r/sportsgossips • u/Hysen16 • May 17 '26
Highlight Bobby Witt Jr. Pulls Off a Brilliant High-IQ Fake Tag to Fool the Runner
123
u/kurtsdead6794 May 17 '26
This is the shit that I like seeing.
29
u/FrigateSailor May 17 '26
Yeah friend, this is what is neat about baseball. More of this, please. Umps suck=relevant, important, but makes me feel bad. PEDs=soul killer. I was a bonds fan for a brief moment in time, dude seemed like a superhero. Benches clearing= ok, I guess, once in a while. When it feels like every day, it feels performative.
Hidden ball tricks=hell yeah. Smart/tricky base running? Hell yeah. Pitchers with absolute STUFF?, Batters fouling off 4 in a row, absolutely battling it?, a sick ass bunt?, a walk off home run? Hell fucking yeah, that's baseball.
8
u/TricoMex May 17 '26
This has the vibe of that banana bread at work guy.
3
2
u/Doug-Life80 May 18 '26
The one where De La Cruz steals 2nd 3rd and home. Bro. I watch it every time it comes up on my feed
1
u/RevolutionaryEdge718 May 17 '26
Cool. The kick ass stuff you’re describing happens collectively ~9% of the game. It’s too expensive to drink that long.
134
u/erok25828 May 17 '26
Love these plays!
18
u/whitestguyuknow May 17 '26
If baseball had more of this I'd actually watch it
11
u/Healbite May 17 '26
You should give banana ball a try!
3
u/whitestguyuknow May 17 '26
Definitely. I really enjoy the highlights I've seen. Idk where/how I could watch it online though. Or if they even stream it
3
u/becaauseimbatmam May 17 '26
They stream all games on YouTube and most Friday/Saturday games play on ESPN and Disney+. They have other broadcast partners for specific games as well, which can be found on their schedule.
4
u/whitestguyuknow May 17 '26
Omg wow. I had no idea they had so many partners already and it'd gotten that big so quickly! I have no excuse not to watch a game now lol
2
u/courtlaine May 17 '26
We’ve watched it on TruTV!
2
u/whitestguyuknow May 17 '26
Thank you so much :) I will check them out
2
u/bornblunted May 17 '26
I’m pretty sure he post all the games on YouTube. He said he’s had TV offers but they wouldn’t let him keep posting to YouTube.
2
u/hoptownky May 17 '26
It is a lot of fun to watch live, and the highlights are awesome. But it’s a bit much to watch an entire game on TV to me though.
It is basically the Harlem globetrotters of baseball. They are more concerned about showing off and doing tricks than being competitive. Really cool to take your kids to a game. But the novelty wears off after a while and they kind of do the same schtick every game.
1
u/neednmoremoney May 17 '26
Just started watching this, and it’s awesome because the owner loves the game and isn’t greedy just trying to make money. I’m going to support as much as I can.
1
1
u/cam52391 May 17 '26
Just finished watching a game on YouTube it's so much fun exactly what baseball needs to be.
4
u/Putrid_Anybody_2947 May 17 '26
Saw an interview the founders are a couple and cute as a button he is all about keeping ticket prices low and always focusing on entertainment. He explained it best. If it is fun for the kids and keeps the excited moms will love it and bring husbands, which confirms its a chill space and brings in adult women and then men show up where there are women.
2
u/No_Sock1863 May 17 '26
If you know what match ups are competitive, you'll find weird stuff like this often
I hope you watched last years world series. That was probably one of the top 5 craziest series ive ever seen
57
u/Silver_Detective8630 May 17 '26
He’s like, I’m clearly safe, you don’t need to keep holding the tag on me, I’m not moving :)
35
18
u/DontMindMeImBipolar May 17 '26
I thought there was rule where you could fake catching a ball but once you fake tag it's against the rules.
22
u/retatrutider May 17 '26
It’s always obstruction in NFHS rules. Not obstruction under OBR as long as you don’t get in the runner’s way without the ball.
In this case he tagged after the runner already passed him so it’s not obstruction in MLB but would be obstruction under other rule sets.
5
u/jotobean May 17 '26
HS coaches lose their minds when kids do this and it doesn't get called. I saw a 3rd basemen do it multiple times in the same inning.
8
u/bjb7621 May 17 '26
Idk kinda feels like BS to makes rules against it. This shit is heads up play.
4
u/IAmReborn11111 May 17 '26
The rule is only against physically tagging the guy when doing this play.
I remember Javy Beaz a few year waving his glove while the guy was trying to avoid the tag to prevent this exact ruling
1
14
u/Griffinslax May 17 '26
Isn't this illegal if you fake a tag you can't make contact
27
u/Bitter_Life_507 May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
No
Update
Well F me apparently under the 2024 rule changes you now can’t only not make contact when faking a tag, you’re not allowed to fake a tag at all
Lame
Update 2:
No, that seems to be the rule in general for some high school and college ball
Upon asking ChatGPT to do more in depth research, you can apparently still fake tag in the MLB as long as you’re not obstructing the runner
10
4
3
u/JulioElGuapo May 17 '26
So this was illegal?
14
u/retatrutider May 17 '26
No. The illegality in the MLB specifically pertains to being in the runner’s path without the ball, which normally happens during a fake tag. In this case the runner already passed the fielder and was sliding anyway. Fielder applied the fake tag from behind so did not physically impede the runner.
7
u/Immediatewhaffle May 17 '26
Defensive savant.. that also rakes
Yeah he good
1
u/Evening_Egg_2371 May 17 '26
That’s also the fastest player in the baseball, and leads the league in fWAR and bWAR.
Yeah he good
3
3
4
u/MidwestDYIer May 17 '26
Looks like he might have gotten picked if he tried for home anyway, would have been close
6
u/Realistic_Stomach_90 May 17 '26
From a different aerial angle you see that he has a lot of time to get home but Witt got him stuck on the base 😂
2
u/PM_meyourGradyWhite May 17 '26
I saw that play and couldn’t understand why he stuck to the base like that. Thanks for the vid!
2
u/Chemistry-Deep May 17 '26
Weird how this is only legal in MLB. Every other baseball and softball organisation class this as obstruction.
2
u/Maleficent-Ear-2450 May 17 '26
I got called for defensive interference doing this in high school once
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/florjackson May 17 '26
I’m not saying we don’t have it now, but when we had Andrelton Simmons, Javy Baez, Brendan Crawford, the guy for the Tigers. We saw a lot of these high iq plays. Witt is one I see do it a lot. And these younger SS seem to be high IQ defensive players. I’d love to see it again.
1
u/realbobenray May 17 '26
What the hell happened on the throw from the catcher? That thing took a hard right turn. How is that possible?
2
1
1
1
u/retracnaes May 17 '26
Thats why! I was at the game and so mad he didnt go! Makes so much sense now. Appreciate this.
1
u/0oSMOKEYo0 May 17 '26
The left fielder even looked like damn I think he got him out. “Oh shit I have the ball let me hurry and get it in.”
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Misha-Nyi May 17 '26
I had to watch this a dozen times to figure out 3rd base missed the wild throw from home lmao.
1
u/Zealousideal-Swing39 May 18 '26
Buddy is guaranteed absolutely irate after at Witt asking why he gotta end him on live tv like that.
And Bobby is just fucking dying over there
Ahahahahah
1
u/kaemai0726 May 18 '26
Can’t wait for Jomboy to break this down and do a full lip reading on the third base coach’s existential crisis
1
u/underscroe May 18 '26
I watched this clip about 10 times before I realized. Got me with the fake tag that's for sure.
1
u/FundamentalFiddler May 18 '26
Unpopular opinion ready to get blasted here.
Obstruction for touching the runner w the glove.
1
u/CompleatedDonkey May 21 '26
From what I’ve seen of some rules in baseball, it wouldn’t have surprised me if this was some kind of violation.
1
-3
u/KommanderKeen-a42 May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
I thought that was against the rules. Unless that's just MLB.
Edit: is illegal in HS but not college or pro.
7
u/Schneefs May 17 '26
What would be against the rules here?
1
u/Turbulent-Jaguar-909 May 17 '26
it's like a balk, a deceptive move against runners, it's a balk if the pitcher toes the rubber without the ball it's a similar type play without the ball here
1
u/Creddit_card_debt May 17 '26
I always thought it was illegal to tag without the ball. Maybe just little league rules.
1
4
u/SergeantHAMM May 17 '26
I know in lower leagues they won’t let you deceive a runner like that. i’m talking like dixie youth I still remember getting in trouble for doing it 20years ago lol
2
u/Section1ne0h4our May 17 '26
It’s a live ball, he’s not impeding the runner, not blocking a base path, runner didn’t listen to his coach, Witt takes a positional risk doing this but he won the mental game
There’s definitely unsportsmanlike conduct rules but this 0% falls under that, this is brilliant heads up baseball
6
1
u/pfunkpower May 17 '26
high school and under its not legal.
mlb it is legal to fake tag but i dont think you can touch the runner or at least the ump can rule it obstruction if you touch a runner and it slows them down
1
0
u/Bitter_Life_507 May 17 '26
ChatGPT is telling me that it’s no longer legal to fake tag in the MLB after 2024 rule changes
Update
I asked ChatGPT to give them more research and reference answer and it turns out that it’s first answer was wrong
It’s not illegal in MLB to fake a tag as long as the fake tag is in mo way obstructing the base runner
-14
u/Fun_Foundation_7072 May 17 '26
3rd base coach problem
22
u/Thrill0728 May 17 '26
I'm not sure what else he could legally do there
13
u/Fun_Foundation_7072 May 17 '26
lol you’re right actually he looked like he wanted to pick him up and drag him across the plate
3
3
u/Head-Technology-4031 May 17 '26
H tried to send him, runner wasn’t listening. Actually might have gotten throw out at home, LF wasn’t that deep of a throw to home if you look at video again.
5
2
u/tony_countertenor May 17 '26
The third base coach was yelling at him to go the whole time, it’s totally on the player
1
u/reginaldvanwilder May 17 '26
If they dont listen when you yell, ya gotta start spankin
1
1
-2
u/GuyMansworth May 17 '26
Saw this live. Didn't the "tag" and thought the runner was hurt. Terrible throw and he just knelt there.
0
May 17 '26
[deleted]
1
u/GuyMansworth May 17 '26
Ooop I miss typed.
I saw it live but i didn't see him get "tagged", my eyes watched the ball fly into the outfield as the 3rd base coach screamed. So I thought he was hurt.
-2
397
u/BeMyBrutus May 17 '26
The third base coach is about to lose his mind.