Eli5: why are baseball players allowed to run past first base and not be considered “off base”?
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To me it’s always been to ensure that a ball put in play can result in a hit.
Baseball and it was first created was not the game that it is today. There weren’t all these home runs and jacked athletes able to do what they do to the ball. There was very much a game of “small ball”
You’re at a disadvantage being the batter. You have to swing and stop yourself from spinning around after you make contact with the ball and then run 90 ft down the baseline. If the last few feet of that 90 ft you have to slow down again just like you started off slowly then the likelihood of you beating at the throw is even less than it already is.
Not to mention this could cause some issues with collisions and trying to occupy both bases at the same time. Most people when you’re running to second or third or home you don’t stop and stand up on that base while there’s a chance for a play at the base. You slide. It’s generally frowned upon to slide into first base mainly because it slows you down again. You would get to the base quicker if you knew you could run through it and not have to slow down until after you touch the bag. To slide you have to hesitate for a second to drop down and slide and then you hit the friction of the ground.
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