Little things I love about baseball: that the pitcher has to give the actual baseball to the manager when taken out.
That coaches and managers wear the uniform. #LittleBaseballThings
That tiny instant between the home plate umpire pointing down the line and the base umpire deciding if the hitter swung. #LittleBaseballThings
That on-deck hitters never stand in the on-deck circle. #LittleBaseballThings
That fielders get to play catch before every inning. #LittleBaseballThings
The way almost —- but not quite — everyone skips over the foul line when entering and exiting the field. #LittleBaseballThings
The fact that there are benches in every dugout ... and nobody sits on them. No, in baseball, you sit on top. #LittleBaseballThings
That when throwing the ball around the horn after an out, the other infielders usually ignore the first baseman. #LittleBaseballThings
The small brush the home plate umpires use to sweep dirt off of home plate. And the way the umpires turn their butts to the pitcher to do the sweeping. #LittleBaseballThings
The “Oh yeah, I caught it” dance that outfielders do after they steal a home run. #LittleBaseballThings
The fact that every on-deck circle has a bat donut even though no big league hitter has used a donut in years. 🍩 #LittleBaseballThings
That instant when a pitcher just knows that it’s going to be a home run and can’t even look. #LittleBaseballThings
The way managers come out with the lineup card to explain to the umpire the complexities of the double switch. #LittleBaseballThings
That gorgeous instant when the hitter rounds second and the outfielder has the ball and you know there will be a play at third but you don't know if it will be safe or out. #LittleBaseballThings
That the manager and several infielders usually wait on the pitcher's mound to welcome the relief pitcher, offer a little encouragement, and hand over the baseball. #LittleBaseballThings
The drive down the line that is hooking ... either a home run or nothing at all and we wait for it. #LittleBaseballThings
The way hitters who foul one straight back and believe they JUST missed it will angrily slap the top of the bat.
The way someone in the dugout will throw a ball to the first baseman as he runs off the field at the end of an inning. #LIttleBaseballThings
The simple fact that pitchers can change how the baseball moves by how they grip it ... and pitchers are STILL learning new grips even after all these years. #LittleBaseballThings
The meeting at home plate between managers to discuss the ground rules. There's something so wonderfully casual about it, like kids meeting before a pickup game to remind each other that right field is foul territory because they don't have enough players. #LittleBaseballThings
