April 13, 2014

"What a double play to get out of that one!"

Video.

Note Henderson is the pitcher.

Have you been following the Brewers? It's an 8-game winning streak.

ADDED: Here's another video from last night's game, with a thrilling keeping of the toe on first base in the 9th inning. Fabulous toe work by Mark Reynolds.

28 comments:

Bob Ellison said...

What a beautiful throw from second base!

Curious George said...

Meh. Stupid baserunning.

Ron said...

No I haven't been...when you get that win streak to say, 12, let us know. Meanwhile after 9 years in the show, Justin Verlander gets his first 2 hits in one game in San Diego! 1998 more and he'll catch Cabrera...

Lyle said...

I follow the Astros. It's going to be a long season again, but in 2-4 years time watch out.

Brewers have a team that can win now. Surprise team so far in the earliest of days.

Wince said...

The old 2-6-1.

rhhardin said...

I wonder why they put out large HD video when some machines can't keep up, mine for instance. 1.3GHz isn't fast enough for these idiots.

Wilbur said...

Verrrry interesting.

This looks like a preplanned base running play. But it's application is so limited - first and third, less than two outs, a foul pop to the catcher pulling him away from the plate - you wonder whether they practiced this play in spring training drills, who remembered to put this play on and how they signaled it to the runners to be alert for it.

The pitcher was very heads up to go to the plate when the pop foul went up. A lot of pitchers would just stand and watch, which would lead to this play working.

SteveR said...

Well played by the Brewers, its nice to see game awareness worked out that well.

madAsHell said...

Last night, I went to watch the Mariners. It's a lot like going to an outdoor picnic, except the beers are $10 each.

The game would be much more popular if plays like that were more common. The price of the beer is a buzz-kill too.

Eric said...

Looks like he didn't get the tag down to me.

David said...

It's?

The neutering of males continues.

Peter G. said...

IN 1987 the Brewers won their first 13 games and were 17-1 after 18 games. 17-1! After 43 games they were 22-21. They finished a respectable third that year.

It's a long, long season.

Ann Althouse said...

"Meh. Stupid baserunning."

Was it stupid? It was the 8th inning, with 1 out, and the score was tied 2-2. The Pirates needed the run and they had a man on first and third. There was a pop-up caught, which makes the second out. The man on first ran to second to attract the throw from home and to give the man on third some time to score. The throw went to second to try to get the man coming from first, and the guy from third would have scored, but for the great play. It was very exciting. That made the third out (and the Brewers were able to score in the bottom of the 8th, which was good enough to win the game).

Meade said...

"The pitcher was very heads up to go to the plate when the pop foul went up. A lot of pitchers would just stand and watch, which would lead to this play working."

The pitcher, Jim Henderson, is an Albertan, toiled many years in the minors, and in his youth played hockey in Calgary.

Ann Althouse said...

There was a lot of talk about this play after the game, with special attention to the pitcher's making the play at the plate. The catcher said he knew Henderson could do it because he's a big guy and he used to play hockey.

Patrick said...

Is George Webb still making his free hamburger promise? 12 in a row, and free burgers for all?

jeff said...

"Looks like he didn't get the tag down to me." Looked like a perfect tag to me. And the umpire.

Curious George said...

"Ann Althouse said...
"Meh. Stupid baserunning."

Was it stupid? It was the 8th inning, with 1 out, and the score was tied 2-2. The Pirates needed the run and they had a man on first and third. There was a pop-up caught, which makes the second out. The man on first ran to second to attract the throw from home and to give the man on third some time to score. The throw went to second to try to get the man coming from first, and the guy from third would have scored, but for the great play. It was very exciting. That made the third out (and the Brewers were able to score in the bottom of the 8th, which was good enough to win the game)."

Yes, very stupid. Good execution by the Brewers but routine. After making the catch Lucroy looked back the runner at third before throwing down to second. This ensured the only way for the runner to score was a bad throw. Neither the throw to second or the throw home was rushed, so the likely hood of that happening is minute. Add the fact that the Pirates had their #4 hitter on deck. Bad base running all the way. And a terrible time to do it.


virgil xenophon said...

@madAsHell/

LOL! 10$ Beer? Talk about inflation! I remember the July 4th weekend of 1965 going to the then new Astrodome to watch the Dodgers in a three game series and beer was 75 cents for a tall milk-shake sized paper cup of draft..

heyboom said...

I don't think a lot of pitchers would stand and watch with a runner on third. They wouldn't last long in the bigs because it is their job to cover home in that situation. Even little leaguers know that.

Wilbur said...

I'd wager a very small sum a $10 beer price is not in the upper half of MLB. Or NFL. Or NBA.

SteveR said...

I do agree with George about the Pirates choices, which however bad, don't diminish how well the Brewers played it, especially since it would have not been the first thing you would have expected the Pirates to do.

Jason said...

Never make the first out of the inning or the last out of the inning at third base, much less than at the plate. Stupid stupid stupid.

The guy on 3rd would have to be Ricky Henderson to have a prayer of scoring the run.

The play at first was more interesting. I played first base and loved it and became a damned good defensive player. As a first baseman, with the game on the line, it's a gutsy call to dive for a throw that you can easily catch by coming off the bag. It worked out here, but it could easily have turned into a ball hurtling toward the bleachers and the tying run in scoring position.

Ugh.

But that's just one of those plays that you have to find in yourself, in the moment. Sometimes the ball is coming at you, and everything is happening in slow motion, and you have such heightened physical and spacial awareness that you know exactly what you're doing and it's magic.

And then shit happens.

Mark O said...

"a thrilling keeping of the toe on first base in the 9th inning."

Meade is a saint.

MadisonMan said...

I'm glad the Brewers are winning. Have family -- extended -- in MKE that really live and die by them.

But I won't go to a game. Too pricey.

traditionalguy said...

Brewers are unbeatable except when they have to play the Braves.

khesanh0802 said...

Nice piece of defensive baseball. The opportunities for screw-up: the throw to second; the throw home - both right on the money. Very nice!

Meade said...

Mark O said...
"a thrilling keeping of the toe on first base in the 9th inning."

Meade is a saint.


Well, no. We find great rally-killing defensive plays in one-run games thrilling. Especially when they go our way. Who doesn't?