Getting Ahead in the Count. When a pitcher has thrown more strikes than balls in a specific at-bat, he is ahead in the count. You will hear this phrase when the ball-strike count is 0-1, 0-2, or 1-2. Getting ahead in the count gives the pitcher an advantage because the hitter must then swing at any pitch that looks like it may be a strike, even if it is a difficult pitch to hit. Pitchers often get in trouble when they fall behind in the count-for example, going to ball-strike counts of 2-0, 3-0, or 3-1. This is because the batter can then be more selective and wait for a good pitch to hit.

Changing Speeds. When a pitcher does not throw each pitch at the same velocity, he is changing speeds. The pitcher may also change the type of pitch as well as the velocity. For example, he may alternate an 87-mile-per-hour (mph) fastball with an 84-mph slider and an 80-mph change-up (a slow pitch thrown with the same motion as a fastball). Changing speeds puts the batter off balance. Because the batter must swing earlier on the fastball and then delay his swing on the slower pitches, he must change the timing of each swing, which is difficult to do.

Throwing Inside. When a pitcher is throwing inside, he keeps the hitter from leaning out over the plate to hit pitches that are moving or breaking away from him. It is difficult for a pitcher to have success without throwing inside at least occasionally, to prevent the batter from always looking for outside pitches. There are two primary dangers of throwing inside. By throwing too far inside, the pitcher can hit the batter and put him on base. But if the pitcher does not throw far enough inside, the ball crosses the middle of the plate and the batter has an easier pitch to hit.

Wasting a Pitch. When a pitcher is wasting a pitch, the pitch he throws is close to the plate but intentionally not a strike. A pitcher will almost always do this when he is ahead in the count with no balls and two strikes. The idea is to get the batter to swing at a pitch that he has no chance of hitting, and thus strike out. A pitcher can afford to waste a pitch with an 0-2 count because he still stays ahead in the count even after throwing a ball.

Pulling the Ball. The term pulling the ball refers to where the ball is hit. A right-handed batter is pulling the ball if he hits it to the left of second base. A left-handed batter is pulling the ball if the ball goes to the right of second base. To pull the ball, batters swing early so that the barrel of the bat is farther along in the swing when it makes contact with the ball. Hitters often try to pull the ball when they want to hit for power. Because the swing has started earlier, the hitter generates more bat speed and therefore hits with more power.

Going to the Opposite Field. The term going to the opposite field also refers to where the ball is hit. A right-handed batter is going to the opposite field if he hits it to the right of second base. A left-handed batter goes to the opposite field by hitting to the left of second base. Contact hitters go to the opposite field more often than pull hitters. This is because contact hitters are just trying to make contact with the ball, and to do so, they sometimes wait longer to swing. As a result the bat may still be coming forward when it hits the ball, and the angle propels the ball to the opposite field. Because the swing has just started when the ball is struck, the batter generally cannot hit to the opposite field with as much power as he can when pulling the ball.

Contact Hitting Versus Power Hitting. The two basic types of hitters are contact hitters and power hitters, although most batters can hit either way, depending on the situation. A contact hitter most often tries to make solid contact with the ball without necessarily pulling the ball for power. Contact hitters do not strike out very often, and they tend to get on base more frequently than power hitters. Power hitters swing hard, trying to drive the ball. They are usually pull hitters. Because they try to hit the ball hard, they strike out more often than contact hitters, but because they have more extra-base hits, they drive in more runs.

Looking for a Pitch Versus Reacting. Batters approach their at-bats differently. Some are looking for a specific pitch, and others are reacting to whatever pitch is thrown. When a batter is looking for a pitch, he is thinking about what the pitcher is likely to throw. When he believes that he has figured out what the pitch will be, or the location of it (inside or outside), he looks for that pitch. A batter who is looking for a specific pitch may guess correctly and take a good swing at the ball, but if he guesses wrong, he may swing too early or too late. When a batter is not looking for a pitch, but instead reacting to each pitch, he watches the ball leave the pitcher's hand and hits the type of pitch he thinks is coming toward him, based on the pitcher's motion and the spin of the ball. In other words, he reacts after the ball leaves the pitcher's hand.

Hitting Behind the Runner. When a batter is hitting behind the runner, he is hitting the ball to the right side of the field, which is behind a runner who is going from first to second base. If the ball is hit behind the runner and the ball goes into the outfield, the runner has a good chance to reach third base because the right fielder has a long throw to make. If a ball is hit in front of the runner into left field, the runner is less likely to go to third, because the throw to third for the left fielder is fairly short.

Protecting the Plate. When a player is protecting the plate, he is trying to make any kind of contact (including hitting a foul ball). A player tends to protect the plate with two strikes, because he does not want to strike out. Even hitting a foul ball helps a batter who is protecting the plate, because he gets another pitch to hit.

Stealing. A player steals a base when he challenges the defense by advancing to the next base without the ball being hit by a teammate. Players can steal anytime they think they can make it to the next base without the defense tagging them out. Players usually steal while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate, trying to make it to the next base before the catcher can receive the pitch and throw to the base. Because second base is farther from the catcher than third base, most steals take place at second. On rare occasions, a player steals home, attempting to slide in safely before the catcher receives the pitch and can make a tag.

Double Steal. A double steal is when two players steal at once. It most often occurs with runners at first and third base. The runner on first breaks to steal second, and when the catcher throws to second, the runner at third breaks for home. Sometimes the defense counters a double steal by having the shortstop or second baseman intercept the throw from the catcher before it reaches second base. The infielder then fires it home before the runner on third can arrive safely.

Taking an Extra Base. A player is said to be taking an extra base on a hit when he advances one more base than the hit itself would guarantee. For example, a runner on first takes an extra base by going all the way to third when a teammate hits a single to right field, because the single normally advances the runner only to second. When a batter hits a double, the runner on first takes an extra base by coming home to score rather than stopping at third.

Tagging Up. Tagging up is a way for a runner to advance a base when an out is made. A runner can tag up only on a fly ball caught with less than two outs. He must wait until the ball is touched by the outfielder before leaving his base and running to the next one. Most players only tag up on balls hit fairly deep to the outfield, because otherwise the fielder is closer to the infield and his throw will come in quicker. If a runner scores after tagging up, the hitter's out is recorded as a sacrifice fly, and the hitter is awarded a run batted in (RBI).

Sliding. There are two ways of sliding, headfirst and feetfirst. The headfirst slide is quicker to the base because the runner stretches his body, extends his arm, and reaches as far as he can. The feetfirst slide is more conventional, but the runner does not reach the base as quickly because he has to bend his knee to absorb the impact of hitting the base. The feetfirst slide makes it easier for the runner to break up double plays and knock the ball out of the fielder's glove. It is also less likely to result in injury; jamming the hand or fingers is easy when sliding headfirst.

Backing Up the Play. Almost every time an outfielder makes a play, another outfielder is backing up the play by moving behind him. If the ball gets by the initial fielder, the other fielder is there to keep the ball from rolling all the way to the wall and allowing the runners to take extra bases. Infielders also back up plays when they have time to react, and the catcher often backs up plays at first base, protecting against errant throws by an infielder.

Calling Off Other Players. When the ball is hit in the air, the fielder who expects to make the catch communicates this by calling off other players. On pop-ups or fly balls, the player with the best chance to catch the ball calls out "mine" or "I have it," and everyone else backs off. In the outfield, the center fielder is generally the best fielder and is in charge of defensive play. Thus, if he has a good chance to catch the ball, he will call off the other fielders and make the catch himself. If you see fielders collide on a fly ball, it is probably because someone did not make a call, or the fielders did not hear each other.

Hitting the Cutoff Man. When the ball is hit deep into the outfield, either for an out or a base hit, and a runner tries to advance, the player who fields the ball may opt for hitting the cutoff man. The cutoff man is an infielder who stations himself between the outfielder and the base the throw is going to. The cutoff man's job is to catch the long throw from the outfielder and make a shorter throw to a base. The cutoff man also catches any throws that are off target and relays them to a base. If necessary, he can cut the ball off to keep the runners from taking an extra base on a long throw.

Guarding the Lines. Fielders who are guarding the lines have moved closer to the foul lines in the infield, the outfield, or both. The purpose is to make it less likely that a batter will hit the ball fair down the line. Fielders usually start to guard the lines when the score is close in about the seventh inning, because a ball hit down the line often results in a damaging extra-base hit. The disadvantage of guarding the lines is that it opens up the middle of the field, making it easier for the batter to hit a single to that part of the field.

Infield in. The manager brings the infield in by having them station themselves closer to home plate than they normally would. They do this when a runner is on third, and they want to prevent him from scoring on a ground ball. Because they are closer to the batter, however, the infielders have less time to react when the ball is hit. This means that the batter has a better chance of knocking the ball through the infield. Like many strategic maneuvers in baseball, bringing the infield in is a calculated risk, with the fielders gambling that the ball will be hit to them and the run will be prevented.

Infield at Double Play Depth. When the infield is at double play depth, the first and third basemen stay in their normal location, but the shortstop and second basemen move closer to second base and a couple of steps closer to home plate. If a ground ball is hit within their range, this positioning makes it easier for them to turn a double play and make two outs.

Constructing a Lineup. In constructing a lineup, a manager puts the best hitters at the top of the lineup (usually spots one through five). This has two advantages: First, the best hitters get the most at-bats in each game and over the course of a season. Second, with good hitters bunched together, the team has a better chance to string together several hits. A manager tends to let the hitters at the top of the order swing away in most of their at-bats. With the weaker hitters at the bottom of the lineup, he is more likely to call for a hit-and-run, a sacrifice play, or another strategic maneuver.

Hit-and-Run. The hit-and-run is a strategy that requires the batter and base runner to work together. The runner breaks for the next base as the pitcher releases the ball, and the batter's job is to hit the ball on the ground so that the runner can reach the base or beyond. (A fly ball would force the runner to return to his base and tag up.) A manager most often calls for the hit-and-run with a runner at first base and less than two outs. When the batter executes the hit-and-run properly, he hits the ball in the hole created when the shortstop or second baseman moves to cover second base on what looks like an attempted steal by the runner.

Sacrifice. A sacrifice is a deliberate out made by a batter in order for a runner to advance a base. This is most commonly done by bunting-that is, holding the bat out in front of the pitch, instead of swinging, so that when the ball and bat make contact, the ball rolls slowly into the infield. The fielders can easily throw out the batter, but the base runner has time to make it to the next base. Managers usually call for the sacrifice with no outs, because a successful sacrifice will then move a runner into better scoring position with only one out. Because most pitchers are weak hitters, they sometimes sacrifice with one out. The idea is that the team is willing to give up the second out if it can move the runner over in the process.

Safety Squeeze. A safety squeeze is a specific type of sacrifice play that a manager may call for when he has a runner on third base. The runner waits until the ball is bunted, and then decides if he will be able to score. If so, he breaks for home. The best time to try the safety squeeze is with a speedy runner at third base but an average or poor bunter at the plate. With a better bunter, the suicide squeeze is an option.

Suicide Squeeze. If a team has a speedy runner on third and a good bunter at the plate, the manager may call for a suicide squeeze. In this play the runner breaks for home as soon as the pitcher starts his motion toward the plate. He runs full speed toward the plate, and it is up to the hitter to bunt the ball anywhere on the ground. The play is called a suicide because if the hitter does not put the ball in play, the catcher can easily tag out the runner.

Pitchout. Players or managers call for a pitchout to combat an offensive play such as a hit-and-run, a steal, or a squeeze play. In a pitchout the ball is thrown so far from the plate that the hitter cannot reach it by swinging or bunting. The catcher receives the ball standing up and ready to make a throw or tag to put a runner out.

Putting on the Shift. A team is putting on the shift when it places more defensive players than usual on a pull hitter's strong side of second base, where the ball is likely to go if it is hit. The switch is usually done by moving either the second baseman or the shortstop to the opposite side of second base than the one they normally play on. The most famous shift was the Ted Williams shift, used against the famed Boston Red Sox slugger of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Teams would put five players to the right of second base to combat the left-handed Williams's tendency to pull the ball to right field. Williams usually disregarded the shift and continued to try to hit the ball to right field, and he frequently succeeded.

Bringing in a Left-Hander or a Right-Hander. Percentages in baseball show that a right-handed pitcher normally fares better against a right-handed batter, and a left-handed pitcher normally fares better against a left-handed batter. One reason for this is that balls moving away from the hitter are hardest to hit. A right-hander's breaking ball goes away from a right-handed batter, and a left-hander's goes away from a left-handed batter. Late in a game, managers on defense want to match up a right-handed pitcher against a right-handed batter or a left-handed pitcher against a left-handed hitter, and they sometimes try bringing in a left-hander or a right-hander just to pitch to a single batter. Managers on offense sometimes combat this by waiting for the new pitcher to come in, and then replacing the batter, to get a right-hander batting against a left-hander or vice versa.

Double Switch. The double switch is a maneuver most often used in the National League (NL). In the double switch a manager takes two players out of the lineup, inserting two new players into the two open spots in the lineup. By bringing in two players at once, the manager can put each one into either of the two vacated spaces in the batting order. The manager usually arranges it so that the better hitter takes the batting spot that is due up sooner. The double switch most often occurs in the NL when the pitcher is due to bat soon, because managers can bring in a new pitcher and also substitute a good hitter in the pitcher's place in the batting order.

Conceding the Run. When the team in the field is willing to trade a run for an out, it is conceding the run. In most cases a team is willing to concede a run if it has a big lead or if it wants to keep the other team from scoring a lot of runs in an inning. For example, when there are runners at first and third and no outs, a team might play the infield at double play depth to try to make a double play. If the strategy works, they allow a run, but there are then two outs with no one on base.

Pinch Hitter and Pinch Runner. A pinch hitter comes in during a game to replace another batter. A manager will pinch hit because he does not like the matchup between his hitter and the pitcher. When there is a right-handed pitcher, he usually sends in a left-handed batter; if the pitcher is left-handed, he sends in a right-handed batter. A pinch runner comes in when a manager wants a speedier or better base runner on base-usually late in the game when it is important to score even a single run.

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