What is the most exciting play in baseball?

i might add 'successful pick-off' to the list, although i probably wouldn't vote for that vis-a-vis these other options

Toss-up between:
29 inning post-midnight marathon with the back up catcher throwing 65mph cheeze
Game winning rbi when batter swings at IBB that drifted to close to the plate
Balk off

JOE BUCK: and that’s the end of the 2nd quarter
[Sun rises]
[Sun keeps getting bigger]
BUCK: yes
[World engulfed by flames]
BUCK: oh god yes pic.twitter.com/GadhALfDZk

— Dennis (@GipperGrove) January 16, 2022

voted bases clearing triple because it's got the most moving parts, plus it makes the crowd go "yes...YES....holy shit YES!!!"

inside the park HRs are cool too but they usually just happen because someone messed up or got hurt, which is not as fun

walk-offs are the most exciting I guess but they are 'situational' no?

I’m a simple woman, I like my slams grand and my home run robbing catches at the wall. Walk offs definitely situational, nobody likes their guys getting walked off.

Maybe for other - close play at home AND THE RUNNER IS SAFE!

Got to go with a walk-off grand slam, maybe that David Bote one a few years ago against the Nationals gives it the edge.

i personally like the cannon from the outfield throwing out the runner at home better - a lot more has to come together for an out than a run xp

some of these are def more situational than others, i.e. a walk-off or a no-no/perfecto while others could theoretically happen at any point in any game

i'll vote for my childhood fav which is the unassisted triple play (prob because mickey morandini pulled one off in '92)

yeah by avoiding situational plays i mostly meant like adding playoffs/world series into the mix, where there's already an extra level of excitement/meaningfulness. if you want to be picky a lot of these are "situational" in that they require a certain setup on the bases, but they could still happen in any game any day, which is what i was aiming for.

i voted straight steal of home, it's my favorite thing, it's a great combo of strategy/situational awareness and sheer bravado. but the most exciting play that happened during a game i was following live was dewayne wise's bobble-catch at the wall to preserve mark buehrle's perfect game.

inside the park HRs are cool too but they usually just happen because someone messed up or got hurt, which is not as fun <- otm

Maybe for other - close play at home AND THE RUNNER IS SAFE!

― Roman Anthony gets on his horse (gyac), Wednesday, April 10, 2024 12:25 PM (seven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yeah, any close play at home is really my answer here: inside the park home runs, stealing home, scoring from second on a single, etc. triples are also awesome, doesn’t necessarily need to be based clearing either!

STEALING HOME

play at home w/ the game on the line? whoooo, boy.

Hard for me to answer in the abstract--I'd still need some context (including the players involved). Something I'd add to the list, as long as no one gets hurt: bench-clearing brawls!

And just to climb back on a hobby horse of mine, the last out of the no-hitter/perfect game would have to be a complete game.

i'll nominate two kinda basic ones that weren't mentioned but are where my head went

1. the moonshot homer. giancarlo stanton obliterating a ball off the left field glass facade in citi field, o neil cruz hitting a ball out of the stadium, elly de la cruz hitting one off the top off the batting eye. homers to the upper deck in right field at yankee stadium, to the upper deck in left field in st. louis, over the monster and onto yawkey way, off the building in st. louis, into the pool in arizona etc

2. the CF running a super long way and making a diving, sliding, or otherwise acrobatic grab at or near the warning track that robs the hitter of a sure double or triple. i love to see that long tracking of the ball and the skill required to make the catch at full speed. extra points if the centerfielder is shaded into one gap and runs all the way across his position and into the other gap to make the catch, although straight back over the shoulder catches are much appreciated as well. ceddanne rafaela had a few good ones vs the a's last week

those astronomical HRs are a good call, i still remember the legendary Glenallen Hill HR that landed on the roof of an apartment building across the street from Wrigley.

yeah those are both great choices

i meant off the building in san diego obv :)

#2 gets extra points for the replay where you see the hitter's face once he realizes it's been caught

https://media.tenor.com/images/0182954ec63c31727befcb89f50018e7/tenor.gif

ceddanne rafaela had a few good ones vs the a's last week

ozuna had a good one the other day. the tv broadcast showed the full arc - ozuna doing the anticipatory HR shuffle all the way until when tyrone taylor caught it. he never made any move to trot or run toward first. xp

https://i.postimg.cc/LXHwZSP0/Capture.png

Out of the non-situational choices (e.g. last out, game-saving plays), the bases clearing triple is by far the most exciting. It involves multiple players on offense and defense and a wild sense of urgency on both sides of the ball. When the ball leaves the bat there are still a few possible outcomes, which helps add to the excitement.

2 out bases loaded, full count therefore all the runners are going is probs my favourite situation. Bonus point if it results in a ground ball to 3rd/SS and a throw home.

of the non-situational things that happen with any frequency, i'll take the homer-robbing catch, followed by a triple of any kind

worst is the hidden-ball trick, because a) incredibly rare, and b) like three people in the ballpark will even know what's happening before it's over

also yeah, moonshot/upper tank/into-the-water homers and outfielders throwing people out are grebt

sure wish i hadn't used the word "situational" in the OP

suicide. squeeze.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

voted other because Ramon Laureano's double play is the best play in about the last 70 years (since Mays and The Catch).
https://www.mlb.com/video/must-c-laureano-s-321-ft-throw-c2374927983

Man was incredible that year

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

1.70 LAD ERA Evan Phillips goes K, walk, walk, single, walk, K, to leave the 9th inning with 0er and a win for the dodgers.

It's not a "play" per se, but "reliever escapes bases loaded situation they created in the bottom of the 9th with no runs scored" might have been my "other" pick if this poll was still open

Add 30+ pitches into that formula too for extra stress

tbh i'd have found it even more exciting if the bad team had rallied to beat the good team with the chaotic reliever

Even for all 29 other teams, I really love seeing someone create a mess and get out of it. The stress that emanates from the reliever. It’s some of the best drama, the highest tension, you can find on television

I’ve always been more partial to good pitching than good hitting in my enjoyment of baseball though

It's not a "play" per se, but "reliever escapes bases loaded situation they created in the bottom of the 9th with no runs scored" might have been my "other" pick if this poll was still open

― H.P, Tuesday, April 23, 2024 9:01 PM (twenty-two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

I clearly remember K-Rod doing this for the Brewers once, it was awesome. very much a 'whatever, can't even be mad' moment

can't even be mad when it's your team that wins

lol

yeah houdini acts by relievers are right up there

i personally like the cannon from the outfield throwing out the runner at home

It’s mostly relievers with really great stuff that get left in for these type of situations too. The knowledge that they can throw disgusting pitches, that they can potentially get out of this even though their stuff for the past 25 pitches has been wild/sloppy, really adds to the tension of these moments. Much less fun is the average-to-bad reliever loads the bases to be pulled for another average-to-bad reliever to solve the problem (he never does)

a reliever that has earnt a long leash is both a very fun, and very dangerous thing.

Verdugo had an amazing play like that in the Blue Jays game in Toronto last year - think it was Bo Bichette out at home (though he might have run through a stop sign)

wild pitch to thrown out stealing also another great high tension play.

There was a time where “Javy Baez runs the bases” would have made sense as a poll option and could have fought for my vote

pretty exciting end to the pirates/cubs today

Yeah, I thought they were going tk call hom out.

It was funny when they got Crow-Armstrong in the rundown the announcer said they got him in the "but-tock" in a Forrest Gump voice