out-throw-em-out double play: the pitch is strike 3 to the batter, and a runner is thrown out trying to steal on the same pitch

outfield fly double play: the batter is out because a fly ball to the outfield is caught. Then a runner who tags up and tries to advance a base is thrown out.

You will also sometimes see a line-drive double play. If a line drive is caught by an infielder (batter out) then a runner is out because they were off the base thinking the ball would get through for a hit. This doesn't happen at the MLB level very often because runners know better than to get caught this way, but its more common at youth baseball or rec-softball levels.

Of course any play that results in 2 outs is a double play and there are endless posibilites, but the ones I mentioned are the common ones. The most frequent type is the 6-4-3 or the 4-6-3 which is a ground ball to either 2nd baseman or shortstop, flip to the base for the first out and throw to 1st base for another out.

Answer 6

A double play is when 2 players get out on the same play... its as simple as that, for example it doesnt have to be just first and second base it could 1st and 3rd base. If the player hits the ball and it is caught in the air he is automatically out but if the player who was on 3rd base was running home he would realize that the batter got his hit caught, and start running back to 3rd before he got "tagged" and was out. the ways he would get out are 1.) he got "tagged" before reaching third base or 2.)3rd plate/base got "tagged" before he could reach it!!!!