What is a 6-4-3 Double Play?
That is a question I get all the time from friends of mine, so much recently that I thought I would explain why announcers will refer to an out in this way.
When a team is playing defense, meaning the players are in the field each of the nine positions is assigned a number.
Please look at the diagram below:
Baseball – positions by numbers
1 - pitcher
2 – catcher
3 – first baseman
4 - second baseman
5 – third baseman
6 – shortstop
7 – left fielder
8 – center fielder
9 – right fielder
As you can see each number corresponds with a specific position.
A 6-4-3 Double Play is just one example of the specific sequence of how an out was made.
In this case it means the ball went from the shortstop, who threw it to the second baseman, who to the first baseman resulting in two outs.
Here is another example from MLB.com:
If the hitter grounds out to shortstop, for example, write in “6-3,” which shows the shortstop threw him out at first base. If the hitter flies out to left field, write a “7.”
If you were unfamiliar with this kind of explanation, I bet you didn’t realize how simple a formula was used.
Hope this helps, and please feel free to email me, or leave a comment if you are still confused after reading this explination.
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- How many players are allowed on the field on the pitching team of a baseball match in MLB (wiki.answers.com)
