# Question: ball always thrown to the 1st baseman... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [August 1, 2006, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-ball-always-thrown-to-the-1st-baseman/366850 "2006-08-01T06:51:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-ball-always-thrown-to-the-1st-baseman/366850/1 "2006-08-01T06:51:52Z")
In regards to Cecil’s question: Why is a ball always thrown to the 1st baseman as he leaves the field after an inning? [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_182.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_182.html) I noticed this during my first baseball game I attended this season, and Cecil had the answer to my question. Though on my second game this season I began wondering… “yah, but WHO throws the ball to the first baseman?” I was on the first base line, so I could see into the away teams dugout, and it looked like the same guy who tossed the ball everytime, but I can’t be sure. So my question is, is it the same guy who throws the ball everytime? And is it a certain position (like it’s the team’s first base coah)? ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-ball-always-thrown-to-the-1st-baseman/366850/2 "2006-08-01T06:53:15Z")
… its early… ::correction::: …first base COACH… ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-ball-always-thrown-to-the-1st-baseman/366850/3 "2006-08-01T13:38:49Z")
Since the first baseman is the guy that handles the infield drills each time the team takes the field, it makes sense for him to have the warmup ball in his glove ready to go after his team makes the third out. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-ball-always-thrown-to-the-1st-baseman/366850/4 "2006-08-01T21:53:57Z")
No offense, **Clothahump** , but the OP is asking WHO throws the ball to the first baseman as he comes off the field, not WHY someone always throws a ball to the first baseman. Unfortunately, I have no answer. Like the OP, I’ve noticed that it appears to be the same guy each time, but I don’t know if that’s due to the position that guy plays, or because he happens to be sitting at one certain spot on the bench while his team is on defense, or because he volunteered at the start of the game, or because the coach appointed him to be the throws-ball-to-first-baseman guy, or what. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-ball-always-thrown-to-the-1st-baseman/366850/5 "2006-08-02T01:26:35Z")
Does the First baseman always throw the ball back to the same guy when he’s done warming up for the inning? Maybe it’s just whoever gets the ball from the first baseman, and there’s always one guy who goes for it and gets it. Just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/db5fbb/32.png) [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirka_T_Bawa)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-ball-always-thrown-to-the-1st-baseman/366850/6 "2006-08-02T01:48:09Z")
I remember this being the question of the day during a Braves game I watched. With the Atlanta Braves, it is the bench coach, Pat Coralez (or however you spell his name), who throws the ball to the 1st baseman, and who get the ball back from him after the warmups are done. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-ball-always-thrown-to-the-1st-baseman/366850/7 "2006-08-02T21:12:14Z")
> [@jackelope](#): > > No offense, **Clothahump** , but the OP is asking WHO throws the ball to the first baseman as he comes off the field, not WHY someone always throws a ball to the first baseman. No, Who’s on first. Why plays left field. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-ball-always-thrown-to-the-1st-baseman/366850/8 "2006-08-04T19:37:14Z")
> [@jackelope](#): > > No offense, **Clothahump** , but the OP is asking WHO throws the ball to the first baseman as he comes off the field, not WHY someone always throws a ball to the first baseman. I don’t know. THIRD BASE!