The shortstop ordinarily is positioned near second base on the third-base side. Unlike the pitcher and catcher, who must start every play in a designated area (the pitcher must be on the pitcher's mound, with one foot in contact with the pitcher's rubber, and the catcher must be behind home plate in the catcher's box) the shortstop and the other fielders can vary their positioning in response to what they anticipate will be the actions of the batter and runner(s) once the play begins. Adams had a long playing career with the Knickerbockers: he remained a player with the team until 1860. However, Dickey Pearce, primarily of the Brooklyn Atlantics, is credited as the first to have played the shortstop position as it is played now. With the advent of higher-quality baseballs, Adams moved to the infield, since the distance the balls could travel increased. Adams's shortstop position, which he started playing at some time from 1849 to 1850, was used to field throws from the outfielders and throw to the three infielders. The outfielders had difficulty throwing baseballs into the infield because of the balls' light weight. The only infielders were the players covering each of the bases if there were more than eight players, extra outfielders were sometimes used. In the first five years the Knickerbockers played, the team fielded anywhere from eight to eleven players. Also, like a third baseman, the shortstop fields balls hit to the left side of the infield, where a strong arm is needed to throw out a batter-runner before they reach the safety of first base.ĭoc Adams of the Knickerbockers created the concept of the shortstop position, according to baseball historian John Thorn and Baseball Hall of Fame researcher Freddy Berowski. Like a second baseman, a shortstop must be agile, for example when performing a 4-6-3 double play. More hit balls go to the shortstop than to any other position, as there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the ball slightly. In the numbering system used by scorers to record defensive plays, the shortstop is assigned the number 6. Today, shortstops are often able to hit well and many are placed at the top of the lineup. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who were typically poor at batting and were often placed at the bottom of the batting order. Send us feedback.Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shortstop.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2023 When the network interviewed shortstop Tim Anderson about new players, Clevinger’s name was not even brought up. Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Feb. 2023 There’s a play that shortstop Nick Allen made last year that Bobby Crosby is still raving about. 2023 Senior shortstop Andrew Lawrence was 2-for-4 – with a double and a triple – with two runs scored and an RBI. 2023 Tatis is moving to the outfield after the Padres added four-time All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts on an $280 million, 11-year contract in free agency. 2023 Center fielder Julio Rodriguez is already the face of the Seattle Mariners after playing just one season, and shortstop Dansby Swanson is the face of the Chicago Cubs before playing his first game. 2023 The Dodgers announced shortstop Gavin Lux would miss the entire year because of a torn ACL in his right knee. 2023 San Marcos sophomore shortstop Luke Reece (Serra High) boosted his team-high batting average to. Noun The veteran righthander went 2⅔ innings, tossing 52 pitches, and an error by minor league shortstop Christian Koss prolonged the third inning.
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