--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always tried to hit the ball back…" description: "\"I always tried to hit the ball back through the box because that is the largest unprotected area.\" — Rogers Hornsby" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/rogers-hornsby-26573_balls_i-always-tried-to-hit-the-ball-back-thro_1986395.jpg" --- # I always tried to hit the ball back through the box… ![“I always tried to hit the ball back through the box because that is the largest unprotected area.” quote by Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/rogers-hornsby-26573_balls_i-always-tried-to-hit-the-ball-back-thro_1986395.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/rogers-hornsby-26573_balls_i-always-tried-to-hit-the-ball-back-thro_1986395.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/rogers-hornsby-26573_balls_i-always-tried-to-hit-the-ball-back-thro_1986395.jpg) > “I always tried to hit the ball back through the box because that is the largest unprotected area.” [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He targets the opponent’s weakest defensive spot to increase scoring chances. **In simple terms:** Hit where the defense is weakest. Key Takeaway Aim for the least defended area. Themes sports strategy baseball competition Mood strategic pragmatic Type sports instructional When to use this quote - game planning - coaching - player development Key Concepts targeting risk assessment spatial awareness Questions to Reflect On - How can you anticipate defensive adjustments? - What other tactics exploit weak spots? A Different Perspective Defenders may adapt quickly, reducing effectiveness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) ## Related quotes > [I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/i-don-t-want-to-play-golf-when-i-hit-a-ball-i-want-someone-else-to-go/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [When I step into the batters box and hear my team say my name and they all cheer for me i feel as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-and-hear-my-team-say-my-name-and/) [Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah/) > [Never raise your hand to your children - it leaves your midsection unprotected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/never-raise-your-hand-to-your-children-it-leaves-your-midsection/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [“It used to be that the longest unprotected border in the world was that between the United States and Canada. Today it's the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/it-used-to-be-that-the-longest-unprotected-border-in-the-world-was/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [There's not a mom or dad that wants to leave their child unprotected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-lapierre/there-s-not-a-mom-or-dad-that-wants-to-leave-their-child-unprotected/) [Wayne LaPierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-lapierre/) > [You have to make an effort to be in an unprotected environment because everyone thinks you're a completely incapable idiot who couldn't possibly brush…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-bale/you-have-to-make-an-effort-to-be-in-an-unprotected-environment/) [Christian Bale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-bale/) > [So thanks parents, for having unprotected sex and bringing your kids here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-callaghan-2/so-thanks-parents-for-having-unprotected-sex-and-bringing-your-kids/) [John O Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-callaghan-2/) > [The real story is that I had unprotected sex. That's that. That's easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magic-johnson/the-real-story-is-that-i-had-unprotected-sex-that-s-that-that-s-easy/) [Magic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magic-johnson/) > [“I wonder at how many of us, feeling unsafe and unprotected, either end up running far away from everything we know and love, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shani-mootoo/i-wonder-at-how-many-of-us-feeling-unsafe-and-unprotected-either-end/) [Shani Mootoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shani-mootoo/) > [Don't do drugs, don't have unprotected sex, don't drink and drive… Leave that to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-do-drugs-don-t-have-unprotected-sex-don-t-drink-and-drive-leave/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our ports and our borders are the most unprotected fronts in the war on terror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-hayworth/our-ports-and-our-borders-are-the-most-unprotected-fronts-in-the-war/) [J. D. Hayworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-hayworth/) > [Never raise your hand to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/never-raise-your-hand-to-your-kids-it-leaves-your-groin-unprotected/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [“there is enough bandwidth here to fry an unprotected human many times over. A”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannu-rajaniemi/there-is-enough-bandwidth-here-to-fry-an-unprotected-human-many-times/) [Hannu Rajaniemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannu-rajaniemi/) > [My nonviolence does not admit of running away from danger and leaving the dear ones unprotected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-nonviolence-does-not-admit-of-running-away-from-danger-and-leaving/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It is terrible to be an unprotected being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/it-is-terrible-to-be-an-unprotected-being/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) ## More by Rogers Hornsby > [The home run became glorified with Babe Ruth. Starting with him, batters have been thinking in terms of how far they could hit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/the-home-run-became-glorified-with-babe-ruth-starting-with-him/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [When I was in the batter's box, I felt sorry for the pitcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/when-i-was-in-the-batter-s-box-i-felt-sorry-for-the-pitcher/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [Any ballplayer that don't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American. He's a communist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/any-ballplayer-that-don-t-sign-autographs-for-little-kids-ain-t-an/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [The first rule of baseball is to get a good ball to hit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/the-first-rule-of-baseball-is-to-get-a-good-ball-to-hit/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [Baseball is my life, the only thing I know and can talk about. My only interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/baseball-is-my-life-the-only-thing-i-know-and-can-talk-about-my-only/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [The big trouble is not really who isn't in the Hall of Fame, but who is. It was established for a select few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/the-big-trouble-is-not-really-who-isn-t-in-the-hall-of-fame-but-who/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [To be a good hitter you've got to do one thing - get a good ball to hit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/to-be-a-good-hitter-you-ve-got-to-do-one-thing-get-a-good-ball-to-hit/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/people-ask-me-what-i-do-in-winter-when-there-s-no-baseball-i-ll-tell/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [I've always played hard. If that's rough and tough, I can't help it. I don't believe there's any such thing as a good loser.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/i-ve-always-played-hard-if-that-s-rough-and-tough-i-can-t-help-it-i/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/i-don-t-want-to-play-golf-when-i-hit-a-ball-i-want-someone-else-to-go/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [I never saw a pitcher I didn't feel sorry for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/i-never-saw-a-pitcher-i-didn-t-feel-sorry-for/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [Players who stand flat footed and swing with their arms are golfers, not hitters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/players-who-stand-flat-footed-and-swing-with-their-arms-are-golfers/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [It don't make no difference where I go or what happens, so long as I can play the full nine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/it-don-t-make-no-difference-where-i-go-or-what-happens-so-long-as-i/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [I don't like to sound egotistical, but every time I stepped up to the plate with a bat in my hands, I couldn't help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/i-don-t-like-to-sound-egotistical-but-every-time-i-stepped-up-to-the/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) > [A great hitter isn't born, he's made. He's made out of practice, fault correction, and confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/a-great-hitter-isn-t-born-he-s-made-he-s-made-out-of-practice-fault/) [Rogers Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) [Explore all 21 Rogers Hornsby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/) ## More Balls quotes > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. 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And you can teach the boys to pass at angles and run in curves. - University of Kansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-dawkins/well-you-can-certainly-teach-free-throwing-and-you-can-teach-the-boys/) [Darryl Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-dawkins/) > [Maybe bring in sponge balls to learn the technique and gain that experience of actually challenging for a header.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mason/maybe-bring-in-sponge-balls-to-learn-the-technique-and-gain-that/) [Ryan Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mason/) > [I like René Descartes' theory about a ball of wax. You can change its form from solid to liquid, but it's still the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-rossum/i-like-ren-descartes-theory-about-a-ball-of-wax-you-can-change-its/) [Emmy Rossum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-rossum/) > [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Common sense is the guy who tells you that you ought to have had your brakes relined last week before you smashed a front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/common-sense-is-the-guy-who-tells-you-that-you-ought-to-have-had-your/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [Throwing a ball is not natural, whether it's overhand or underhand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-finch/throwing-a-ball-is-not-natural-whether-it-s-overhand-or-underhand/) [Jennie Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-finch/) > [I don't feel like I have to live up to anything because I've proven that I can play. 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But you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-glanville/you-run-the-football-for-toughness-you-run-the-ball-to-tell-your/) Jerry Glanville Browse all 3,005 Balls quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always tried to hit the ball back through the box because that is the largest unprotected area.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rogers Hornsby" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/i-always-tried-to-hit-the-ball-back-through-the-box-because-that-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Balls" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/i-always-tried-to-hit-the-ball-back-through-the-box-because-that-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/rogers-hornsby-26573_balls_i-always-tried-to-hit-the-ball-back-thro_1986395.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/rogers-hornsby-26573_balls_i-always-tried-to-hit-the-ball-back-thro_1986395.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/rogers-hornsby-26573_balls_i-always-tried-to-hit-the-ball-back-thro_1986395.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always tried to hit the ball back through the box because that is the largest unprotected area.” — Rogers Hornsby", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rogers Hornsby", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rogers-hornsby/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always tried to hit the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/i-always-tried-to-hit-the-ball-back-through-the-box-because-that-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rogers-hornsby/i-always-tried-to-hit-the-ball-back-through-the-box-because-that-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```