Advancing on a Fly Ball - Keep Playing Baseball

Advancing on a Fly Ball - Keep Playing Baseball

The Situation:   Runner on 1st, 1 out, the offense is down 3-2 in the top of the 7th. The runner on first has average speed and the hitter has good power to the pull side. The defense knows this, so the center fielder is deep and shading towards the gap.  The Play:   The hitter blasts a ball into the left-centerfield alley. The center fielder gets a good jump and takes off at full speed back into the gap. The runner at first can’t tell if the ce…