The player next in line to bat following the on-deck batter is colloquially referred to as being in-the-hole.
Yes, like a sailing ship. As you can probably guess, to be"on deck" was to be in the main area of ship, aboveboard, and to be “in the hold” was to be in a holding place below deck.
#2. The second batter, most often just referred to as in the two-hole, is usually a contact hitter with the ability to bunt or get a hit. His main goal is to move the leadoff man into scoring position. Often, these hitters are fairly quick, competent baserunners and tend to avoid grounding into double plays.
#3. The third batter, in the three-hole, is generally the best all-around hitter on the team, often hitting for a high batting average but not necessarily very fast. Part of his job is to reach base for the cleanup hitter, and part of it is to help drive in baserunners himself.
The idiom ace in the hole comes from the game of poker. Some versions of poker involve dealing a hand of cards face up for all to see and a card face down or in the “hole” that only the player can see. The ace is the highest card in poker, and so an ace in the hole can mean a winning hand.
6-4-3 double play
The shortstop (6) fields a batted ball and throws to the second baseman (4), who forces out a runner advancing from first and then throws to the first baseman (3) to force out the batter.
The 5 Hole Area
Also called the 5-6 hole, the 5 hole in baseball refers to the area between the shortstop and the third baseman. On the other hand, the 4 hole that is also sometimes called the 3-4 hole is the open space that lies between the first baseman and the second baseman.
Theory. The thinking behind the use of the cleanup hitter is that at least one of the batters before him will reach base somehow, usually via a walk or a base hit. Traditionally, the lead off hitter, the number one spot in the batting order, has good foot speed, plate discipline, and a high on-base percentage.
The Batter Who Comes After the On-Deck Batter
The batter is said to be “in the hole” because they are the next up and in the dugout, which is typically down further in the ground than the actual field.
Part of the problem is that “batting around” is not an official statistic, so there is no official definition. For what it’s worth, Diamond reported that Elias Sports Bureau Inc., MLB’s official statistician, and Stats LLC both go with nine.
The fourth or cleanup hitter is supposed to be the best power hitter. His job is to drive in the top three hitters when they get on base. The fifth place hitter is usually another power hitter, but one who isn’t quite as good as the cleanup hitter.
The last spot in your lineup should be reserved for the worst batter on your team. By definition, they will receive the fewest at-bats out of any spot in the lineup, thus mitigating their ineffectiveness quite a bit.
Based on statistics and the position’s active involvement in the game, it’s believed that right field is the easiest baseball position to play. This is the case because of the number of balls hit to right field compared to other positions on the field.
In this page you can discover 10 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for ace-in-the-hole, like: sure advantage, decisive argument, card up one’s sleeve, decisive resource, hidden advantage, secret advantage, secret weapon, trump card, ace-up-one-s-sleeve and reserve.
Something that is an ace in the hole is an advantage which you have over an opponent or rival, and which you can use if necessary. Our superior technology is our ace in the hole. Synonyms: advantage, benefit, edge, asset More Synonyms of ace in the hole.
Why is the shortstop #6 and not #5? This was because originally, in the early days of baseball, the shortstop was the fourth outfielder. Later, the shortstop was moved permanently to the infield but his number stuck at #6.
Pitcher is the most difficult position to play in baseball.
Not only does the pitcher have the most important job on the field, which is to get batters out and prevent runs from scoring, but he also has to deal with the immense pressure that accompanies being on the mound.
Perhaps it is a nod to the fact that the bases are also referred to as “sacks.” Or perhaps home runs were originally nicknamed TATERs by Red Sox slugger George Scott, who compared his home runs to one of his favorite foods: “I love my taters, my sweet potaters and I love my home runs just like taters,” he was quoted as …
This refers to when a team sends three batters to the plate in the inning and all three end up getting called out.
“Not your pitch, kid. Not your pitch.” This is something a fan will shout when a player has taken a called strike. It sounds encouraging, like “you’ll get them next time” but what it really means is “You should’ve swung at that one.
The shortstop positions himself between the third baseman and the second-base bag. The shortstop is considered the captain of the infield and takes charge on balls hit in the air as well as communication among infielders.
What is a Cutter Pitch? A cutter—also known as a “cut-fastball”—is a pitch that is thrown at a high velocity and moves with sharp, horizontal movement, or cutting action.
So there you have it: Batting order definitely matters in Major League Baseball, and even basic simulations confirm conventional baseball wisdom.
If the batter manages to hit the ball from the pitcher, they must make an effort to at least get to first base. They can then run to as many bases as they wish before being tagged out. Each base must be touched with some part of the batters body when running past. A batter gets up to three strikes before getting out.