This classic riddle says a man leaves home, makes three left turns, and comes back home. When he arrives, two masked men are waiting for him. Who are they?
The answer is: the catcher and the umpire.
The man is a baseball player running the bases. In baseball, home is home plate. Starting from home plate, the runner goes to first base, then second, then third, making a left turn at each base before returning to home.
The two masked men waiting there are the catcher and the home-plate umpire, both of whom typically wear protective face masks during play.
The riddle works because the word “home” makes you imagine a house, while the real setting is a baseball diamond. Once you picture the bases, the three left turns and the masked men make perfect sense.
