The ideal first baseman should be tall, I have a long reach, and a good pair of hands. He must have extraordinary ability in making pick-ups of low thrown balls and he must maintain perfect balance on his feet. A left-hander has an advantage in playing first base because he is in a better position to throw to second and third base, particularly on ground balls and bunts.
Figure 48 shows the proper position of the first baseman as he waits for a throw. In Figure 47 George Sisler stretches for a throw from an infielder. By stretching, the first baseman can shorten the throw, thereby increasing the chances of putting the runner out.
Figure 49 shows how to play the bag with a runner on first. The first baseman has his right foot at the corner of the bag toward the pitcher, his left foot a short stride away. In this way he can cover any kind of throw from the pitcher trying to catch the runner.
A first baseman must be careful going after a ground ball. He must not invade the second baseman’s territory. Lou Gehrig, one of the greatest first sackers in the game, had a tough time learning the intricacies of his position. But he taught himself to be a great fielding star by long hours of daily practice. Lou found the 3-6-3 play troublesome. In this play, with a man on first, the ball is hit hard off first base. The first baseman fields the ball (3), pivots, and throws to the shortstop (6). Immediately after the throw the first base man’s job is to get to his bag for the return throw from the shortstop, completing the double play. The play is shown in Figures 50 and 51.
The’ first baseman must also be adept at fielding bunts down the first base line. He must come in fast for the ball, leaving the base to be covered by the pitcher or second sacker.
