// Thinking out of the Box: Fielding shifts
On October 18th, 2020, NLCS Game 7 was played between Atlanta
Braves and LA Dodgers. Top 4th, Dodgers pitcher Anthony Gonsolin is
pulled out after allowing three consecutive hits and giving the Braves a
3-2 lead. The switched pitcher Blake Treinen threw a wild pitch. No
outs, runner on second and third. Next up at bat is Nick Markakis,
batting eighth. 2 ball 2 strike, Markakis hit a strong ground ball towards
the right side of third base, with a bright, loud sound. It is highly likely to
be a hit which passes through the 5.5 hole. But, Dodgers third baseman
Justin Turner was in that exact position. Turner threw the ball to the
catcher D’arnaud, got the Braves runner out at home, and D’arnaud
threw it back to third, getting another one out. Dodgers did not allow
any more runs in this game, and they added two points, defeating Braves
3-4, making it to the world series.
Offence sells tickets, Defence brings championship.1 This is a
well-known quote by an American football manager Paul Bryant, and it
demonstrates how any team of ball games should manage their team. It
comes from american football, but it relates to baseball as well. Like any
ball sports, it is rare that any champion team has a weak defence, likewise
teams with strong defence get top standings.
LA Dodgers, 2020 world series champion, also demonstrated this theory.
Obviously they also had great offense scoring most runs per game,
however the biggest driving force was their defence: overwhelmingly led
in ERA (3.02), led second in RA/G(3.55).2 Defending runs are less
visually interesting than battings, but it is a very essential factor for a
victory.