Can anyone explain…
In baseball, when there is a strikeout and no runners on base, why does the ball get thrown around the infield? Also, why do they skip the shortstop?
Is it anything more then tradition? If so, where/why did the tradition start.
thanks.
It’s a tradition that’s called ‘around the horn’. Different teams have various methods of throwing it around, but basically, it’s to keep the infield’s players throwing arms loose and to keep them active, since they were not involved in the play.
The catcher will usually throw the ball to third base, who will then throw to second, then shortstop, then back to the pitcher. Although, that particular order is not an absolute and there are variations among teams.
The first baseman is not usually involved in this ‘around the horn’ play because he doesn’t usually need to throw the ball.
You rarely see this when there are runners on base because of the risk of a wild throw or a dropped ball.
You don’t see it when there are runners on base because the ball is live and they could try to advance while you are playing throwing games. 
A variation of “around the horn” occurs after a put out by the infield at first base with no one on. The first baseman throws to second base, etc. The order may vary depending on who had the assist.
The reason the first basemen is not in the horn has always been subject to debate, and there have been discussions 'round these parts and all sorts of opinions.
I can’t find the threads.
It also gives the battery a little time to get themselves set for the next batter, who they may have to attack in a completely different way.
–Cliffy
Battery = pitcher and catcher
Or anode and cathode, as Moe Berg liked to refer to them.
Maybe this isn’t the place to ask a completely different baseball question, but I figure it can be answered pretty easily so doesn’t deserve its own thread.
I’ve always liked baseball, but have never followed it closely. I’m 48 years old, and just a couple of years ago I learned of the rule where the batter can steal first on a strike pitch that’s dropped by the catcher. A couple of months ago I even got to witness this in a pro game, where the Frisco Roughriders had two outs on their opponents, and the catcher dropped the third strike pitch. I guess the Roughriders first baseman didn’t see him drop it, because he ran off the field and the catcher had no one to throw to, so the batter made it to first. I guess that’s a difference between MLB and AA; I would think that would be inexcusable in MLB play.
But my question is - what’s the purpose of this bizarre rule? Is it only that they can’t change any rules because baseball’s always done it that way, and they always want to be able to compare stats across the decades?
Similar question, if a batter is facing two strikes and sees a wild pitch coming, can he swing and then take off to first?
Same reason a player can reach safely if an outfielder drops a fly ball to the ground. To make an out, the fielding team must catch and control the ball.
Moved to The Game Room from GQ.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
That seems very different to me. A fly ball isn’t an out until it’s caught. But a strike is a strike whether it’s caught or not, and usually three strikes make an out, with this glaring exception.
And I like garygnu’s thought about swinging at a wild pitch in order to steal first. I’ll have to suggest that to my 12 year old.
Exactly. The pitcher is credited with a put-out on a strikeout, just like any other position player that catches the ball on the fly.
The third strike is the out, thus the ball must be caught.
Just make sure he doesn’t swing on a 3-2 count. 
Three strikes make a strikeout as credited to the pitcher, but the third strike has to be caught and held to actually make an out. It’s still a strike, but not an out. Every once in a while a pitcher gets credited for four strikeouts in an inning, because someone made it to first after a third strike was dropped and they struck out a subsequent batter.
Also related to this situation: if a batter swings at a ball that hits the dirt (before it reaches the catcher) for a third strike, the catcher must tag the batter or throw to first.
In Little League, isn’t it just easier to work a walk?
At the MLB level, the pitch would have to be very, very wild for the strategy to work, because the batter has less than a second to decide whether or not he’s going to swing. It would have to slip out of the pitcher’s hand and fly toward the backstop. Most wild pitches don’t get that far away from the catcher.
I think this may depend on the specifics. A swinging strike is where a pitch is “struck at by the batter and is missed”. So if it’s clear to the umpire that the batter is not actually trying to hit the ball, it might not be called a strike.
The pitcher gets credit for the K but the catcher gets credit for the out. So the catcher must hold on to the ball, otherwise he has to tag the runner or throw to first to get the out.
I’ve seen something like that happen in MLB - the catcher just sort of rolled the ball out towards the mound as if it were the end of the inning; the pitcher and batter both realized what was up, and the pitcher ran out, picked up the ball, and threw to first, but by that time the batter was safe. (It was a game between the Houston Astros and somebody, with Nolan Ryan on the mound).