What Pedro Martinez Says About Fielding Your Position On Balls To The Right Side Of The Infield

Major League Baseball has a great website for kids on which popular players answer some common baseball-specific questions. These aren't "what's your favorite color" type of questions. These are about improving hitting, catching, fielding, and pitching.

In this particular segment, located in its entirety here, Pedro Martinez addresses covering the right side of the infield on baseballs hit or bunted to the right side -- and what pitchers should do.

So, how should a pitcher cover the first base side on bunts or balls to the right side?

"First of all is, read the ball," Pedro says. "Read when the ball leaves the bat of the hitter. And make sure that if it's to the right side you take off on time.

"Then as you are approaching the bag, you try to make a little path where you can align yourself to go straight down toward the line so that you don't go across the runner. You don't want to go across the runner at a 45 degree angle, you want to go straight. By the time you get to the bag, you want to be straight down toward the line."