I once saw a high school softball best of 3 playoff series end on a hidden ball trick. Game 3, tie series, 1 run game with 2 out in the 9th and trailing team had a runner on third. Catcher fakes a throw down to pick her off (had a huge lead). Third baseman leaps, shortstop turns and runs down left field line so your eye would be fooled that she was blocking the ball, left fielder fake slips like she wasn't ready, and the catcher throwa her mask down like her life is over. Runner comes sprinting home right into the tag. Oscar worthy.

The Porkchop Express said:

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I once saw a high school softball best of 3 playoff series end on a hidden ball trick. Game 3, tie series, 1 run game with 2 out in the 9th and trailing team had a runner on third. Catcher fakes a throw down to pick her off (had a huge lead). Third baseman leaps, shortstop turns and runs down left field line so your eye would be fooled that she was blocking the ball, left fielder fake slips like she wasn't ready, and the catcher throwa her mask down like her life is over. Runner comes sprinting home right into the tag. Oscar worthy.

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My daughter's softball team practices a similar play (identical to the one in the video) regularly. I've never seen them use it but they will be ready if they ever decide to pull it out of their bag of tricks.

Saw one last night in high school ball.

Runner At first takes off to steal second. The catcher guns the ball to third base and then he and the first baseman turn around and run to the backstop like the ball got past the catcher. The runner pops up at second, looks and sees the catcher and the first base at the backstop and thinks the ball has gotten past them. He takes off for third, and runs right into the out.

Fuzzy Dunlop said:

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My daughter's softball team practices a similar play (identical to the one in the video) regularly. I've never seen them use it but they will be ready if they ever decide to pull it out of their bag of tricks.

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I'm confused ... how does the play in the video work in softball when runners can't leadoff the bases?

I think in softball you can leave the base after the ball leaves the pitchers hand.

Not a hidden ball trick, but how is this not a balk?

Nestor with the fake pitch in the middle of his wind-up 💀 pic.twitter.com/WB60nDiN3H

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 14, 2024

Wildmen06 said:

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I think in softball you can leave the base after the ball leaves the pitchers hand.

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That's correct ... I could see this play with the catcher making the fake-pickff throw but not for a pitcher to do it

This 20-25 years ago, ,but this coach was right at the crest of the new wave of softball strategy where girls were taught to be aggressive and really push the envelope on challenging the other team mentally.

He had his teams trained to take the extra base on routine singles if the OF half-assed it to the ball, because then they were suddenly challenged to make a perfect throw to second and most of them choked.

He had another set piece they would do with a runner on first. If the count got to 2-0, if the next pitch was a ball to make it 3-0, the batter would immediately set her bat down and run to first like she thought it was a walk, and the runner on first would sprint to second. The ump would call the batter back to home, and the other team would expect the runner on 2b to go back to 1b until it dawned on them she had just stolen 2B without a throw.

No one on base?

Dr. Doctor said:

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No one on base?

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Good point. Just noticed the graphic on the top of the video, and you are correct no one is/was on base.