Catcher is a position in baseball and softball . When a batter takes their turn to hit , the catcher crouches behind home plate , in front of the ( home ) umpire , and receives the ball from the pitcher . In addition to this primary duty, the catcher is also called upon to master many other skills in order to field the position well. The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket .
129-516: As manager Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack , was an American professional baseball catcher , manager , and team owner. Mack holds records for the most wins (3,731), losses (3,948), ties (76), and games managed (7,755) in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. His victory total is 847 more than the second-highest: Tony La Russa's 2,884 wins. Mack's lead in career losses
258-480: A PitchCom device on their wrist. This was done in an attempt to curb the prevalence of sign stealing , which reached its peak after the Houston Astros were caught stealing signs during their World Series-winning 2017 season . A catcher nearly always throws with their right hand since most hitters are right-handed and stand to the left side of the plate when batting, so a catcher who throws left-handed
387-431: A foul tip . Many broken fingers, split fingernails, and grotesque dislocations are avoided by adherence to this simple expedient. Given the physical punishment suffered by catchers, the pieces of equipment associated with the position are often referred to as " the tools of ignorance ". This is an ironic expression; the catcher typically has the most thorough understanding of baseball tactics and strategies of any player on
516-519: A Series record ten runs in the seventh inning and winning the game, 10–8, and then from two runs down in the bottom of the ninth in Game 5 for a walk-off Series win) and easily defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in 1930. The following year, St. Louis beat the A's in seven games led by Pepper Martin . That team was dispersed after 1932 when Mack ran into financial difficulty again. By 1934, the A's had fallen into
645-455: A baserunner attempts to score a run . The catcher is often obliged to catch a ball thrown from a fielder and to tag out a runner arriving from third base. Naturally, the runner's objective, in this situation, is to elude the catcher's tag and touch the plate. Prior to 2014, the catcher's best strategy was to block the runner's path so as to prevent the runner from reaching the plate at all. Collisions between runners and catchers were common. Since
774-563: A batted ball injured one of his shinbones. He stopped for treatment at the Medical and Surgical Hospital in San Antonio , Texas , where he was in passage on a train. In addition, as Mack entered his 80s, his once-keen mind began fading rapidly. Mack would make strange decisions (which his coaches and players usually overruled), make inexplicable outbursts, and call for players from decades earlier to pinch-hit. He spent most games asleep in
903-420: A batter must have two strikes against him in order to be called out if the catcher caught a foul tip.) Besides tipping bats to fake the sound of a foul tip, Mack became adept at tipping bats to throw off the hitter's swing. ("Tipping" a bat is to brush it with the catcher's mitt as the batter swings, either delaying the swing or putting it off course, so that the batter misses the ball or does not hit it solidly. If
1032-531: A black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. Catcher Positioned behind home plate and facing toward the outfield, the catcher can see the whole field, and is therefore in the best position to direct and lead
1161-422: A captain on the field (and some, such as Thurman Munson and Jason Varitek were in fact team captains), they are often in charge of planning defensive plays; thus, the catcher will give signs to the pitcher for what pitch is to be thrown. Calling the game refers to the act of catchers deciding the type of pitch delivered to home plate. The responsibility for selecting the type of pitch was traditionally made by
1290-430: A catcher can make a successful pick-off throw to a base to surprise an inattentive or incautious baserunner. Especially at the higher levels of baseball (where this play almost never results in an out), the catcher's snap throws are mainly for psychological effect. If the runner knows that the catcher often attempts snap throws, the runner is likely to take a smaller lead from their base before each pitch, which will allow
1419-414: A catcher will also hold their mitt still for a second or two so that the umpire has an opportunity to thoroughly consider their call (and, hopefully, let their innate biases influence their decision in a direction favorable to the catcher's team). The catcher, when receiving a borderline pitch, usually has several options in how they make the catch. They can catch the pitch in the webbing of their mitt or in
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#17327901493061548-485: A catcher, he played his remaining sixteen seasons at second base and in the outfield. The larger or heavier the catcher, the greater the health risks associated with repeatedly assuming a crouching or squatting position ; knees and backs are especially vulnerable to "wear-and-tear" injuries. Catchers also have an increased risk of circulatory abnormalities in the catching hand. A study of minor-league ballplayers showed that, of 36 players in various positions, all nine of
1677-454: A comprehensive understanding of the game's strategies, the pool of former catchers yields a disproportionate number of managers in both Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball , including such prominent examples as Yogi Berra , Connie Mack , Steve O'Neill , Al López , Mike Scioscia , Joe Girardi , Stephen Vogt , and Joe Torre . The physical and mental demands of being involved on every defensive play can wear catchers down over
1806-580: A contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League and remained with them for the rest of his career as a full-time player. As a player, Mack was "a light-hitting catcher with a reputation as a smart player, but didn't do anything particularly well as a player." Mack was one of the first catchers to position himself directly behind home plate instead of in front of the backstop . According to Wilbert Robinson , "Mack never
1935-412: A fly ball by covering the ball, once it strikes the pocket of their glove, with their bare hand in order to secure it. The catcher, however, tries to keep their bare hand, which is highly vulnerable to injury, out of harm's way by presenting the pitcher with a target (the large round glove) while hiding their unprotected throwing hand behind their back or ankle. By doing so, the bare hand cannot be struck by
2064-539: A full partner in the club with Shibe; Mack actually borrowed the money for the purchase from Shibe. Under their agreement, Mack had full control over baseball matters while Shibe handled the business side. However, Mack had enjoyed more or less a free hand over the baseball side since the team's inception. When Shibe died in 1922, his sons Tom and John took over management of the business side, with Tom as team president and John as vice president. Tom died in 1936, and John resigned shortly thereafter, leaving Mack to take over
2193-484: A less rubbery ball which led to a decline in the number of runs scored. In the 1860s it was common for teams to score fifty or sixty runs in a game. The combination of the new, harder ball and the continuation of the rise in pitcher's release points helped usher in what became known as the Dead-ball era . The decrease in run production placed greater significance on stolen bases and bunts , which in turn emphasized
2322-399: A long season, and can have a negative effect on their offensive output. As a result, catcher is the only position (other than pitcher) to not have a member of the 3,000 hit club (not counting Craig Biggio , who only played four seasons as a catcher and was a second baseman when he reached the milestone); the current hit leader for the position is Iván Rodríguez , with 2,844. Because of
2451-449: A manager was finding the best players, teaching them well and letting them play. "He did not believe that baseball revolved around managerial strategy." He was "one of the first managers to work on repositioning his fielders" during the game, often directing the outfielders to move left or right, play shallow or deep, by waving his rolled-up scorecard from the bench. After he became well known for doing this, he often passed his instructions to
2580-544: A modern era record and at the time was the second most losses behind the Cleveland Spiders ' 130 in 1899. As of 2012 that record has been topped only twice, with the 1962 New York Mets breaking that record with 120 losses in their inaugural season and the 2003 Detroit Tigers surpassing it with 119 although those teams played 162 game schedules, not 154 like the Athletics. All told, the A's finished dead last in
2709-498: A more serious game played by professionals . One of the most dramatic changes was the transition of the pitcher's delivery from an underhand motion to an overhanded throw. Before the American Civil War , the pitcher's role was to initiate the action by offering an underhanded throw to the batter, in much the same way that a basketball referee offers up a jump ball to begin play. Since this type of pitching often caused
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#17327901493062838-403: A pitcher's hand, the catcher must have both feet in the catcher's box. The catcher is the only defensive player who is allowed to be in foul territory when a pitch is thrown. If a pitch is thrown and the catcher has extended their arm resulting in the catcher's glove being contacted by the batter's swinging bat, a catcher's interference is called, and the batter is awarded first base. This
2967-547: A record 27 scoreless innings in one World Series). During that season, Giants manager John McGraw said that Mack had "a big white elephant on his hands" with the Athletics. Mack defiantly adopted the white elephant as the team's logo, which the Athletics still use today. As that first team aged, Mack acquired a core of young players to form his second great team, which featured Mack's famous "$ 100,000 infield" of Eddie Collins, Home Run Baker , Jack Barry and Stuffy McInnis . These Athletics, captained by catcher Ira Thomas , won
3096-553: A record of 3,582–3,814 (.484) when he retired at 87. Mack won nine pennants and appeared in eight World Series , winning five. Mack's 50-year tenure as Athletics manager is the most ever for a coach or manager with the same team in North American professional sports, and has never been seriously threatened . A few college coaches had longer tenures: John Gagliardi was a head football coach from 1949 to 2012, ending with 60 seasons at Saint John's of Minnesota ; Eddie Robinson
3225-420: A result of Mack's striving to have his players become better people as well as baseball players, he created a Code of Conduct following the 1916 season: He also looked for players with quiet and disciplined personal lives, having seen many players in his playing days destroy themselves and their teams through heavy drinking. Mack himself never drank ; before the 1910 World Series he asked all his players to "take
3354-637: A team. Catchers often experience knee tendinitis because of the constant squatting and bending of the knees while catching. As of 2024, twenty men who played primarily as catchers have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame , in Cooperstown, New York . They are: Catchers are also represented in a number of other Baseball Halls of Fame around the world, such as in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame or
3483-519: Is always leaning forward, toward home plate. Tucking your chin or looking the ball in will help with deadening the ball like this. This maneuver is often difficult, and its difficulty depends largely on how fast the ball is traveling, the angle at which the ball is thrown into the ground, where it first hits the ground, the firmness of the ground it hits, and the manner in which it is spinning. As of April 2011 15 of 30 Major League Baseball managers were former catchers. Because catchers are considered
3612-675: Is even greater, with 1,449 more than La Russa's 2,499. Mack also has 17 more ties than the next-closest manager, Clark Griffith , who has 59. Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics for its first 50 seasons of play, starting in 1901; was at least part-owner from 1901 to 1954; and retired after the 1950 season at age 87. He was the first American League manager to lead a team to 100 wins , doing so in 1910, 1911, 1929, 1930, and 1931; his five 100-win seasons are second-most in MLB history, with only two other managers surpassing him. He
3741-502: Is forced to take some time to sidestep (or otherwise avoid) the right-handed hitter when they throw from behind the plate. In addition, a lefty's throw would tend to come in on the shortstop side of the bag, while a righty's throw would be on the second base side of the bag, which is where the runner is coming in. Consequently, players who are left-handed rarely play catcher. Left-handed catchers have only caught eleven big-league games since 1902, and Jack Clements , who played for 17 years at
3870-428: Is often more at fault for stolen bases than the catcher is.) Ideally, a catcher should be able to get the ball from their glove to that of the player covering second base in under two seconds. This is referred to as a catcher's "pop time", the time elapsing between the popping sound of the pitch striking the catcher's mitt and the similar pop when the ball arrives at the glove of the fielder covering second base. Rarely,
3999-414: Is recorded as an error . If the bases were loaded, it results in a run being scored, but since it is an error it is not awarded to the batter as run batted in . The catcher's interference call is uncommon. Also, an interference penalty may be declined by the batting team, such as when a better result ensues. To block balls that a pitcher throws on a bounce toward home plate (pitches that are said to be "in
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4128-496: Is the lowest of any position player in the Baseball Hall of Fame . His selection for enshrinement in 1955 was largely a tribute to his outstanding defensive skills. In the numbering system used to record baseball plays, the catcher is assigned the number '2'. (See Baseball scorekeeping .) In the middle of the nineteenth century, the game of baseball began to evolve from a sport played by amateurs for recreation into
4257-471: The 1910 – 1914 team, who he sold, traded, or released over the years 1915–1917. The war hurt the team badly, leaving Mack without the resources to sign valuable players. His 1916 team, with a 36–117 record, is often considered the worst team in American League history, and its .235 winning percentage is still the lowest ever for a modern-era (since 1900) major league team. The team's 117 losses set
4386-476: The 51st Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War . He suffered from several ailments as the result of his military service; after the war, he was able to work only infrequently and drew a disability pension. As with many Irish immigrants whose names began with "Mc", the McGillicuddys were often referred to as "Mack", except in official and legal documents. Michael’s father
4515-764: The Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since the 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and
4644-730: The Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues, the China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During
4773-519: The Penn State Nittany Lions also surpassed Mack, although Paterno was head coach in only 46 of those years. College football pioneer Amos Alonzo Stagg also surpassed Mack in overall tenure, though not in tenure for a single employer; he was a head coach for 55 seasons in all (1892–1946), with the first 41 at Chicago (1892–1932). Mack was widely praised in the newspapers for his intelligent and innovative managing, which earned him
4902-405: The Pittsburgh Pirates from 1894 to 1896, with a 149–134 (.527) record. Fired on September 21, 1896, he retired as a full-time player and accepted a deal from Henry Killilea to act as manager and occasional backup catcher for the minor league Milwaukee Brewers (the modern-day Baltimore Orioles ). He agreed to a salary of $ 3,000 (equivalent to $ 110,000 in 2023) and 25% of the club. He managed
5031-651: The United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in the other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with the advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are
5160-702: The Washington Nationals (sometimes called the Statesmen or the Senators) of the National League in 1886. In the winter of 1889, he jumped to the Buffalo Bisons of the new Players' League , investing his entire life savings of $ 500 in shares in the club. But the Players' League went out of business after only a year, and Mack lost his job and his whole investment. In December 1890 Mack signed
5289-740: The bat in an undisciplined follow-through of the batter's swing. Catchers also are prone to knee ailments stemming from the awkward crouching stance they assume. Because of this, catchers have a reputation for being slow baserunners (perhaps the most notable of whom is Ernie Lombardi ); even if they have speed at the beginning of their careers, the eventual toll taken on their knees slows them down, although there are some exceptions, such as Manny Sanguillén and Jason Kendall . Some players who begin their career as catchers are moved to other positions in order to preserve their running speed, increase their availability for games (mainly catchers with either poor defensive skills, recurring injuries, or were blocked by
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5418-489: The catcher's box , while the pitcher must be on the pitcher's mound , with one foot in contact with the pitcher's rubber . Once the ball is in play, however, the catcher and pitcher, like the other fielders, can respond to any part of the field necessary to make or assist in a defensive play. The defensive plays expected of catchers, aside from managing the pitcher by calling for pitches and catching them, include: Preventing wild pitches and avoiding passed balls . Although
5547-413: The inning , or the current score, among others. Since a catcher uses their fingers to signal and communicate with the pitcher, they may wear colorful stickers on their nails to accentuate the motion of the fingers and thus help with the visibility of the signal. As an alternative, the catcher may wear painted nails, such as with fluorescent polish. Starting in 2022, Major League catchers began wearing
5676-449: The second division . Although Mack intended to rebuild for a third time, he would never win another pennant. The Athletics' record from 1935 to 1946 was dismal, finishing in the basement of the AL every year except a 5th-place finish in 1944. World War II brought further hardship due to personnel shortages. In 1938, Mack in his middle seventies successfully battled a blood infection caused when
5805-500: The strike zone but appear, to the umpire, to be good. Conversely, some umpires will call low pitches strikes even when they are slightly below the knees. Other umpires have an inside bias or an outside bias; some umpires have more than one bias; some are uniformly lenient; some have very restricted notions of the strike zone, and the pitcher will constantly feel that their pitches are unfairly judged. The catcher can exploit an umpire's tendencies by taking them into account in when receiving
5934-407: The 2014 season, little league, high school, and college runners are encouraged or mandated to avoid significant contact. Preventing stolen bases by throwing to second base or third base to allow an infielder to tag a baserunner attempting to reach the base. A catcher who is very good at preventing stolen bases is said to have a low stolen-base percentage. (A pitcher who is slow to deliver
6063-487: The 20s, when he built his third great team. The 1927 Athletics featured several future Hall of Fame players including veterans Ty Cobb , Zack Wheat and Eddie Collins as well as young stars like Mickey Cochrane , Lefty Grove , Al Simmons and rookie Jimmie Foxx . That team won the pennant in 1929, 1930 and 1931, beating the Chicago Cubs in the 1929 World Series (when they came from 8–0 behind in Game 4, plating
6192-528: The A's did not tumble out of contention right away. They remained fairly competitive for most of the first half of the 1930s. However, after 1933, they would only tally four more winning seasons during their stay in Philadelphia—which would be the franchise's only winning seasons for 35 years. With the 1929 onset of the Great Depression , Mack struggled financially again, and was forced to sell
6321-567: The A's got during the next two decades, he stubbornly retained full control over baseball matters long after most teams had hired a general manager. This continued even after he became majority owner, despite calls both inside and outside Philadelphia to step down. Indeed, one of the few times that Mack considered giving up even some of his duties was in the 1934-35 offseason—when the A's were still not far removed from what would be their last great era. He briefly entertained replacing himself as manager with Babe Ruth , but ruled that idea out, saying that
6450-473: The A's were dangerously close to bankruptcy. The other American League owners had been concerned for some time about the situation in Philadelphia, since the crowds at Shibe Park had dwindled to the point that visiting teams could not meet their expenses for traveling there. Prior in 1951, Buffalo based businessman and Sportservice owner Louis Jacobs gave Mack a loan of $ 250,000.00 with no interest to keep
6579-528: The A's. Even when he collected rent from the Phillies, he was often in financial difficulties. Money problems—the escalation of his best players' salaries (due both to their success and to competition from a new, well-financed third major league of the Federal League in 1914–1915), combined with a steep drop in attendance due to World War I —led to the gradual dispersal of his second championship team,
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#17327901493066708-462: The AL seven consecutive seasons (1915 to 1921 ), and would not reach .500 again until 1925. The rebuilt team won back-to-back championships in 1929–1930 over the Cubs and Cardinals, and then lost a rematch with the latter in 1931. As it turned out, these were the last postseason appearances for the A's not only in Philadelphia, but for another four decades. Unlike with the breakup of his second great team,
6837-445: The American League. In return, Mack was allowed to buy a 25 percent stake, and was named secretary and treasurer of the team. Two local sports writers, Frank Hough and Sam Jones, bought the remaining 25 percent, but their involvement was not mentioned in the incorporating papers; in fact, no agreement was put on paper until 1902. Mack and Shibe did business on a handshake. In 1913, Hough and Jones sold their 25 percent to Mack, making him
6966-493: The Athletics from having financial difficulty. The 1954 A's attracted only 304,000 people, nowhere near enough to break even. The other owners, as well as league president Will Harridge , wanted the Athletics sold off to a new owner. The Yankees in particular lobbied for it to be Chicago businessman Arnold Johnson (1906-1960), who had recently bought both Yankee Stadium as well as Blues Stadium in Kansas City , home to
7095-624: The Athletics lost 100 games. Mack was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. Mack was born Cornelius McGillicuddy on December 22, 1862, in Brookfield, Massachusetts , in what is now East Brookfield . His parents, Michael McGillicuddy and Mary McKillop, were immigrants from Ireland : Michael from Killarney in County Kerry , and Mary from the Catholic section of Belfast . A wheelwright by trade, Michael served with
7224-527: The Babe's wife, Claire , would be running the team inside of a month. In the early 1940s, Mack gave a minority stake in the team to his three sons, Roy, Earle, and Connie, Jr. Although Roy and Earle had never gotten along with Connie, Jr., who was more than 20 years younger than them, Connie, Sr. intended to have all three of them inherit the team after his death or retirement. This strategy backfired when Roy and Earle refused to consider Connie, Jr.'s demands to end
7353-610: The Brewers for four seasons from 1897 to 1900, their best year coming in 1900, when they finished second, behind the Chicago White Stockings . It was in Milwaukee that he first signed pitcher Rube Waddell , who would follow him to the big leagues. In 1901 Mack became manager, treasurer and part owner of the new American League's Philadelphia Athletics . He managed the Athletics through the 1950 season, compiling
7482-500: The Macks' stewardship. When Mack resigned as manager, he largely withdrew from active control of the team. Over the next five years, the team crumbled to the bottom of the American League. Although reduced to a figurehead, Mack continued to be treated with awe and reverence by players who considered him living history. His sons handled his correspondence by 1953 as he had become too frail by that point to do it himself. As that year ended,
7611-570: The Shibes decided to sell the team. However, Roy and Earle countered by buying out their younger brother, persuading their father to support them. In order to pull off the deal, however, they mortgaged the team to the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (now part of CIGNA ). Yearly payments of $ 200,000 drained the team of badly needed capital, and ended any realistic chance of the A's winning again under
7740-469: The United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ") is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of
7869-500: The Yankees' top Triple AAA farm team in the second American Association . Roy and Earle Mack did not want to move the team, but pressure from the Yankees and blowback from several bad business decisions finally moved their hand and they agreed to the sale. A final attempt to sell the A's to Philadelphia car dealer John Crisconi briefly gained Mack's support, but collapsed at the eleventh hour—reportedly due to behind-the-scenes intrigue by
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#17327901493067998-526: The Yankees. When that deal collapsed, a bitter Mack wrote a letter blasting his fellow owners for sinking the Crisconi deal. However, he admitted that he did not have nearly enough money to run the A's in 1955, and conceded that the Johnson deal was the only one with a chance of approval. In early November, Mack agreed to sell the A's to Johnson for $ 1.5 million. The aforementioned Louis Jacobs helped broker
8127-530: The area. Though younger than his teammates by several years, Mack was the team's catcher and de facto captain. Beginning in 1886, Mack played 10 seasons in the National League and one in the Players' League , for a total of 11 seasons in the major leagues, mainly as a catcher . Beginning in 1884, he played on minor league teams in the Connecticut cities of Meriden and Hartford before being sold to
8256-426: The ball wide and high to the catcher, who comes out of their crouch to receive it and relays the ball quickly to a base to put a runner out. Rarely, a catcher will run to first base or third base to participate in rundown plays at those bases . In certain game situations, typically a ball batted to the shortstop or third baseman with no runners on base, the catcher may be expected to back-up first base in case
8385-405: The ball. The catcher can help their pitcher get more strike calls from the umpire by using a technique called "framing". This practice is a matter of a catcher keeping the mitt inside the strike zone, or making the pitch appear as close to the strike zone, when receiving the pitch, thereby giving the plate umpire the impression that the pitch is in the strike zone, even if it is not. When framing,
8514-441: The batter to hit lazy, foul pop-ups , catchers played their position approximately twenty to twenty-five feet behind the batter, and wore no protective equipment. As the game progressed towards professionals and became more serious, pitchers began to attempt to prevent the batter from hitting the ball by throwing faster pitches. With the introduction of the called strike in 1858 , catchers began inching closer to home plate due to
8643-433: The best players from his second great championship team, such as Lefty Grove and Jimmie Foxx , to stay in business. Although Mack wanted to rebuild again and win more championships, he was never able to do so owing to a lack of funds. Even before then, he either did not (or could not) invest in a farm system. Mack celebrated his 70th birthday in 1932, and many began wondering if his best days were behind him. Even as bad as
8772-408: The catcher can have dire consequences for their team. Passed balls are possible whenever one or more runners are on base. A failure to catch a ball thrown from the outfield on a play at home plate, or a failure to tag a runner, means that the defensive team fails to record an all-important out and, instead, it allows a run. On an attempt to prevent a stolen base, a catcher's bad throw might careen past
8901-431: The catcher. It is not unusual for a catcher to briefly look at the posture and position of the batter-in-turn prior to calling the next pitch; even the way a batter holds the bat may shed some indication of what the strategy may be. The selection of which pitch to use can depend on a wide variety of situations such as the type of hitter that is being faced, whether there are any base runners , how many outs have been made in
9030-450: The catchers had hand pain during a game, and several had chronic pain in the catching hand. Catching high-speed pitches can, in some cases, cause the index finger on the gloved hand to swell to twice the size of the other fingers. Ultrasound and blood-pressure tests showed altered blood flow in the gloved hand of five of the catchers, a far higher incidence than in the hands of players at other baseball positions. Catchers in baseball use
9159-472: The course of his career, he had nine pennant-winning teams spanning three peak periods or "dynasties." His original team, with players such as Rube Waddell, Ossee Schrecongost , and Eddie Plank , won the pennant in 1902 (when there was no World Series) and 1905. They lost the 1905 World Series to the New York Giants (four games to one, all shutouts, with Christy Mathewson hurling three shutouts for
9288-427: The crucial defensive role played by catchers. In 1901 , the National League introduced a new rule specifying that the catcher must stand within 10 feet of home plate. The American League adopted the rule the following year. The rising velocity of pitches in conjunction with catchers gradually moving closer to home plate significantly increased the risk of injuries for catchers, especially face and hand injuries. By
9417-516: The deal between the Mack family and Johnson. When the American League owners met in New York to discuss the sale to Johnson, they voted 5–3 to approve the sale. Johnson immediately requested permission to move to Kansas City, which was granted after Detroit's Spike Briggs switched his vote. Although Mack had long since conceded that his 55 years in the American League were over, his doctor reported that
9546-522: The difficulty of catching such an inconsistent and erratic pitch. Some personal catchers have included: The catcher is the most physically demanding position in baseball, more so than the pitcher. Despite being heavily padded, catchers routinely suffer some of the worst physical abuse in baseball. The catcher has the physically risky job of blocking the plate to prevent base runners from reaching home and scoring runs. Catchers also constantly get bruised and battered by pitches, foul balls , and occasionally
9675-434: The dirt"), the catcher will slide their body to the left or right, as necessary, to place themselves directly in the path of the ball. Once in position, they push towards the ball while dropping to their knees, place their mitt between their legs to prevent the ball from passing through, and lean forward to deaden the rebound when, and if, the ball bounces off their thigh or torso. Although inexperienced catchers may try to catch
9804-415: The dugout, leaving his coaches to run the team most of the time. According to outfielder Sam Chapman , "He could remember the old-timers, but he had a hard time remembering the names of the current players." Shortstop Eddie Joost said "He wasn't senile, but there were lapses." Despite growing speculation he would step down, Mack brushed it all off and stated simply that he would keep managing as long as he
9933-400: The end of his career: Toward the end he was old and sick and saddened, a figure of forlorn dignity bewildered by the bickering around him as the baseball monument that he had built crumbled away. At the time of his retirement, Mack stated: I'm not quitting because I'm getting old, I'm quitting because I think people want me to." The American League's white knight, Charles Somers , provided
10062-461: The end of the nineteenth century, is the only man in the history of baseball to play more than three hundred games as a left-handed catcher. However, some observers, including the famed statistician Bill James and ESPN writer Rob Neyer , have suggested that the real reason that there are no left-handed catchers is because left-handed players with strong throwing arms are almost always encouraged, at an early age, to become pitchers. Benny Distefano ,
10191-404: The errant pitch with the mitt, coaches often prioritize the catcher's ability to "keep the ball in front of the body" than to make a catch with their mitt. Ideally, the catcher will be able to knock the ball to the ground where it will stop within arm's reach. To perform this properly, without the ball being deflected in an undesirable direction, the catcher must angle their body so that their chest
10320-481: The family's support, as several of his siblings had done. He clerked at a store, worked on local farms, and worked on the production lines of the shoe factories in nearby towns. Mack was also a good athlete and frequently played baseball and some of its predecessor games with local players in East Brookfield. In 1879 his skills landed him a place on East Brookfield's town team, which played other town teams in
10449-544: The fielders by way of other players, and simply waved his scorecard as a feint. James summed up Mack's managerial approach as follows: he favored a set lineup, did not generally platoon hitters; preferred young players to veterans and power hitters to those with high batting averages; did not often pinch-hit, use his bench players or sacrifice much (even so, the A's led the league in sacrifice bunts in 1909, 1911 and 1914); believed in "big-inning" offense rather than small ball; and very rarely issued an intentional walk . Over
10578-433: The first baseman misses or mishandles a throw . In certain game situations, when a runner is on first and the batter bunts the ball or hits the ball softly, which causes the third baseman to rush in to get the ball and throw to first base, the catcher must cover third base so that the runner from first base does not advance to third base on the play and this then forces the third baseman to cover home plate. Any failure by
10707-434: The following equipment to help prevent injury while behind the plate: Additionally, some catchers choose to use the following optional equipment: In addition to their protective equipment, a catcher usually also adopts practices that minimize the risk of injury. For instance, unlike fielders elsewhere on the field, a catcher tries, to the extent possible, to catch the ball with their gloved hand alone. An outfielder may catch
10836-509: The game. He explained to his cousin, Art Dempsey, that "The best thing for a team financially is to be in the running and finish second. If you win, the players all expect raises." This was one reason he was constantly collecting players, signing almost anyone to a ten-day contract to assess his talent; he was looking ahead to future seasons when his veterans would either retire or hold out for bigger salaries than Mack could give them. Unlike most baseball owners, Mack had almost no income apart from
10965-435: The game. His business style was no longer viable in post-World War II America due to various factors, including the increased expense of running a team. For instance, he never installed a telephone line between the bullpen and dugout. Despite the circumstances, the octogenarian Mack led the team to three winning seasons in 1947–1949 (including a fourth-place finish in 1948). With the A's unexpected resurgence in 1947–1949, there
11094-400: The half of the ball, lodged in the mitt, that is closer to the zone. The illusion is often enhanced with a slight 'tug' of the mitt (of an inch or two) toward the strike zone. By rule, the catcher must station directly back of the plate (generally in the catcher's box ) the moment a pitch is thrown but may leave at any time to catch a pitch or make a play. The moment an intentional ball leaves
11223-414: The heel; they can catch the pitch on their forehand or backhand , as necessary; they can catch a low pitch with the mitt pointed upward or downward. These choices help the catcher to create a favorable presentation (or frame) for the umpire. A variation on "framing" is called "pulling pitches". The general approach is to catch the half of the ball that is outside the strike zone and show the umpire only
11352-406: The home plate. Fielding weakly hit fair ground balls (including bunts ) in front of home plate in order to throw to a base to complete a groundout or a fielder's choice play. The catcher must avoid hitting the batter-runner with the thrown ball, implying that they must move to a position in which they have a clear throw to the infielder at first base. Guarding home plate on plays in which
11481-451: The infielder and skip into the outfield , allowing an additional advance by the baserunner. Though not exactly a play, "psyching the batter" refers to a casual attempt by the catcher to distract the batter prior to the pitcher throwing the ball. As long as it does not fall in a lack of sportsmanship, such as offensiveness, and as long as the umpire permits it, the catcher may mention a specific throw or say something funny to try to distract
11610-418: The infielders an extra fraction of a second to throw the runner out at the next base if they attempt to advance (as, for example, when a ground ball is hit). Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals and former MLB catcher Iván Rodríguez are known for using pickoffs with success, particularly at first base. Teams may sometimes call a deliberate play, the pitchout , wherein the pitcher intentionally throws
11739-446: The last lefty thrower to catch a big-league game (in 1989), noted that lefty catchers have difficulty on bunts up the third base line and on fielding throws home for plays at the plate. Others suggest that fielding bunts up the 3rd base line would give the catcher a better throw to 1st base or 2nd base. Unlike the other fielders, the catcher and pitcher must start every play in a designated area. The catcher must be behind home plate in
11868-453: The late 1870s, catchers began to use padded, fingerless gloves to protect their hands, and in 1877 the first protective catcher's mask was used. The first catchers to use protective masks sometimes had their courage called into question, but the effectiveness of the masks in preventing injuries meant that they became widely accepted. In the 1880s, the first padded chest protectors came into use, and in 1888 specialized catcher's mitts used on
11997-594: The late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with the major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at
12126-488: The nickname "the Tall Tactician". He valued intelligence and "baseball smarts," always looking for educated players. (He traded away Shoeless Joe Jackson despite his talent because of his bad attitude and unintelligent play.) "Better than any other manager, Mack understood and promoted intelligence as an element of excellence." He wanted men who were self-directed, self-disciplined and self-motivated; his ideal player
12255-494: The non-throwing hand began to be used. The final pieces of protective gear were shin guards which were first worn by catcher Roger Bresnahan in 1907 . Together, the rules changes and the new protective equipment transformed the catcher's defensive role to the way that it is presently played. The catcher is usually the first to notice the tendencies, quirks, and peculiarities of each home-plate umpire . Some umpires favor high strikes , pitched balls that are technically above
12384-418: The nonagenarian owner suffered a sudden sharp drop in blood pressure and almost expired upon learning that his team was gone. Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in
12513-435: The occasion of his second marriage at age 48, he signed the wedding register as "Cornelius McGillicuddy". His nickname on the baseball field was "Slats", for his height of 6 feet 2 inches and thin build. Mack was educated in East Brookfield, and began working summers in local cotton mills at age 9 to help support his family. He quit school after completing the eighth grade at age 14, intending to work full-time to contribute to
12642-471: The oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in
12771-429: The opponent to cause them to err. Because of the close mental relationship and trust that a successful pitcher must have with his catcher, a number of catchers throughout history have become preferred by pitchers, to the point that the catcher will almost always (especially during the regular season) start along with the pitcher. The catcher is then informally referred to as that pitcher's personal catcher . Naturally,
12900-405: The other players in a defensive play. The catcher typically calls for pitches using PitchCom , or hand signals. The calls are based on the pitcher's mechanics and strengths, as well as the batter 's tendencies and weaknesses. Essentially, the catcher controls what happens during the game when the ball is not "in play". Foul tips, bouncing balls in the dirt, and contact with runners during plays at
13029-524: The pennant in 1910, 1911, 1913 and 1914, beating the Cubs in the World Series in 1910 and the Giants in 1911 and 1913, but losing in 1914 in four straight games to the "Miracle" Boston Braves , who had come from last place in late July to win the National League pennant by 6 + 1 ⁄ 2 games over the Giants. That team was dispersed due to financial problems, from which Mack did not recover until
13158-411: The pitch was coming in. But he didn't swing at the ball. He swung right at my wrists. Sometimes I think I can still feel the pain. I'll tell you I didn't tip his bat again. No, sir, not until the last game of the season and Weaver was at bat for the last time. When he had two strikes, I tipped his bat again and got away with it. Mack's last three seasons in the National League were as a player-manager with
13287-410: The pitcher has a responsibility to throw with reasonable accuracy, catchers must be mobile enough to catch (or block) errant pitches. By doing so, a catcher prevents baserunners from advancing while the loose ball is retrieved. An errant pitch that eludes the catcher and allows a baserunner to take one or more additional bases is called a wild pitch . (Techniques for blocking wild pitches are described in
13416-408: The pitcher's delivery. These developments meant that catchers began to take on a crucial defensive role, as a pitcher's deceptive deliveries could only be effective if the catcher was capable of fielding them. The progression of the catcher positioning themselves closer to the plate would lead to changes in pitching deliveries that would revolutionize the sport. In the 1870s, pitcher Candy Cummings
13545-419: The plate are all events to be handled by the catcher, necessitating the use of protective equipment. This includes a mask , chest and throat protectors, shin guards, and a heavily padded catcher's mitt . Though rare, some chest protectors may extend lower to provide some shield to the genitalia; wearing a pelvic protector or cup, depending on the case, is preferred and more common. Because the position requires
13674-452: The pledge" not to drink during the Series. When Topsy Hartsel told Mack he needed a drink the night before the final game, Mack told him to do what he thought best, but in these circumstances "if it was me, I'd die before I took a drink." In any event, his managerial style was not tyrannical but easygoing. He never imposed curfews or bed checks, and made the best of what he had. Rube Waddell
13803-497: The potential problem with this arrangement is that if the pitcher prefers to work with the team's backup catcher, then the regular catcher—presumably the better player—must be benched. However, because of the physically grueling nature of the position, many "regular" catchers are asked to either rest relatively frequently or play a different position such as first base or designated hitter . Personal catchers are often used for pitchers who specialize in throwing knuckleballs because of
13932-442: The presence of a more talented catcher), and take advantage of their prowess with the bat. Prominent examples of catchers switching position (mainly first base ) in mid-career include Mike Napoli , Craig Biggio , B. J. Surhoff , Joe Torre , Víctor Martínez , Joe Mauer , Carlos Santana , Brandon Inge , and Dale Murphy (although Murphy was also known as a poor thrower to the pitcher and to second base, nearly hitting pitchers in
14061-401: The presidency. John Shibe died in 1937, and Mack bought 141 shares from his estate, enough to make him majority owner of the A's. However, he had been operating head of the franchise since Ben Shibe's death. Such an arrangement is no longer possible in current times, as major-league rules do not allow a coach or manager to own any financial interest in a club. Mack's great strength as an owner
14190-482: The previous section.) A pitched ball which would require only ordinary effort to be caught or blocked by the catcher—but is nonetheless misplayed, allowing a base runner to advance—is called a "passed ball". Fielding high pop flies , often hit at unusual angles. In this case, the catcher must turn their back to the field in order to properly account for the spin of the ball, which often follows unpredictable paths. Fielding catchable foul balls , in foul territory near
14319-470: The process). As a result, catchers often have shorter careers than players at other positions; consequently, few catchers hold batting records that require many seasons of play to compile. Mike Piazza is the only catcher in history with more than 400 career home runs, and no catcher has amassed 3,000 career hits (Iván Rodríguez leads all Major League catchers with 2,844 hits). Although 3,000 hit club member Craig Biggio played his first three full seasons as
14448-452: The remainder of the season. Dykes became the team's main operator in the dugout, and would take over the managerial reins in his own right in 1951. At the same time, Cochrane was named general manager—thus stripping Connie, Sr. of his remaining authority. Six weeks after his mid-season retirement, Mack was honored by baseball when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the 1950 All-Star Game . Red Smith wrote about his managerial style at
14577-426: The rules requirement that a strikeout could only be completed by a catch. The rules governing the delivery of pitches proved to be hard to enforce, and pitchers continued to stretch the boundaries of the rules until the 1870s when the release point of pitches had reached the pitcher's waist level. Pitchers had begun throwing overhand by 1884 , when the National League made a rule change removing all restrictions on
14706-422: The seed money to start the Athletics and several other American League teams. However, plans called for local interests to buy out Somers as soon as possible. To that end, Mack persuaded sporting goods manufacturer Ben Shibe , a minority owner of the rival Philadelphia Phillies , to buy a 50 percent stake in the team—an offer sweetened by Mack's promise that Shibe would have the exclusive right to make baseballs for
14835-412: The start of the 2014 season, a catcher may only obstruct a runner's path to home plate when he, the catcher, is in possession of the ball. Without the ball in hand, the catcher must allow the runner to score uncontested. If the catcher drops the ball while tagging the runner, the runner is safe. Although contact between a runner and a catcher was generally allowed in the major leagues until the beginning of
14964-657: The strategic defensive importance of catching, if a catcher has exceptional defensive skills, teams are often willing to overlook their relative offensive weaknesses. A knowledgeable catcher's ability to work with the pitcher, via pitch selection and location, can diminish the effectiveness of the opposing team's offense. Many great defensive catchers toiled in relative anonymity, because they did not produce large offensive numbers. Notable examples of light- hitting , defensive specialists were Jerry Grote , Jeff Mathis , Martín Maldonado , Ray Schalk , Jim Hegan , Jim Sundberg and Brad Ausmus . Schalk's career batting average of .253
15093-452: The team's bargain-basement way of doing business. One of the few things on which they agreed was that it was time for their father to step down. Connie, Jr. was only able to force through other minor improvements to the team and the rapidly crumbling Shibe Park through an alliance with the Shibe heirs. When it became apparent that his older brothers were not willing to go further, Connie, Jr. and
15222-404: The umpire is aware that a bat has been tipped, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he calls catcher's interference .) Mack never denied such tricks: Farmer Weaver was a catcher-outfielder for Louisville. I tipped his bat several times when he had two strikes on him one year, and each time the umpire called him out. He got even, though. One time there were two strikes on him and he swung as
15351-425: Was Eddie Collins . According to baseball historian Bill James , Mack was well ahead of his time in having numerous college players on his teams. Several of his players went on to become well-respected college coaches. Jack Coombs , the ace of Mack's 1910-11 champions, became the longtime coach at Duke . Andy Coakley , who won 20 games for Mack's 1905 pennant winners, coached for over 30 years at Columbia , where he
15480-446: Was able to introduce the curveball because his catcher, Nat Hicks , fielded his position in close proximity to home plate and was able to catch the deceptive pitch. Other specialized pitches such as the spitball and the knuckleball followed, which further emphasized the defensive importance of the catcher's position. At about the same time that catchers began fielding their position closer to home plate, baseball teams began using
15609-486: Was head football coach at Grambling State for 57 seasons, from 1941 (when it was known as the Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute) to 1997; Herb Magee served as head men's basketball coach of the institution now known as Jefferson for 54 years from 1967 to 2022 (the school canceled the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 concerns. Joe Paterno , with 62 seasons as a college football coach for
15738-446: Was his huge network of baseball friends, all of whom acted as scouts and "bird-dogs" for him, finding talented players and alerting Mack. "Mack was better at that game than anybody else in the world. People liked Mack, respected him, and trusted him. ... Mack answered every letter and listened patiently to every sales job, and ... he got players for that reason." Mack saw baseball as a business, and recognized that economic necessity drove
15867-439: Was hope that 1950—Mack's 50th anniversary as A's manager—would bring a pennant at last. However, the A's never recovered from a dreadful May in which they only won five games. By May 26, the A's were 11–21, 12 games out of first, and it was obvious the season was a lost cause. On that date, his sons Earle , Roy and Connie, Jr. persuaded their father to promote Jimmy Dykes , who had been a coach since 1949, to assistant manager for
15996-418: Was mean ... [but] if you had any soft spot, Connie would find it. He could do and say things that got more under your skin than the cuss words used by other catchers." In addition to verbally needling batters to distract them, he developed skills such as blocking the plate to prevent base runners from scoring and faking the sound of a foul tip. (He was probably responsible for the 1891 rule change requiring that
16125-488: Was named Cornelius McGillicuddy, and by tradition, the family named at least one son in each generation Cornelius. "Connie" is a common nickname for Cornelius, so Cornelius McGillicuddy was called "Connie Mack" from an early age. He did not have a middle name, but many accounts erroneously give him the middle name "Alexander"; this error probably arose because his son Cornelius McGillicuddy Jr. took Alexander as his confirmation name. Connie Mack never legally changed his name; on
16254-400: Was physically able to do so. According to Bill James, by the time Mack recovered again financially, he was "old and out of touch with the game, so his career ends with eighteen years of miserable baseball." It was generally agreed that he stayed in the game too long, hurting his legacy. He was unable to handle the post-World War II changes in baseball, including the growing commercialization of
16383-405: Was the best pitcher and biggest gate attraction of Mack's first decade as the A's manager, so he put up with his drinking and general unreliability for years, until it began to bring the team down and the other players asked Mack to get rid of Waddell. Unlike most other baseball managers, Mack chose to wear a business suit and overcoat in the dugout rather than a team uniform. Mack's strength as
16512-493: Was the college coach for Lou Gehrig . Dick Siebert , longtime coach at Minnesota , played for Mack from 1938 to 1945. James believed that Mack's influence on the game, as great as it was, would have been even greater had the college game been more popular during the 1920s and 1930s, when Mack was at his peak. According to James, Mack looked for seven things in his players--"physical ability, intelligence, courage, disposition, will power, general alertness and personal habits." As
16641-448: Was the first manager to win the World Series three times, and he is the only manager to win consecutive Series on two occasions (1910–11, 1929–30); his five Series titles remain the third-most by any manager, and his nine American League pennants rank second in league history. However, constant financial struggles forced repeated rebuilding of the roster, and Mack's teams also finished in last place 17 times, including ten seasons in which
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