The third base baserunning hack is a golden rule instead of a drill. The hack is: never make the first or third out at third base. This rule is important to teach to new players. Here are some scenarios to consider for emphasizing this rule:
- There are no outs and the batter steps up and hits a double but thinks they can stretch it into a triple. If they are thrown out, the team would end up with one out and no runners on base. Instead, stopping at second base with a stand-up double would put the player in scoring position without the risk of being thrown out.
- Consider the same scenario but there are two outs. Stopping at second base means the next batter only needs a base hit to advance the baserunner and possibly score an RBI.