re: Huge and somewhat overlooked play from last night

quote:

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With 1 out, I thought it was the right call to send him. If you hold him the second out is going to be recorded at first, and you're relying on a two out hit, not knowing, of course, that a balk would ensue. And if he gets thrown out you still have a runner in scoring position. Now, if the ball had been hit so hard that it was obvious Dugas would be out by ten feet, you probably shouldn't send him, though some would argue that you make the guy make a throw in that pressure situation and see if he screws up.

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Certainly it was a calculated and understandable risk (particularly given the two guys who would be batting next).

Objectively it probably wasn't a great ball on which to try to score. But the aggressive approach of leaving on contact...coupled with the slight hesitation of the OU first baseman gave Dugas the literal split second necessary to beat the tag.