Number 5

Runner on Third, Game on the Line, Playing In...

There were three things about EI that drove me nuts, one of them being the infield flyout to the pitcher (5th ed.). This I changed to a pop fly to the third baseman. No big deal. Now I'm down to two things: a 3-4 double play result when there's a runner doubled off second, and playing the infield in when the game is on the line. First the double play thing.

In the fifth edition Double Play chart, when with one out only second base is occupied and you roll a double play result, a second dice roll between 6-1-1 and 6-6-6 is scored 3-4(?). I can't even imagine that. I don't remember ever seeing that happen, and I just can't picture the second baseman heading to second on a ball hit to his left. Am I out of order here? For me, this is another easy fix, I just score it 3-6 and move on.

Now for the big one. Runner on third, game on the line. The runner represents the winning run. Infield in. On a ground out, the play is always at home, right? A few years ago, the Veet and I were playing one in a series of hotly contested face to face games here at the barn, when this exact situation came up. Before we went to the "Infield In" chart, the Veet hollered, "You're gonna change the rule here, right?" At first, I didn't quite get what he meant, then I snapped out of my dull, "Mayo Smith" coaching personna as I figured he meant where the throw would go if there were a ground out. I have three versions of this great game, none of which addresses this. You could have this exact situation, and with less than two out the second baseman throws to first to get the batter out while the winning run scores? Ya kidding? Commissioner Mitchell of the Great Lakes Baseball League has produced a very well thought out set of charts he uses when he plays EI, and his Infield In chart comes close to what we need. Most of his results are throws to the plate, and the runner is either safe or out. Very few are throws to first. So, to come to some sort of conclusion on this, I need to implement some sort of rule that says that if there is a runner on third who represents the winning run, and the infield is playing in, and the runner is not playing safe, then:

On a groundout, the play will be at the plate.
Any result on the "Infield In" chart other than a putout at the plate will be scored "FC-safe." It seems to me that the runner would score on a fielder's choice, since he beats the throw, so this will be a notation I will put mainly for my benefit as I recap the game. But for stat purposes, I'll give the batter a FC and an RBI.

What's your take on this?