Pitchout

Pitchout

In baseball, a pitchout is a ball that is intentionally thrown high and outside of the strike zone with the purpose of preventing a stolen base or thwarting a hit and run. The pitcher delivers the ball in such a manner for it to be unhittable and in a position where the catcher can quickly leap to his feet to catch it. A well-thrown pitchout will allow the catcher to receive the ball standing up as opposed to his usual squat, giving him a better line to throw to a base without the pitcher or the batter obstructing his vision or aim. Moreover, it is easier to throw a ball with more force from a standing position than it is from a squat, which is why most catchers leap to their feet when attempting to throw out a base stealer.

The pitchout is often called for when the battery believes that an existing baserunner is likely to attempt a steal, and forms one of the two (with the pickoff) main countermeasures a pitcher can take against a potential stealer. A runner attempting to steal on a pitchout will have an extremely difficult time beating the throw to second base and almost no chance of stealing third barring a mistake by the catcher or the third baseman.

The pitchout is also used against the hit and run. As the pitch is unhittable, the runner will have to attempt a straight steal, and for the reasons described above will usually fail.

A pitchout is thrown in around the same location as an intentional ball, but differs in that a pitchout is thrown harder to give the catcher the most time to throw out the baserunner. Of course, a pitchout is technically an intentional ball, but the term is not used to describe the pitchout in conversation.

"See also:" List of baseball pitches


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  • pitchout — ☆ pitchout [pich′out΄ ] n. 1. Baseball a ball pitched deliberately away from the plate in anticipation of a play by the catcher to throw out a runner who has moved away from the base 2. Football a lateral pass behind the line of scrimmage,… …   English World dictionary

  • pitchout — noun Date: 1912 1. a pitch in baseball deliberately out of reach of the batter to enable the catcher to put out a base runner especially with a throw 2. a lateral pass in football between two backs behind the line of scrimmage • pitch out… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • pitchout — /pich owt /, n. 1. Baseball. a ball purposely thrown by a pitcher too far outside of the plate for the batter to hit, esp. in anticipation of an attempted steal by a base runner. 2. Football. a lateral pass thrown behind the line of scrimmage by… …   Universalium

  • pitchout — noun A pitch that is intentionally thrown high and outside of the strike zone in order to prevent a stolen base …   Wiktionary

  • pitchout — pitch|out [ˈpıtʃaut] n a ball in baseball that the ↑pitcher deliberately throws too far to the side for it to be hit …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • pitchout — pɪtʃaÊŠt n. (Sports) ball pitched outside of the area of the plate to prevent a base runner stealing a base (Baseball); lateral underhand pass from a quarterback to a running back (American football) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • pitchout — noun 1》 Baseball a pitch thrown intentionally beyond the reach of the batter to allow the catcher a clear throw at an advancing base runner. 2》 American Football a lateral pass …   English new terms dictionary

  • pitchout — noun (C) a ball in baseball that the pitcher deliberately throws too far to the side for it to be hit …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • pitchout — pitch•out [[t]ˈpɪtʃˌaʊt[/t]] n. 1) spo baseball a ball purposely thrown by a pitcher too far outside of the plate for the batter to hit, esp. in anticipation of an attempted steal by a base runner 2) spo Football. a lateral pass thrown behind the …   From formal English to slang

  • pitchout — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun Etymology: pitch out 1. : a pitch in the game of baseball that is deliberately wide of the plate so that the batter cannot hit it and that is usually designed to enable the catcher to check or put out a base runner (as by breaking …   Useful english dictionary

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