Let's take a look at the catcher. The catcher is where the action starts after the pitcher
throws the ball. His first, and primary, responsibility is to catch the ball that the pitcher is throwing
to him. Now, he also has a responsibility of calling game. Some, times, the coaches
call the from the dugout, but primarily, it is the catcher who calls the signals. Sometimes
he'll flash the signals. For example when I played baseball as a pitcher, this would
be a curve ball, this was fast ball, this was a change up. So as a catcher, I'm looking
at the pitcher where you're standing right now. Say I want a fast ball inside on a right-handed
batter, I would do a 1 inside here, and then I would set up on the inside corner of the
plate, receiving the ball...hopefully getting a strike on the batter. Now if we want to
throw a curve ball to a right-handed batter on the outside, it would be curve ball, outside,
and set up out here...maybe a little bit higher for a curve ball and take the ball that way,
hopefully getting strike two. Then maybe want to take a change up, low and down the middle.
That would just be flashing a 3 and set up right here and strike three. You throw the
ball back onto the field and start the next play. Now, the catcher also has a responsibility
of guarding the plate when a runner is coming home. Say the runner is coming around third
base, the catcher is going to want to set up here in front of the plate, the plate behind
me, hopefully cutting off the batter from being able come in and score a run. Sometimes
the batter's going to slide, which means the catcher is going to have to block the plate...receiving
the ball and making the tag. Sometimes he may try to plow you over, and you just have
to brace yourself for the hit because it's going to hurt. As long as you, the catcher,
are holding on to the ball and the batter makes contact with you, after the contact
is made and you're on the ground if you hold onto the ball, the batter's out. If you drop
the ball, the batter's safe. So the catcher's got a big responsibility as kind of the guardian
of the plate. This is his domain; he is the last line of defense preventing the runners
from scoring. Also, the catcher has another responsibility. If there's a runner on first
base, or on second base, who may steal second or steal third...for our purposes let's say
there's a runner on first base. The coach may call a pitch out because he thinks the
runner's going to steal. If that runner does steal, then the catcher will set up on the
outside, take the pitch, make the throw to second base, and hopefully throw the runner
out. So it's his responsibility to know what's going on at all times at various positions
on the field. Catcher has a lot of responsibility. He has to call the game, he has protect the
plate, and he also has to guard against runners who are trying to steal. Those are the responsibilities
of the catcher.