Turn Two
Also known as: turning two, turning a double play
"Turn two" is baseball slang for successfully executing a double play — recording two outs on a single batted ball, most commonly a ground ball fed to a middle infielder who pivots and relays to first base.
Turning two requires three defenders to execute cleanly in sequence: the fielder who reads the ground ball and delivers an accurate, well-timed feed; the pivot man at second base who catches, redirects, and releases quickly; and the first baseman who receives the relay in time to beat the batter-runner. A breakdown at any point in the chain — a bad feed, a rushed pivot, a throw that pulls the first baseman off the bag — turns a double play into a single out or, worse, no outs at all.
Because it depends on a coordinated sequence rather than any one player's individual skill, turning two consistently is treated as a team defensive strength that is drilled constantly in practice: feeds from shortstop and feeds from third base require different footwork and timing from the pivot man, and reps at game speed are the only way to build the trust between fielders that a fast, accurate exchange requires.
Example
With a runner on first and one out, the shortstop fielded the grounder, fed the second baseman in stride, and the defense turned two to end the inning.
Why it matters
Turning two consistently is a measurable team defensive skill — coaches track double-play conversion rate on turnable ground balls to see whether the middle infield combination is developing chemistry.
Common mistakes
- Feeding the pivot man too hard or too soft relative to the runner's position, forcing an off-balance pivot
- Rushing the front end of the play (the initial fielding and feed) so much that the pivot man never has a clean, catchable throw
- Failing to recognize when a double play is not there and settling for the sure out at second instead of forcing a play at first that gets neither out
Frequently asked questions
Where does the phrase "turn two" come from?
It refers to turning one batted ball into two recorded outs — the double play — a shorthand baseball players and broadcasters use for the entire feed-pivot-relay sequence.
Related terms
- Double Play PivotThe double play pivot is the footwork a middle infielder uses at second base to receive a throw, redirect toward first base, and release a throw quickly — all while avoiding contact with a sliding baserunner.
- Relay ThrowA relay throw is an outfield throw caught by an infielder (the relay man) positioned in a direct line to the target base, who then re-throws it, rather than one long throw all the way from the outfield.
- Cutoff ManThe cutoff man is the infielder who positions in a direct line between an outfielder and the base being defended, ready to intercept — or "cut" — the throw and redirect it if the original target is no longer the best play.
- Ball TransferBall transfer is the exchange of the ball from the glove to the throwing hand — speed and consistency here is one of the biggest separators in infield and catcher efficiency.
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