Happy 250th, USA

I hope everyone’s 4th of July went well. Even for people in Philadelphia…. that’s how strongly I feel about America. On the other hand, I’m still not excited about the semiquincentennial All-Star Game there. They announced the lineups tonight which might bear some relationship to the actual teams once guys don’t opt out. In addition to starters Ozzie and Drake, the Braves will also start Shea Langeliers for the AL. Oh, wait… he isn’t here any more. I will say that the breakout career of Drake Baldwin makes me feel a little better about losing Langeliers. They will be joined by Matt Olson and William Contreras, another catcher whose replacement by Drake Baldwin is now acceptable. Now if the old Sean Murphy can return soon, we’ll be OK behind the dish. No Michael Harris II, no Mauricio Dubón, at least for now. As y’all know, I’m fine with that.

As far as hurlers go, Chris Sale and Iggy are Philly-bound, but if we work Chris Sale correctly, he won’t waste effort pitching in the ASG. One extra day of rest ought to do it.

Shifting the Subject, the Subject is Shifting

We all have things that we regard as inviolate to our appreciation of baseball while recognizing that changes in athletic prowess and strategy sometimes necessitate rule changes. Some of these are universally approved from the start: pitch clocks are the archetypal example here, and I think the ABS challenge system is pretty close, although there are those who think the strike zone has been bent out of shape beyond their liking. (By the way, imagine the ABS system on October 12, 1997.)

Other changes, like the Manfred Man, seem to be hated, though as I have said on several occasions, it really doesn’t bother me at all. If you don’t like it, win the thing in the first nine innings. It’s still recognizably baseball, unlike say, penalty kicks to decide a World Cup elimination. People don’t want baseball games to last four hours. (Apparently, Gen Z phones are too likely to run out of juice before the game ends, at which point it would have to be pointed out that there was an event happening if they lifted their heads). The Manfred Man rule has cut the length of extra-inning games dramatically, while still allowing baseball to settle the outcome. I’ll take the win, but YMMV.

And then there’s the Shift. The Shift Rule was instigated because… well, I’m not exactly sure why beyond the fact that nobody liked seeing Joey Gallo sulk any more than necessary. It has two salient features. (1) The shortstop, second baseman and third baseman have to start on their sides of the field; and (2) they have to start touching dirt. As near as I can figure, the net impact of these changes is as follows:

  • Either the shortstop or the second baseman now plays behind the pitcher sometimes, so much so that pitchers should often actively try to miss fieldable balls.
  • We don’t have to pause to send the third baseman into right field on occasion.
  • A few left-handers got a few more hits, though not enough to change batting averages or scoring to any appreciable degree
  • Infielders have slightly dirtier shoes

None of these changes has accomplished anything worthwhile, and they have done violence to what to me is a central precept of strategy: the ability to deploy seven of your nine fielders where you like (the pitcher and catcher are stuck) and then allow the batting team to react. The Shift Rule, as near as I can figure, was a semi-embarrassment because the batting team either couldn’t, or wouldn’t react. Neither was a good look. If you can’t react, it lays bare the fact that the best players in the world lack a fundamental skill. If you choose not to react, it shows that three-outcome baseball is so important that some extra left-handed outs don’t matter.

That is not a reason to implement a new rule. The Shift made baseball more interesting, and we are worse off for not having it. With the Shift, the batting team revealed a preference for hitting into the shift rather than change anything about their approach, and the Shift Rule punished the defense for a strategic choice freely made by the offense. Rewarding the offense for refusing to “hit ’em where they ain’t” gets the strategic incentives exactly backwards.

If you want to increase scoring through artificial fielder rules, I have a few possible suggestions.

  • Creating a fielding box for every player, not just the catcher.
  • Use invisible fence technology to keep every fielder within a unique zone on the field. Make special dispensations for Ozzie’s chains when fitting the shock collars. For really dramatic scoring changes, add some areas where no fielder is allowed to go. (I call that the Lava Rule.)
  • Make baseball like elementary school volleyball. Require all the players to rotate position after every batter.
  • Designate one player every pitch to begin the play lying down.
  • Make players wear golf gloves, not baseball gloves. I’ll exclude catchers from this rule. I’m not a monster.
  • Penalty kicks. I’m not sure how you’d implement these exactly, but I like seeing stupid ideas proliferate.

The Game

There are a lot of great things about America, but there is no question that one of them is Chris Sale. As a Braves fan since 1966, I have had the incredible privilege of rooting for some great, great athletes. As pitchers go, I think it was still more fun to watch vintage Greg Maddux than Chris Sale, but saying that Chris Sale is a close second is no exaggeration.

The scoring started in the 2nd with an Eli White solo homer off Sean Manaea. A bases-loaded single by Harris in the 3rd made it 2-0. That brought up Eli White again, at which point the lolMets started lolMetsing. White was credited with a double when a simple pop to center field turned into three earned runs. This was not a double. (I expect the official scoring on this play to change, but I could be wrong. My only question is what would have happened had there been one out, not two, Sam Holbrook.)

The discussion of July 4, 1985 waited until the Braves had a 5 run lead. I think they said Camp ten times, but I lost count. The Sterling mentions were exactly right. Nobody talked to Lenny Dykstra. While they were discussing it, Dubón hit a solo homer to make it 6-0.

Chris Sale with a 6 run lead is in pretty good shape. He has never lost a 6-run lead, although there was one game where he had a six run lead, gave up 5, and the Red Sox ended up losing the game. If you’re Chris Sale, you’re allowed one game like that in your career.

Tyrone Taylor got back one of the three he botched in the third with a homer in the fifth. If this were hockey, he’d be a -2. But then a Mark Vientos two-run homer in the 6th made it 6-3. Another single and a long at bat from Alvarez and his night was over with only 3 strikeouts. Dylan Lee redeemed his last outings with three quick Ks.

Joey Bart drove in their 7th run with a double and the official scorer, who apparently took the night off, failed to credit the second Mets error, giving Mateo an unearned hit. An eighth run scored on a Dubón groundout, getting the lead back to 5. A Yaz 2-run homer in the 7th made it 10-3.

JR Ritchie, who is listed at 6’2″, but looks easily a foot shorter than Chris Sale through some sort of optical illusion (or lie) finished up the last three innings. The Mets last serious chance evaporated when Ritchie struck out Lindor with the two outs and the bases loaded in the 8th.

In the bottom of the 8th, just to prove that they are not a major league team, the Mets gave up a 3 run homer to someone named Austin Riley. I thought he had retired from baseball. 13-3. That was enough runs even for Roger. Despite that, the Mets decided to let catcher Luis Torrens pitch. He proved that their nonpitchers are neither better nor worse than their pitchers, giving up a homer to Michael Harris II, and a single to Yaz. 14-3.

Game 3 of a wraparound series tomorrow. Nolan Mclean against Martin Perez. Happy 4th.