Rundown
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A rundown, also called a pickle, is a situation in the game of baseball that occurs when the baserunner is stranded between two bases and is in jeopardy. When the base runner attempts to advance to the next base, he is cut off by the defensive player who has a live ball and attempts to return to his previous base before being tagged out. As he is doing this, the defenseman throws the ball past the base runner to the previous base, forcing him to reverse directions again. This is repeated until the runner is put out or reaches a base safely. If the runner safely returns to his original base, the defense is not charged with an error. However, if the defense allows the runner to advance to the next base in order (i.e. second base to third base), then the defense is charged with an error.
The pickle is demonstrated twice in the 1993 film The Sandlot, as well as employed as a metaphor for getting stuck in troubling situations, such as avoiding parental discipline and the gnashing teeth of a neighborhood dog, "The Beast."
