Holding The Ball On A Grounder
Gene Cragg from Lorton, VA asks:
With no base runners on base, the batter grounds an easily fielded one hop grounder to the 2nd baseman, who fields the ball cleanly but does not throw the ball to first base. He holds the ball and watches the batter run safely to first base. Is there a rule where holding the ball in this situation would benefit the second baseman?
There is no rule to explain why the second baseman would do this. The only possible reason why he would hold the ball on this grounder would be because he did not think that he could put the runner out at first or was afraid of overthrowing the ball. The batter is still safe at first even though the second baseman could have probably retired him.
Answered by: Jonathan Bravo
Keywords: Fielders