Trick plays in baseball 1 of 4
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- Trick plays in baseball, four video series. Trick plays that teams will use against you...or you can use. This video ends with the GOAT of all trick baseball plays. The "Wichita Pickoff" also known as the "Grand Illusion." Baseball trick plays are not as common as trick plays in football because the rules of baseball have been written to avoid the bush league tricks that teams like to pull.
We do NOT include the hidden ball trick, but just about any other trick used in baseball is in one of the four videos.
(4:31) “Let me tell you about this play, it was a planned play”. Thanks for the top notch analysis Irv. Really would have been something if the entire team orchestrated a decoy of the runner and it was NOT planned.
The trick play at 4:00 is actually one where the shortstop cuts in front of the runner at second base and while that’s happening the catcher drops his glove to the dirt and that tells the pitcher to go and try to pick the blinded runner off
This play works far less often when attempted on a first base runner because it is very likely that the base coach will see that the pitcher held the ball, but at second base this is lethal.
Another good reason to only run this play to 2nd Base.
If you look at that last play (Wichita), which was from the College World Series, you will notice that for some unexplained reason, Wichita has no first base coach. Had one been present (and the commentators don’t seem to be aware of it), he would have been able to tell the runner that the pitcher held the ball. The runner can’t see it, because he’s watching the pitcher’s feet, and when the pitcher backs off the rubber, he’s diving back to first, and thus cannot see that the pitcher faked the throw.
Why didn’t Wichita have a first base coach? This is NCAA level baseball. But there’s no one in a mustard yellow uniform in sight, other than the runner.
I always love binge watching u!
Same
Best trick play I ever saw, was the one we pulled in High School. Runner(s) on first or first and second. Batter gets up in the count with 2 balls. Strikes don't matter, but preferably 1 or none, since you're probably going to be taking. Next pitch, if it's a ball, the batter drops his bat (or throws it towards the dugout), claps his hands and says loudly, "all right, ball 4" and runs to first base, forcing the runners to advance. By the time the ump tries to tell everyone it's only ball 3 (sometimes it confuses HIM too), the runners have advanced and there's nothing the opposing team can do about it. "Those are stolen bases," the ump will tell them. We called it the "three ball walk", obviously. You can only do this one time, if the opposing team tells the others. Oh, you can TRY to do it again, but if the team has been scouting... ;-)
Never heard of the "Wichita Pickoff" but I have heard of the "Cleveland Steamer and the Dutch Rudder"....
Hey Al, ever hear of the Dutch oven??
The “bait and switch” play at second when the shortstop cuts in front of the runner at second is my favorite. All the runner has to do is run into the short stop and it’s interference and a free base. Pulled that one probably 10 times when I was 13. Teams just didn’t understand they can’t block the baseline.
Obstruction, not interference.
The key to the Wichita Pickoff at first--the pitcher MUST step off the back of the runner before throwing to first.
If he fakes the throw from the rubber, it's a balk.
If the fake is to second or third (and they're occupied), it's legal to fake from the rubber.
How is it possible that there are so many umpires who just don't look the part and YES it absolutely matters!!!!
When did Peyton Manning pitch for Miami? :D
I love your videos I used the when catcher throws to the pitcher you take off I stole home both times
UM baseball at its finest way back when. Remember watching that one live.
on the witchita play at the end had the first baseman made contact with the runner could the runner be awarded second on the basis of Obstruction?
quick question... the play shown at 4 minutes in the video. The SS in this play runs around and in front of the base runner somewhat impeading his ability to get back to the bag. yes I get that he probably would have been out anyway but why is this more or less ignored?
Once we had a trick play on accident we acted like there was 3 outs when there was two or we thought so the runner went off the base and the basemen tagged him
same my team did that too...
I love your videos
Was this Miami, OH or Miami FL that were playing Wichita?
Edit: 1982 College World Series Champions University of Miami (FL). I was at both Miami/Stetson regional games this year.
i came up with that witchita play 20 years ago myself as well. guess someone beat me too it. but still glad to see someone use it and it works. our coaches never would even try it. was to complicated they said lol. im like wtf?
My 12u team does this
Our coach calls out “Bear down” and we do this play.
Miami even fooled the up -- he's looking out to right field too.
Gene Stephenson was a legend. Tough to see the shockers get smoked on this play.
whats the point of being able to get leads in ll if the bases are so short its kinda unfair
as for the original "witchita" play, i'm not sure i had ever seen that the first base umpire was also fooled. he's following everybody else looking down the right field foul line. as for the umpire who made the out call and 2nd base, you can tell he was enjoying the play (and the call) as much as professionalism would allow. "and........ OUT." just a fun play all around. (especially the caps the umpires are wearing... were they moonlighting as long-haul truckers in the off-season?)
Someone please explain the last wichita clip. I thought a pitcher is not allowed to fake a throw to first base because it would be a baulk? In the clip, the pitcher does exactly that and throws the ball to second base instead.
He stepped off the back of the rubber first. Once he steps off, he is no longer a pitcher and can do what he wants.
The Wichita Pickoff in this clip appears to be a balk. The pitcher after coming to a set position may only remove his hand from the ball if he pitches or throws in a pickoff (6.02-o). The pitcher removes his hand in a fake pickoff. Maybe I am looking at this wrong, but I don’t think so.
What we used to do was have the midfielder play in with a runner on second, then have the ss and 2nd baseman play in the field of view of the runner, then when he takes a big lead, throw a pick off to the centerfielder
so here's my amusing little "Grand Illusion" story... the little league my son played for had a coach (very serious baseball & basketball coach, not "just a dad") who was well known for running the grand illusion in Junior division (I could swear I heard about him doing it in Majors too, though I'm not sure exactly how, probably a fake pick-off as a runner was returning to the bag after a pitch). He seemed to do it once every game when I'd ump his Jr games, and it worked every time; he even commented once that I was his grand illusion good luck charm. A couple of years later, he's the freshman head coach at the local high school, and many of his former players are on the varsity team. I'm umping their varsity home opener DH, I'm on bases for the first game. Around the 5th or 6th inning, the score is close or tied and the home team has a runner on 2nd. The runner had played at least a couple of seasons for this coach. So then the _visiting_ team tried to run the grand illusion. The runner just stood there looking at the pitcher, like "dude, please....". Inside I just about died laughing, though externally I maintained my composure save for a grin and a couple of chuckles. After the game I saw that coach in the parking lot, he'd just come the freshman & JV away games, and we shared a good laugh about someone trying that on his guys.
So the note there is teach your players the grand illusion now, so they can use it when needed but won't ever fall for it later.
Leading off at second base was always the most nerve wracking thing. Those middle infielders were just so quick to get back to the bag.
Is the best solution just to not be so aggressive with a primary and secondary lead at second? What are we trying to gain being so far off the base anyway? Advancing on a passed ball I guess. Should score on a base hit to the OF regardless.
Quinton Baker Steal maybe?
What's the balk rule with not throwing the ball? Is the pitcher's fake throw to second a balk under modern rules? Honest question
So balk rules are 8.05 in MLB rules and it seems a fake throw to first is a balk, but it seems ambiguous, to me, about a fake throw to second (at the MLB level, anyway).
8.05 If there is a runner, or runners, it is a balk when-
(a) The pitcher, while touching his plate, makes any motion naturally associated with
his pitch and fails to make such delivery;
Rule 8.05(a) Comment: If a lefthanded or righthanded pitcher swings his free foot past the back
edge of the pitcher’s rubber, he is required to pitch to the batter except to throw to second base on a
pick-off-play.
(b) The pitcher, while touching his plate, feints a throw to first base and fails to
complete the throw;
(c) The pitcher, while touching his plate, fails to step directly toward a base before
throwing to that base;
I love where the Wichita shockers are
Thanks
A team tried the "Wichita Pickoff" on my Sons 13U team this last weekend, didn't work on us.
The Wichita vs Miami one is 100% the fault of the 1st base coach. He can actually see that no throw was made. He should be yelling stay on the bag
Alex H For real
Incidentally, in the Wichita Pickoff, runner Phil Stephenson was coach Gene Stephenson's brother.
my team tried using the bad throw trick play in u14 because we were really bad and really desperate and it ended in a pickle that we lost
our highschool team pulled it off twice in the same game one was a double play
I don't get the second one
1:20 when I was in 10u a team pulled that off against my team
Most of these pkays I can tell my team to use
you know you can make your videos longer people that want to watch your videos would appreciate it I think.
Worst part of a trick play if you’re the person fooled.
That walk back to the dugout feels like it’s a mile long.
Plus you can’t even look at your teammates.
I have always thought of this idea, sad to see that my idea isnt very original.
How about that U 😁
My dream was to play for Red Berry, but I got kicked off my Miami Palmetto HS team in the early seventies because I wouldn't cut my hair 🙄 Priorities 😂
Our Coach Stubb's (sp?) was let go for smoking pot 🤣. That's the way I remember it and I'm sticking to my story 😎
At the start of the video, at 40 seconds in, the umpire cost the runner an out because he didn't move the bat out of the way. Always move the bat if there is a potential for a play at the plate. Do it for safety if nothing else.
That is 100% incorrect. It's NOT the umpire's job to move a bat. It's not the catcher's job either. It's the offensive teams responsibility to control where the bat ends up. If that means their runner on 3rd has a hard time scoring, that's their problem, not the umpires. Now, if the ball is hit to the outfield in the gap and there clearly is time, sure, the umpire or catcher can move the bat (if they choose to), but on a hard hit ball to first baseman that's coming right back home, you want the umpire to bother with the bat and not see the play?
@MJH-Baseball , I see your point. That said, I've never missed a play at the plate. In a bang-bang situation, I've actually kicked the bat out of the way without taking my eyes off the play. I'd rather not see a kid carried off the field for an injury that I could have prevented. However, you're right, I shouldn't have said the umpire cost a run.
First two examples were balks, neither pitcher stepped behind the rubber therefore the pitcher had to threw the baseball
Pitchers, remember you have to back off the rubber first, when "throwing" to 1st, if you're on it, otherwise you balked.
There was a team in my league that did a hidden ball trick every. Single. Play. You could tell that their coaches were EXTREMELY bad at their jobs. The sad thing about it is that they weren’t even good at it. Here’s an example. One time I was on third base. The pitcher tried picking me off, and I was safe. The third baseman didn’t throw the ball back (duh), but the pitcher STEPPED. ON. THE. MOUND. That team was only decent at hitting. Their pitching? Bad. Their defense? God awful. That team was pathetic.
The first trick play our team got caught with that in 10u
are team has tried the first trick play
Why not just make it a 3 video series if u didn't know what the last one would be
How’s the “Wichita Pickoff” not a balk, he does a quick pick and didn’t throw that’s a balk.
He stepped off the back of the rubber, which makes him an infielder and not a pitcher, so he is not required to throw.
MJH-Baseball thats a good pickoff move then becuase it really looks like his foots in front of the rubber
A lot of these are on the base coaches. They should be aware of what is going on and communicating that to the runners.
4:00 - yeah no this is obstruction IMO. very very dirty. Not sure of legality. If its legal it shouldn't be.
Running directly beside the runner and right in front while the pitcher is throwing them out? Nope... just dirty
Watch that many times still think the kid was safe at 2nd
at least it's self explanatary .
The first play was my dads team they ended up winning state that year
The first examples would be balks cause the pitcher doesn’t throw the ball
I guess now he’s 86 out of 91 if that’s how it works
My team does that
The bad throw to 1st is illegal in our league. No fake throws to 1st
He stepped off the rubber first. That makes him an infielder and he can fake all he wants. But no league allows a fake trow from the rubber as a pitcher.
In my league it’s a balk
What is?
I doubt it. None of these are balks in any code.
Bruh it’s not a trick play to pick off to second 😂😂
2nd
The "trick play" against the little league team wasn't a trick play it was poor base coaching on the first base coach not helping the runner
I know a trick play pop up the pither call if runner that hit the is running or if the runner at 1st base is going then drop the ball on purpose then if none of the runers run and runner at 1st takes three steps of thats an easy double play
Infield fly rule prevents that from happening.
You sound like you’re reading from a script... loosen up a bit
Too much babble. Just show the clips.
Trying that 2nd Play to 1st or 3rd you take a risk of the Umpires getting fooled... and then ruining you play. Here is how.
So imagine you do fool the Umpire.. he believes the ball has gone past 1st (or 3rd) and because he cannot see the ball he might believe the ball has gone OUT OF PLAY. So he calls TIME and begins to award the Bases the Runner gets for the ball going OUT OF PLAY. If he calls TIME before you have made that OUT... shame on YOU because that TIME is going to stand and NEGATE that play.
This is more likely to happen with HS or below Umps who sometimes react TOO EARLY... it probably shouldn't happen with D-1 or Above Umps. Small College... depends they can sometimes be too GREEN also.
You run that play to 2nd... and you fool the Ump there is NO WAY no matter how well you tricked him that he believes the ball has gone OUT OF PLAY. He believes it is somewhere in the Outfield he just cannot see where in the Outfield.
Don't WASTE you PLAY by giving the Umpire a very real chance to make a mistake.
And don't waste the play to by getting the out in a bang-bang scenario. Get an OBVIOUS OUT.
Because AGAIN if you fool the Umpire closest to the play he my still be looking for the BALL (because his training is watch/follow the ball because the ball will lead him too where the PLAY is). The Umpire most likely to SEE this play unfold the Umpire on Home Plate but he will be making the call from over 90 feet away. Don't make him all a bang-bang play from that far away... he will (and probably SHOULD) get the call wrong from that far away 50% of the time on a Bang-Bang play.
Get an OBVIOUS and UNDENIABLE OUT.