1basemen foot position

Teach him the right way. LF out front and RF on the bag.

Geerman

Some umpires will permit the stance your son uses--it is no big thing to slide over a dn get the left foot in fair territory


Bobblehead

How many first sackers hold a man on at first with the RF on the bag?

TR I misread his post.

TR;
Did you watch Keith Hernandez play 1B?

He was in a "splinters" stance at 1B bag and raced toward second base thinking the Mets 2B would slide to the bag, however Tim Tufflel never moved from his place in the dirt, regardless of the hitter.

As you know everything depends on the hitter at bat, the inning, the count, # of outs and location of the runners.

Bob Williams

BOB

I had the pleasure of watching Keith with the Mets---he was one of the best

Keith was the best I have ever seen at playing first base... I only wish there was more video of him to share with younger players...

TR..I liked him better when he was with the Cards.

quote:

Originally posted by Estone28:

quote:

Originally posted by Geerman:
My son plays 1st base and is left handed. While holding a man on,he plays with right foot in front of bag and left foot on the outside of the foul line facing the pitcher. He has played this way for 10 years. Ump called him on it last game for the first time ever. Spent some time looking for the offical word on this and there seems to be allot of different ideas. Would like to have a "right" answer. Thanks

Feel pretty sure your guy was close to getting hit with a 1st basemen's balk, they can be called on catchers as well.

As a lefty his best position is probably to stand, knees bent, facing the mound, so that the corner of the bag pointing to the mound is directly underneath him and in between both legs/feet. So, in essence you are straddling the corner. From this position, he can easily "bounce off", block a bad pick, or swipe at the runner.

Geerman,

I don't think you are going to get a straight answer, but rather a combination of definitions of the playing field and players indicates a player must position himself within the field of play.

For example, under definitions of the official rules I found the following...

"The DEFENSE (or DEFENSIVE) is the team, or any player of the team, in the field."

"FAIR TERRITORY is that part of the playing field within, and including the first base and third base lines, from home base to the bottom of the playing field fence and perpendicularly upwards. All foul lines are in fair territory."

"An INFIELDER is a fielder who occupies a position in the infield."

Therefore, I believe that most umpires understand that players must occupy a position within fair territory. This also includes third baseman during a pickoff play where a player stands outside the foul line awaiting a throw from the pitcher.

Rules sides

The umps can give you where to look at in the rulebook of all codes but to sum it up simply --- all players (with the exception of the catcher) MUST be within the foul lines (fair territory) at the time of the pitch.

The vast majority of the time nobody ever says anything about it but it is a rule. So if you run across an ump who enforces then your son has to do it.

Coaching aspect

To me how a first baseman sets up is a comfort issue as long as they can bounce off the bag to get into fielding position. Some guys want to face completely open to the pitcher while others want to have the left foot more closed. If you look at video of different first basemen you will see the left foot is all over the place.

My suggestion

Have your son put his left foot just inside the foul line. Now he's complying with the rule and it's probably not a huge move on his part. He will be pretty close to where he was before.

There is no"1st baseman's balk. A Catchers balk is only on an intetional walk. By rule all players must be in fair territory before the umpire puts the ball in play. If the player refuses then he can be ejected. I believe FED considers a fielder in fair ground is he has a least on foot in fair territory. OBR must have both feet in. Not sure on NCAA.

This rule is one that is often misinterpreted and /or misunderstood...fortunately the rule book offers a clear interpretation for NFHS and NCAA....

Lets Start with FED...

NFHS rule 1-1-4

Except the catcher, all fielders must be in fair territory at the Time of the Pitch. A fielder is in fair ground if he has ONE foot in fair territory..

NCAA rule 5-4

Except the catcher, all fielders must be in fair territory when the ball is put in play. A fielder is in fair ground if he has ONE foot in fair territory..

OBR is a bit different, it starts out clear then muddies the water. OBR rules seldom change....but the interpetations often do and the result is that the rule book will maintain the rule as written, but the PBUC OFFICIAL INTERPRETATIONS will overide the rule.

Thus the coach and umpire, who does not study the rules, will be left at a disadvantage when the rule is applied.

OBR 4.03

Except the catcher, all fielders must be in fair territory when the ball is put in play.

Official Interp 161-243: A player is in fair ground only when he has both feet in fair territory.

However:

Official Interp 162-243 says: umpire should not insist a fielder have both feet in fair territory unless one team complains , but hereafter the umpire will require all fielders to have both feet in fair ground....

As to penalty....If the umpire recognizes the infraction, the umpire should correct the situation...basically its a "dont do that"....No balk on a first baseman who has one foot in foul...

REAL WORLD APPLICATION:....

In the real world where most games are umpired by the 2 man system, when there is a runner on 1st base, the umpire will be in the B position (Behind the mound to the 2b side).

Accurate determining of a foot in fair or foul from that position is almost impossible....and in the course of the responsibilities of a BU in the pitch process, looking for this is so far down on the list that it becomes a non issue...