Squeeze play (baseball)

In baseball, a squeeze play is a sacrifice play in which the batter bunts the ball, expecting to be easily thrown out at first base, while a runner at third base tries to score on the play.

In a "safety squeeze", the runner at third takes off when the batter makes contact, and hopes that the ball will go to a location from which it will be difficult to make a play at the plate. In a "suicide squeeze", the runner takes off during the pitch, even before the pitcher has released the ball. This will likely make a play at the plate impossible if the batter makes any kind of contact at all, but it means that the batter must make contact--he must hit the ball, even if the pitch is wildly out of the strike zone, and so requires a more skilled bunter.

These plays are often used in the late innings of a close game with fewer than two out in order to force in a winning or tying run.