When somebody pops up a pitch, inevitably, the pitcher will point up in the air as if to say "Look!! There's the ball!!" Why do they do that? Do they think the fielders have been standing and watching the crowd and forgot to watch the pitch coming in to home plate? Maybe it's just a natural reaction. I've never seen a coach teach pitchers to point up in the air when somebody hits a pop up so I know it isn't taught, it must just be a natural reaction. Natural only for pitchers, that is.
Posted on 8/26 8:10 PM | IP: Logged
Because pitchers are drafted for their pitching ability. Everybody else on the field has to be well-rounded. Every other player has to know how to play defense and how to swing a bat. Pitching is such a rare talent to make it to the big leagues, that they really don't do much else. They just pitch. Sometimes you'll get a guy who has a good glove, but for the most part, they're not in the big leagues because they have quick reflexes or because they can hit the deep ball. They're in the league solely off of their pitching ability. A pitcher will almost always let the professionals field a pop up.
Posted on 8/26 10:25 PM | IP: Logged
I thought it was for the catcher. The one guy on the field who has blinders on and needs to know where the ball is just like everyone else.
Posted on 8/27 2:46 PM | IP: Logged
Still doesn't explain why they point up in the air on a pop up not to the catcher. Of course a catcher is going to get help on a pop up in his vicinity, that's not what I'm talking about.
I see it happen even on fly balls to the outfield. A pitcher will inevitably point upwards after the ball is hit as if the fielder wouldn't have a clue where the ball was otherwise.
I just find it interesting that pitchers continue to do this despite there being no need for it to be done and how silly it makes them look when they do.
Posted on 8/27 8:49 PM | IP: Logged
Beleive it or not, the catcher needs to know its a pop up even if its not his to catch in order to plan for players tagging up or forgetting to tag up.
Posted on 8/28 9:14 AM | IP: Logged
Sorry, I don't buy it. I caught for a long time and I never needed a pitcher to point to help me. You don't help a catcher by pointing straight up in the air anyway. You help a catcher verbally when a ball gets by you or if it drops out of your glove and but you think you have it. Your teammates should "First!" or "Third!" or "Back!" to tell you which direction the ball went. When it comes to the catcher, that I know.
Posted on 8/30 8:46 PM | IP: Logged
This is the priority rule for fly balls. If the infield flyball is toward the third base line, then the third basemen has priority. Around homeplate the catcher has priority and first base line the first baseman has priority. We (pitchers) were always taught to point straight up if it was around home plate, thus the catcher immediately knows. Anyone can go after a fly ball in these situations but whomever has the best chance has to call someone off. That's usually whomever thinks they have the best chance yelling out "I got it" three times loudly and the other fielder saying "Take it". We practiced this in college all of the time. Fly ball priority goes through all of the positions.
Anyway, that's what we were taught.
Posted on 9/8 2:49 PM | IP: Logged
Makes sense. Since I never played I was just guessing.
But I've learned that there is not one thing in baseball, written down or not, that is arbitrary.
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