re: Holman's Start Involved a Bit of Misfortune

Part of it may be luck. Baseball also has some inherent paradoxes at times.
Many well-hit balls become outs, while many balls not hit as well find space for hits.
And generally, the more you miss when you're underneath on foul balls, the better (except for foul tip 3rd strikes of course). Miss by a lot, and it's out of play. Miss to where it's just out of fair territory, and it might be an out.