This week, inspired by a fan poll question on FSDetroit on Friday, New English D provides you with The Nine Most Exciting plays in baseball. Each of these are general in that they do not refer to a play that has occurred such as Gibson’s 1988 walk off, but rather plays such as “the inning ending double play.”

Only one of them features a specific game situation (#4), but each play is amplified by the situation. Consider them ranked based on how exciting they would, all else equal. A double play may be more exciting than a diving catch if the double play comes in the bottom of the 9th and the catch comes in the 3rd, but here we consider them context neutral with one obvious exception that will be clear when you read the list.

9. Inside the Park Homerun

Now this one is pretty low on my list compared to what most people tend to believe, but there is a very simple explanation. Almost every inside the park homerun is the result of a defensive misplay. Either a fielder overruns a ball or it takes a weird hop they weren’t anticipating. Rarely is it a feat of speed and guts. In a big park with a fast runner, it can be exciting, but you almost never see one that isn’t dumb luck.

8. Triple Play

My thoughts here are similar; most triple plays are just dumb luck. Usually they happen when the runners are trying to steal but the batter hits a line drive. That’s not really exciting, it’s more just interesting for its rarity. A true triple play is almost impossible and usually just a function of random happenstance. Triple plays are fun, but rarely very exciting because they aren’t terribly dramatic.

7. The Diving Catch

This is a pretty wide category, but diving catches are great because they build to a crescendo. There is the moment the ball is hit, then you think it’s going to be a hit, then you see the fielder closing fast, then you see him decide to dive, then there is a heart stopping moment in which you aren’t sure if he caught it. It’s a thrilling novel spread across less than five seconds.

6. The Do or Die Groundball

I like this one because it functions exactly like the diving catch, except it happens even faster and you have the added element of the bang-bang play at first. Not only do we suddenly realize the fielder might make a play, but we also have to see if the runner can beat the throw. Take the diving catch, narrow the time frame, and given the batter some agency and you’ve got the do or die.

5. Suicide Squeeze

If you aren’t familiar with the terminology, this is when the runner on third takes off for home on the pitch and the batter lays down a bunt to ensure the catcher doesn’t receive the baseball and tag him out. It sounds exciting enough, but the great part is that first second when you see the runner take off and immediately think, “Oh my goodness, what the heck is he doing?” You’re prefrontal cortex takes over after a second, but at the beginning of it, your brain just can’t process what’s happening. It’s pretty cool.

4. Walk-Off Homerun

Everything is better in walk off fashion because it decides the game, but the walk-off homerun gets special mention due to its utter decisiveness. It’s just a great moment.

3. Robbing a Homerun

Take the excitement of the homerun and then add in the excitement of the diving catch. You think it’s going to be a homerun and then all of a sudden it’s taken away. It’s difficult and rare, but its key feature is it takes you from high to low or low to high reaction in a matter of seconds.

2. Stealing Home

This has all the excitement of the suicide squeeze, but with none of the wimpy “bunting.” The baserunner literally thinks he can get to home before the catcher can receive the ball and tag him. All of the “what the heck?” moments from the squeeze apply, but we also get to factor in the chutzpah this requires.

1. Play at the Plate

The play at the plate is the most exciting play in baseball because it has everything. It includes risk by the baserunner, defensive skill by the outfielder, usually a bang-bang call, and it is punctuated by the fact that it can only result in an out or a run. You can see it developing a mile away, but you also hold your breath because you have no idea how it’s going to turn out. A lot of moving parts have to work and then you have to wait that half beat to see what the umpire calls. Just think about how exciting this would be if it came with two outs in the 9th inning of a tie game.