The Delayed Steal.

Three Glides and a Go!

OK, YOU WANT TO MOVE your baserunner into scoring position without sacrificing an out. But he is not a threat to run, and there is a left-handed pitcher on the mound who would pick him off in a straight steal, and to compound matters, the catcher has a gun for an arm.

How do you get around all of that? The answer, we believe, is the delayed steal. It isn't really a complex move, but it must be taught and worked on regularly to be effective.

The process can be broken down into three steps:

1. A normal lead -- a one-way lead with weight on the right foot so that you can dive back quickly on a pickoff attempt.

2. Three glides -- which mean the two normal glides of a secondary lead plus one more.

3. After the third glide, sprint to second base.

In teaching the delayed steal, you must emphasize that it is not at all like a normal steal, as there is no particular hurry in the first movements toward second base. It's the three big glides that allow the runner to cover a lot of ground before sprinting to second base.

Vs. a right-handed pitcher, the runner must start his glides when the pitcher raises his left foot as he starts to the plate.

Vs. a left-handed pitcher, the runner must start his glides as soon as he is certain the throw is going to the plate and not over to the bag for a pick. In short, the delayed steal starts out as nothing more than a secondary lead.

Timing must be stressed in the teaching process. The phrase "three glides and a go" is a reminder of what has to be done. If the runner starts too soon, the first baseman is going to see him and alert the defense. If he leaves too late, he will have too much ground to cover in too little time, and the catcher will have time to make a perfect throw.

If the runner goes too soon on a delayed steal, the play will turn into a straight steal with no jump.

The delayed steal is going to work whenever the defense isn't alerted and doesn't cover the bag quickly enough It isn't going to work if the runner doesn't have the proper timing when breaking for second.

The play is also going to work when the catcher is caught off guard and makes a poor throw to a middle infielder covering the bag or who had been late getting to it. And of course it is also going to work when the throw cannot be made because no one is covering the bag.

When the play is executed properly and the base is stolen, you will often hear the opposing coaches and players yelling at the first baseman to "let us know when they're running." As we know, however, if the first baseman doesn't see the runner break for second after his secondary lead, he will never realize a steal is occurring.

The delayed steal is a good first-and-third play, no matter what the outs. The runner on third will cross the plate on an errant throw by the catcher (which happens when he is surprised by the runner), or the runner will go into second standing up because no throw was made, taking off the force and keeping out of the double play.

Another positive reason for using the delay in a first-and-third situation is that the middle infielders will be unable to cut the ball on a double steal or will be late in getting started because they were not alerted to the moving runner.

Note: The runner on third must be ready to score as soon as the ball clears the middle of the diamond on the catcher's throw to second.

It must be noted that the delayed steal becomes harder to execute when the middle infielders are really squeezing the middle. This puts them closer to the bag and gives them time to cover even when surprised by the play.

It is also more difficult against a team that does a good job of working in and out with the shortstop and second baseman backing up throws to the pitcher from the catcher. This movement helps them cover the bag, since they are heading in that direction. If executed properly, however, the play will even work in these circumstances.

Every now and then the defense will do a good job defending the delayed steal and your runner will be thrown out by a large margin. Don't let this discourage you from putting the delay sign on. It is a safe play against a left-handed pitcher with a good move, and your runner does not have to be exceptionally fast to execute it.

You just have to have proper timing and remember the "three glides and a go."