Can you slide into first base in baseball

Sometimes, running towards a base just won't cut it. In this tutorial, we will learn about slides, the rules of sliding, and the various types of slides in baseball. Sliding is a technique that base runners use in order to avoid being tagged out with the baseball.

When a base runner approaches a base, and a fielder near him has the baseball, the runner will drop to the ground and, using his momentum from running, slide feet-first into the base. Although sliding seems counterintuitive since it actually is slower than running, it is harder for fielders to tag a runner who is sliding.

Base coaches are allowed to leave the coaches' box when directing a player to slide. Yes, sliding is allowed on first base , but it is not recommended since a batter-runner can overrun the base which is faster. When sliding to first base, the runner is allowed to leave the running lane within a reasonable distance for the purpose of getting on base. For players, diving often hurts more than sliding. Runners are allowed to slide into other bases besides first base, but will be called for interference if they slide just to break up a double play.

Fielders are not allowed to block the base paths. In this case, the fielder will be called for interference. Each of the play diagrams shows the moment the runner hits first base. Let's keep it simple to start, showing two Gardner runs to first where he ran hard the entire time and ran through the base. Back in April, Gardner attempted to bunt his way on against the Pirates, and while he wasn't successful, he did come up with his fastest home-to-first time of the season, 3.

As you can see in the speed chart of the second half of the play, he ran hard the entire time, topping out just above 30 feet per second, and getting faster as he neared the base. We'll show a similar play against the Mets from mid-August, except this one wasn't a bunt. This 3. But what about when Gardner doesn't run all 90 feet? In late August, Gardner attempted to beat out a grounder to the right side against Corey Kluber , and he was narrowly thrown out while sliding into first. Unlike the two full-run plays, there's now a noticable speed dip at the end of the play diagram, making it clear when the slide began.

When he stopped running, he stopped maintaining his speed. Instead, Gardner got slower. While his Sprint Speed of Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. We can see the same thing in a play from early August.

Gardner grounded out to first baseman Jose Cabrera , who flipped to Jordan Zimmermann to narrowly get a sliding Gardner, with the ball arriving just. Again, the speed decline is clear. Sept 22, Slide One more example, this time from last September against the Rays. The speed decline upon diving is clear, and Gardner was out. While five plays isn't exactly a huge sample size, these are the three fastest home-to-first times on diving plays he's put up in the past year, so this isn't a case of choosing only favorable plays.

We have two of Gardner's fastest overall times, and his three fastest sliding times. Let's combine them all to show what these look like all at once. Depending on where they are at on the bases, baserunners should be listening to either their first base coach or their third base coach. While the runner is moving around the bases, the base coaches are watching the play and relaying information to the baserunner.

This information is extremely valuable to the runner because, a majority of the time, the runner is unable to see what is happening on the field. A great example would be a play where a baserunner is heading into third base, but the ball is being thrown in from right field.

While the runner is busy advancing to third base, they are unable to see the throw because the play is happening directly behind them. In these scenarios, it is the job of the base coach to let the baserunner know what is happening, which defensive player has the ball, and whether or not the runner needs to slide.

When a base coach thinks the play at a bag is going to be close, they will signal to the runner to slide. Once the baserunner gets the signal from their coach, they know they need to slide if they want to have a chance at being called safe. Sometimes when running the bases, baserunners are able to easily tell whether or not there will be a close play at a base. When the player sees that the play will be close, they can make the decision for themselves that a slide is appropriate.

As a general rule, a runner should be sliding into a base whenever there is a close play. The one exception to this rule is when a batter is running to first base. When running to first base after hitting a ball, players should always run through the base. The baserunner will want to slide into base because it gives them the best chance at being safe. When there is no force at a bag and the defense wants to throw out a baserunner, the defensive player will need to tag the runner.

The easiest way for an infielder to tag a runner out is to receive the ball and tag the runner around the waist. By sliding, baserunners force the infielder to catch the ball, then move their glove towards the ground in an effort to tag the baserunner before the baserunner reaches the base. This extra half-second can be the difference between the runner being safe or out.

In addition to making the infielder move their glove towards the ground, the baserunner also has an advantage with sliding because it allows the baserunner to make it to the base in the fastest time possible while also stopping the baserunner from over-running the base. If the baserunner were to accidentally over-run a base, the defensive player could tag them for an out.

By sliding, the baserunner ensures they will be stopping on the base. Although sliding is beneficial on a close play, it is almost never recommended to slide into first base after hitting a ball. Running to first base has its own set of rules, which is that players are allowed to run through the bag instead of needing to stop directly on the bag.

Whenever there is a close play at first base, the baserunner has a better chance of beating the throw and being called safe by running through the base instead of by sliding. This first-base rule only applies to batters running towards first base, it does not apply to runners who were previously on first base and are heading back towards first base.

There will often be a clear indicator that a player needs to slide or not slide, but sometimes baserunners will be in a scenario where they are unsure if there is going to be a close play at a base. Whenever players are unsure if there will be a close play at a base, or they think there will be a close play at a base, they should slide.

There is no penalty for unnecessarily sliding into a base so there is no downside for runners who decide to slide into a base without a close play.