What Is A Hold in Baseball?

Introduction

Baseball is the only sport that goes with the quote ” The boys of summer.”

Hold on a baseball is the process by which a relief pitcher takes part in a game during a save situation, and his team manages to continue leading even to the next relief pitcher, at the same records one out.

There are two conditions involved in a hold, and one of these two conditions must occur before a pitcher can be said to record a hold. They are;

1. A player takes part in a game along with a tying run on-deck which could be on the bases or at the plate.
2. A player enters a game and leads with about three runs and continues with the lead while recording one out.

Many players and enthusiasts of the game may be confused about what a hold on a baseball means. Now, don’t confuse a hold with other terms in baseball like Curveball, pitcher, assist, and check-swing.

Origin of a hold in baseball

The hold is one of the terms often used during baseball. You may be wondering how did it come about?. It was developed by John Dewan and his colleague Mike Donnell during the 1980s and significant to add value to relievers who perhaps may not be closers.

Note that in a hold, if a pitcher records a hold, he or she would not be able to get either a save or a win. At times during play, a pitcher may get a loss and a save at the same time if he leaves with the lead.

How do you get to achieve hold in baseball?

When you look carefully, you will find out that hold is the same thing as a save. There is just a slight difference, which is that a pitcher leaves the game without completion. When a player enters a game where the tying run is lowest, his team is leading, and the players leave the game with the lead, a hold has occurred. For more information on how many players are on a baseball team, check out[Text]How many players are on a baseball team [link](https://www.baseballwarehouse.com/how-many-players-on-a-baseball-team/)

If a player entering the game in a save situation allows the other team to lead, the player will attract a blown save. The hold is a way of checking how effective a late-mining set-up man is.

A pitcher can get a hold when he/she has not inherited runners. Also, a pitcher may enter a game in a save situation and exit with a lead without a hold. Also, a player should ensure that he/she is part of the game when his/her team has the major lead, continues with the lead for a significant amount of the game, and exits the game with the lead. This way, a pitcher does not become the starter or finisher, and what’s more, your team is the leading team.

Basic Terminologies in baseball

Let’s briefly look into them.

• Curveball

A curveball is a pitcher who is supposed to break when it’s near a plate. Its name is derived from a clock: the baseball kicks off at number 12 and ends at number 6.

• Pitcher

A pitcher gives the baseball to the batter during a game.

• Assist

An assist is gotten when a baseball player throws the ball just before making an out. Example: During a game when a right-fielder succeeds in throwing a player out at 2nd, that is an assist.

• Ball

In every sport, there’s always a primary thing to which the game lies. The ball is the central object involved in baseball, without which it wouldn’t be played.

Balls come with yarns, with two strips of leather which are white shirts. A good baseball should not be more than 143-150g. If it weighs more, it may not be suitable, and its circumference is 9. Want to know how much a baseball weighs? Check out How Much Does A Baseball Weigh

• Check-swing

Check swing is another term baseball players should be familiar with. During play, if a batter initiates a swing and suddenly shifts the position of his bat to enable a ball to pass through freely, that is a check-swing. If a pitch is supposed to go through the strike zone, but it deviates, a check-swing has occurred.

Conclusion

Although a “hold” is an important term used in baseball, it is not recognized by MLA stat. Achieving a hold during play is not something every baseball player is familiar with. However, knowing how to get hold during the save situation will go a long way in helping a team lead for an extended period. Also, it helps to ensure a team stays at the top during successive games. So, a baseball player needs to be good at getting a hold during play.