In
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
, the squeeze play (a.k.a. squeeze bunt) is a maneuver consisting of a
sacrifice bunt with a runner on
third base
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
. The batter
bunts the ball, expecting to be thrown
out at first base, but providing the runner on third base an opportunity to
score. Such a bunt is most common with one out.
According to
Baseball Almanac
Baseball Almanac is an interactive baseball encyclopedia with over 500,000 pages of baseball facts, research, awards, records, feats, lists, notable quotations, baseball movie ratings, and statistics. Its goal is to preserve the history of baseba ...
, the squeeze play was invented in 1894 by George Case and Dutch Carter during a college game at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
.
In a safety squeeze, the runner at third takes a lead, but does not run towards homeplate until the batter makes contact bunting.
[
In a suicide squeeze, the runner takes off as soon as the pitcher begins the windup to throw the pitch, and before releasing the ball.][
These plays are often used in the late innings of a close game to score a tying, winning, or insurance run.][ A pitcher's typical defense against a squeeze play, if he sees the batter getting into position to attempt a bunt, is to throw a high pitch that is difficult to bunt on the ground.][
]
References
Baseball terminology
Baseball plays
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