Eli5: why are baseball players allowed to run past first base and not be considered “off base”?
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Think about how long it would take each player to reach the next base. In a perfect world where every player has the same time for a 90-foot dash, each player will reach the next base at the exact same time. However, each spot has different advantages/ disadvantages.
A player on 1st or 2nd base (3rd base usually makes an exception to this) are typically able to lead off by 10 feet (I’m roughly approximating their jump and face slide being 2 feet for the movement and 8 feet for their body+arm length). The player at bat doesn’t have this option, though, as he needs to stay close to the home plate to hit the ball.
So 1st problem is the distance the runners/batter have to travel.
A player on 1st/2nd base also can start moving once the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand. So they start with some earlier momentum, so they can reach their max speed sooner. Meanwhile, the batter has to read the pitch, swing his bat, and get realigned to his destination (mostly an issue for right-handed batters), allowing his start down the baseline.
So 2nd problem is how acceleration affects the players.
To compensate for these two problems at the beginning, they require players going to 2nd/3rd to stop directly on the bag to try and balance out their teammates disadvantage. The ability to not have to slow down is compensation for not having the highest speed at the start.
3rd base, which I left out, has a similar practice as the batter but for different reasons. The biggest one is to avoid being picked off by the pitcher. Also, any sac fly they will stay on the bag instead of leading off to not have to run back to tag to earn a run if there’s only 0-1 outs, as they can run/slide across home plate. While some may lead off, this isn’t that great of an advantage.
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