Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?

[sp25]

Grew up in Iowa in the 1960s and 1970s.

Hotbox was a separate game that we played, with 3 people. Buy I'm not sure we ever used the term within the context of an actual baseball game. In a live game I think we called it being in a pickle.

So we played hotbox, but we got into a pickle in a baseball game.

Other games: home run derby, double or nothing, wiffle ball, rubber ball, 500.

And we played catch, we never "had a catch"!! Have a catch apparently is used on the east coast. No one in Iowa, especially on the Field of Dreams, would ever ask to "have a catch"!

[JDW]

Well, might sound wrong, but in softball after assessing the competition, I would sometimes intentionally get in the hotbox, for example rounding a base too far to see if I could get a throw behind me. Guess my acceleration was decent, but usually teams that knew me wouldn't bite. Didn't try it in baseball, well, sure way back at the LL level, but back then it usually wasn't too hard to steal from 1B to 3B on the same play unless they threw to 3B right off which I could then read and stay at 2B till the next pitch. 90 foot apart bases make quite the difference from 60 or whatever, lol.
Never got caught at stealing till college, and only then when the coach got mad if I got the steal sign and if I thought I got a bad jump waited till the next pitch. That got me in the doghouse for a while, as I got a stiff lecture that if I got the steal sign I was to go regardless of jump. Well, ok coach. So much for that streak, ha. Think I had 20 some straight SB's to start college until that. Imo it's good for a coach to give players some leeway with decision making if they've earned it, but many Napoleon type coaches at the lower levels, or at least that was my perceived experience.
And it was always called the hotbox where I grew up, near the Quad Cities in W. Illinois.

If you get caught in one, maybe try this. Make it look like you're making a full pledge effort to get back to the base you came from, then if your peripheral vision is good, when the fielder starts his throw, throw on the brakes and reverse directions. Often the throw goes awry as he tries to stop his throw but can't hold onto it and you might just advance another 2 bases.

[60 year Cardinal fan]

Hotbox in the late 50’s and 60’s.

[scoutyjones2]

A hot box is something different these days.

[butsir01]

This is gonna sound weird. Late ‘50s-early ‘60s, when this happened duting a game, “hotbox.” When we played with two fielders and one runner, it was “runner-up.” It must have been a Ferguson thing.

[BrummerStealsHome]

Unlike kids today, if we only had 3-4 kids, we’d play hotbox.

We played a lot of hotbox, usually with three bases, but at times just two bases and one runner. It certainly taught you sliding skills, and how to throw around a runner.

[greyhawk]

A hot box is something different these days.

oh boy --- and we were all too old to go there on our own....

[Bushiro]

When I started playing youth baseball in St. Louis in the 1950's if you were a runner and got trapped between bases with fielders making throws back and forth to get you out , you were deemed in a 'hotbox' . My father and grandfather both used that term with me.
It wasn't til moved to Wisconsin in early 60's that I no longer heard 'hotbox' but then ' pickle' . Seems kids there always used the pickle term and never heard of 'hotbox'. Of course now when you watch games on TV , a runner trapped between bases is said to be in a 'rundown' . Have not hear Chip nor other announcers ever say pickle nor hotbox.

Anyone else on CT who played little leauge ball in the 1950's use 'hotbox' term for a rundown play ?
Wonder what years the terms changed . BTW My father was born in 1915 so played his teen ball in early 30's and legion ball in 40's in st. Louis.

I was born in 75....always lived in central Illinois...we called hot box here....we would play hot box as kids but play it on a few slip and slides....made it interesting...lol

[Red7]

BTW, I PLAYED catch. What in the he’ll is HAVE a catch?

[PanamaCardFan]

Anyone ever play a tourney where you went to bat with a 3 ball 2 strike count, foul ball was considered strike 3. If I remember each team batted through 3 outs, cleared the bases, did 3 more and 3 more.

I played in plenty of "one-pitch" leagues in the winter in Austin in the 90's. Played regular 3-out innings before switching to defense though. 45-min timed games. Might have been double-headers. Really kept the game moving during the cooler weather for Texans freaked out by anything below 60°.

[OldRed]

When I played ball as a youth in the 60's, we used the term "hotbox" mostly, but some did call it being in a "pickle". I played in the Metro East and in Texas.

Yes, that what we called it our area here in Illinois.

[HighHeat23]

Played Little League and on up in the late 60s-early 70s in northeast Oklahoma. We called it "in a pickle" early on but by my teens it was a rundown. Until this morning I'd never heard the term hotbox in baseball...at least that I remember.

And we played catch...I don't recall hearing the term have a catch until I watched Field of Dreams.

[SalaDaeng]

Yep, we always called it a hotbox.

Curious , what years was that ?

It was hotbox in the 80's about an hour east of St. Louis. We played with my little nephews and they were so fast we'd spread the bases out further. We played with a tennis ball because a lot of times people got beaned. Sometimes intentionally in the back lol.

[sikeston bulldog2]

Well we played hot box as a kid. We played hot box as a young adult. Now the only thing hot in a box is pizza. Quite the graduation.

[sikeston bulldog2]

Played Little League and on up in the late 60s-early 70s in northeast Oklahoma. We called it "in a pickle" early on but by my teens it was a rundown. Until this morning I'd never heard the term hotbox in baseball...at least that I remember.

And we played catch...I don't recall hearing the term have a catch until I watched Field of Dreams.

Yes it’s been play catch forever.

[sikeston bulldog2]

If you play catch with your daughter. In the past tense, did you tell people you played catch, or you caught with you daughter.

I’ve heard caught before. “ yea I went out and caught a few with my son.”