Video - Did Johnny Pesky hesitate?

[ipitch]

Did Johnny Pesky hesitate?

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I posted this video recently as well. I don't think Pesky hesitated.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

It still looks like he hesitated to me. Maybe a half second.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

The way I perceive the video is that as Pesky caught the ball from the outfield he first looked to third base then he turned towards home plate and threw the ball.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

The way I perceive the video is that as Pesky caught the ball from the outfield he first looked to third base then he turned towards home plate and threw the ball.

If you look at it that way then he didn't hesitate but by checking the baserunner by Pesky in my opinion he did hesitate. I think Pesky was more surprised Slaughter kept going more than anything.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

If you look at it that way then he didn't hesitate but by checking the baserunner by Pesky in my opinion he did hesitate. I think Pesky was more surprised Slaughter kept going more than anything.

Pesky had his back turned, he was facing the left fielder. He didn't know where Slaughter was and his first instinct was probably to check third base. Regardless, if Pesky hesitated or not I think Slaughter scores anyway.

[Ben Grimm]

Though it's a bit tough to make out, it looks to me like I see Pesky's profile looking at Slaughter as he's about to reach 3B. The ball wasn't near Pesky yet, but it looks like he saw or at least anticipated Slaughter's turn thru the bag and not stopping as he was in full flight. Pesky seemed to have double-cluthed ever so slightly prior to releasing the ball.

[PVNICK]

Hesitate is too strong a word. There is a pause to calibrate nothing more from my point of view. Though that may just be parsing.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

I think Slaughter scores no matter what too. I don't see a play like this being glamorized in todays game either.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Hesitate is too strong a word. There is a pause to calibrate nothing more from my point of view. Though that may just be parsing.

I think this play has been mythologized into Pesky just standing there with the ball in hand while Slaughter is running around the bases and scoring. That is obviously not true.

[BigRon]

I'm with those who say that there was a very slight pause- hesitation seems too strong a word to me. He seemed to be glancing toward third, then threw. This "hesitation', if that's what it was, was a small fraction of a second. I think Slaughter would have been safe in any case.

[dgarza]

Did the catcher receive the ball cleanly?

Catcher is in front of the plate and ends up towards 3B. Did he have a hard time handling the throw? I wonder if he didn't make a clean catch and had to smother the ball.

[bluesky5]

Pesky had his back turned, he was facing the left fielder. He didn't know where Slaughter was and his first instinct was probably to check third base. Regardless, if Pesky hesitated or not I think Slaughter scores anyway.

Agree 100%.

In my estimation:

Caught the ball.
Looked at third with his arm cocked, partly into his throwing motion now, expecting the play to be at third then...
Oh crap, found Slaughter in the baseline, when trying to find him he natural lets the ball back down a little to load up again then...
Pivots and throws home.

Maybe Pesky couldn't hear his teammates telling him where the play was? I can't imagine the Red Sox not talking during the World Series.

[ipitch]

Maybe Pesky couldn't hear his teammates telling him where the play was? I can't imagine the Red Sox not talking during the World Series.

As Pesky said, "I didn't hear anything. Everybody was screaming. When I looked, Enos was 10 feet from home. I threw the ball. Maybe if I had a better arm, I would have gotten him."

Quite an exaggeration though about Slaughter being "10 feet from home". It looked like he was about 10 feet from 3rd base when Pesky turned and looked.

[GiambiJuice]

Harry Walker's swing looks fake.