First baseman Nick Kurtz of the Sacramento Athletics throws the ball "around the horn" after retiring Ben Williamson of the Seattle Mariners. When the defense gets on out in the infield, the fielders will usually throw the ball around said infield, before returning it to the pitcher.

The Inning Continues

When two consecutive batters come up to the plate with the bases empty, it means the first batter did one of two things: got themselves out, or hit a home run. The former outcome is vastly more common than the latter, and indeed, play continuing from one batter to the next is an entirely routine circumstance. The majority of the time, there will be very few differences between what the first batter was looking at, and what the second batter will see when they approach the plate. The defensive players might make some small adjustments to their positioning based on where the new hitter is likely to hit the ball, but that’s about it.