Catcher

The position of the catcher

Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in cricket. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries

Catcher is a position played in baseball. There are 9 fielding positions in Baseball. Each position conventionally has an associated number (from 1 to 9 which is used to score Putouts For example Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each The catcher crouches behind home plate and receives the ball from the pitcher. A baseball field or baseball diamond is the field upon which the game of Baseball is played In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the catcher is assigned the number 2 (see Baseball scorekeeping). Baseball scorekeeping is a shorthand method of recording the details of a Baseball game The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket. Cricket wicket keeperjpg|thumb|300px|A wicket-keeper in characteristic position ready to face a delivery Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries

Positioned behind home plate (by rule the catcher is the only player who is allowed to be in foul territory when a pitch is thrown),^[1] the catcher can see the whole field, and therefore is in the best position to direct and lead the other players in a play. In Baseball, a foul ball is a batted ball that is not a Foul tip, and that passes out of the playing field in flight while over foul The catcher typically calls the pitches by the means of hand signals, and therefore requires awareness of both the pitcher's mechanics and strengths and the batter's weaknesses. In Baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing Pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team In addition, because the catcher's job is to catch pitches which often come in at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour, the catcher wears protective equipment including a mask, chest protector, shin guards, and an extra-thick glove (see photo). In Baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play Because the position necessarily involves a comprehensive understanding of the game's strategic elements, the pool of catchers yields a disproportionate number of major-league managers, including such prominent examples as Yogi Berra, Mike Scioscia, Joe Torre, and Joe Girardi. Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (born May 12 1925 in St Louis Missouri) is a former Major League Baseball player and manager Michael Lorri "Mike" Scioscia (ˈsoʊ̪ʃə born November 27 1958 in Morton Pennsylvania) is a former Catcher and current Major League Baseball Joseph Paul Torre (ˈtɔɹi born July 18, 1940 in Brooklyn New York) is the current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a former Major Joseph Elliot Girardi (born October 14, 1964 in Peoria Illinois) is the manager of the New York Yankees, and a former Major

Catchers virtually always throw with their right hand. Since most hitters are right-handed and thus stand on the left side of the plate, a catcher who throws left-handed would often have to avoid these right-handed hitters for most of his throws from behind the plate. Someone who is right-handed will prefer to use this hand for everyday activities such as writing, maintaining personal hygiene, Cooking and so forth Thus players who throw left-handed rarely play catcher. Lefty catchers have only caught 11 big-league games since 1902^[2] and Jack Clements, who played for seventeen years at the end of the 19th century, is the only man in the history of baseball to play more than three hundred games as a left-handed catcher. John J "Jack" Clements ( July 24, 1864 – May 23, 1941) was a Baseball player who played for 17 seasons in the Major ^[3] However, some observers, including the famed statistician Bill James, have suggested that the real reason that there are no left-handed catchers is because lefties with a strong throwing arm are almost always turned into pitchers at an early age. George William “Bill” James (born October 5, 1949, in Holton Kansas) is a Baseball writer historian and statistician whose work has been

The critical defensive plays of catchers, aside from managing the pitcher by calling pitches and catching the ball on all pitches, include:

1. Preventing passed balls and wild pitches. Although the pitcher has the responsibility to not throw erratic pitches, catchers must have enough mobility to field the passed ball or wild pitch appropriately to prevent base runners from taking even more bases.

2. Fielding high pop flies often hit at unusual angles.

3. Fielding weakly-hit fair ground balls (including bunts) in front of home plate to throw them to a base to complete a groundout or a fielder's choice play. A bunt is a special type of offensive technique in Baseball or fastpitch softball. The catcher must avoid hitting the batter/runner with the thrown ball in most circumstances.

4. Covering home plate on any play in which a baserunner attempts to score. The catcher is obliged to attempt to catch a thrown ball while preventing the runner from reaching the plate.

5. Preventing stolen bases by throwing to second base or third base to allow an infielder to tag a baserunner attempting to reach the base. In Baseball, a stolen base occurs when a Baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the Pitcher is delivering the ball to Home plate A very good catcher at preventing stolen bases has a low stolen-base rate per game against him; a poor one has lots of stolen bases occurring while he catches. Even if a great defensive catcher deters all but the most effective base stealers, he keeps the double play in order by keeping a runner at first base. This article is about Baseball. For double play Magnetic tape, see Audio tape length and thickness.

6. Rarely, a catcher can make a successful pick-off throw to first base to surprise an inattentive or incautious base runner at first base. Even the attempt may cost the base runner a stride or two that may be the difference between reaching second base safely on a ground ball and being put out at second base on a fielder's choice play or a double play. This is also called a snap-throw. The catcher will make a snap-throw after receiving the pitch

7. Rarely, a catcher can go to first base or third base on rundown plays at those bases. A rundown, also called a pickle, is a situation in the game of Baseball that occurs when the Baserunner is stranded between two bases and is in jeopardy

Much can go wrong with any failure by the catcher. Wild pitches and passed balls are possible at any time. A failure to block the plate or dropping the ball thrown from the outfield on a play at home plate means that a run that otherwise might not occur does occur. On a throw to prevent a stolen base, a bad throw might get past the infielder and allow an advance to another base as the ball goes to the outfield.

1 Injury
2 Equipment
3 Hall of Fame Catchers
4 Trivia
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Injury

Despite being heavily padded, catchers routinely suffer the worst physical abuse in baseball. The catcher has the physically risky job of blocking the plate from runners. In Baseball, blocking the plate is a common technique performed by a Catcher to prevent a runner from scoring Catchers also constantly get bruised and battered by pitches, and have a long history of knee ailments stemming from the awkward crouched stance they assume. Because of this, catchers have a reputation of being slow baserunners; even if they have speed at the beginning of their careers, the eventual toll taken on their knees slows them down. Some players who begin their career as catchers are moved to other positions to preserve their running speed; recent prominent examples of this include [[Craigmask, resulting in a serious concussion. On February 1, 2006, Matheny announced his retirement from Major league baseball due to his on-going symptoms of post-concussion syndrome. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Equipment

Catchers in baseball use the following equipment to help prevent injury while behind the plate:

Catcher's Mask - To protect their face.
Mitt - Catchers use mitt with extra padding to lower the impact of the ball on their hand. The catcher is the only player on the field who is allowed to use this type of glove.
Shin Guards - To protect legs from impact of a ball that the catcher is unable to play. Also called spike protectors, used to prevent injury from base runners advancing home with "spikes up"
Chest Protector - A padded foam or gel piece of equipment that protects the catcher's body from the impact of the pitch if he fails to catch it or must stop it.
Cup - Worn by catchers and most infielders under their clothing to protect against stray balls heading towards the groin area.

Additionally, some catchers choose to use the following optional equipment:

Knee Savers- special pads which are comfortable for the catcher to rest on when in the squat position; they also provide support of the knee ligaments which can stretch and break over time
Inner Protective Glove- a glove which is worn inside of the mitt with the purpose of absorbing the shock of the pitched ball
Throat protector- a hard plastic plate which hangs from the bottom of the catcher's mask to protect from balls to the throat.

Given the physical punishment often suffered by catchers, the equipment associated with the position is often referred to as "the tools of ignorance".

Hall of Fame Catchers

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is a former American Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (born May 12 1925 in St Louis Missouri) is a former Major League Baseball player and manager Roger Philip Bresnahan ( June 11, 1879 &ndash December 4, 1944) nicknamed "The Duke of Tralee " for his Irish Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett ( December 20, 1900 - December 20, 1972) was an National Major League Baseball Ernesto Natali (Ernie Lombardi ( April 6, 1908 in Oakland California – September 26, 1977 in Santa Cruz California) Raymond William Schalk ( August 12, 1892 - May 19, 1970) was a Major League Baseball Catcher noted for his fine handling James Raleigh "Biz" Mackey (July 27 1897 &ndash September 22 1965 was an American Catcher and manager in Negro league baseball. Roy Campanella ( November 19, 1921 – June 26, 1993) nicknamed " Campy " was an American Baseball Carlton Ernest Fisk (born December 26 1947 in) is a former Major League Baseball Catcher who played for 24 years with the Boston Red Sox
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

The first catcher's mask was worn on April 12, 1877 by Jim Tyng while playing for Harvard. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Jim Tyng was the first baseball player to wear a catcher's mask while playing for Harvard in 1877 The team manager, Fred Thayer, received a patent for the mask in 1878.
Mike Piazza holds the record for most career home runs as a catcher. Michael Joseph Piazza (pʰiˈɑːʦə or /pʰiˈɑːzə/ born September 4, 1968 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is a former American He passed Carlton Fisk, the previous record holder, on May 5, 2004 with his 352nd career home run as a catcher. Carlton Ernest Fisk (born December 26 1947 in) is a former Major League Baseball Catcher who played for 24 years with the Boston Red Sox Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "
In some parts of the United States, particularly the South, catchers are referred to as "hindcatchers". The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive It is not clear where this term originated.
Joe Mauer was the first catcher to ever win the American League Batting Title when he did it in 2006. Joseph Patrick Mauer (ˈmaʊɚ born April 19 1983 in St Paul MN) is a Major League Baseball Catcher for the Minnesota Twins

References

Ginn TA, Smith AM, Snyder JR, Koman LA, Smith BP, Rushing J (2005). This is a list of Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners at Catcher in American League Baseball. This is a list of Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners at Catcher in National League Baseball. "Vascular changes of the hand in professional baseball players with emphasis on digital ischemia in catchers". Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery 87 (7): 1464-9. PMID 15995112.

External links

Dictionary

-noun

Someone or something that catches.
(baseball) The player that squats behind home plate and receives the pitches from the pitcher
(US, slang, prison) The submissive or quasi-female partner in a homosexual relationship between two male prisoners.

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