It was the top of the 7th inning when the score was 2-1. The away team’s D-backs had a chance to score. Leadoff Alec Thomas opened with a double. Then Evan Longoria hits a powerful ball. It is a timely hit that penetrates third base and goes to left field. The difficult additional points went up. (Texas-Arizona, World Series Game 2 on the 29th, Korean time)먹튀검증
The score continues to be 3-1 with no outs on first base. Number 9 Geraldo Fedomo comes out to bat. But I have absolutely no intention of swinging. It is a bunt movement from the beginning. I hit the first pitch, but it’s a foul, and I try again with the next pitch. This time, roll accurately in front of the pitcher. It is a typical sacrifice hit that leaves one out and two bases on base.
D-backs’ operation is completed after two kills. Longoria homered on Corbin Carroll’s left-handed hit. The score gap widens to 4-1.
It goes even further in the 8th episode. No. 5 Tommy Pham opened with a single. Then, a clever strategy unfolds again. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. at the plate is nothing to look at. Lower the bat from the first pitch. It’s an exquisite bunt toward third base. He sends Pam safely to second base, and he violently dies.
After 2 outs. Following the walk-walk, two timely hits (Marte and Carroll) occur in succession. 4-1 became 7-1. It is now a game that cannot be undone. There is no need to worry about an upset loss like the day before.
The World Series was balanced at 1 win and 1 loss.
The colors of the two teams are clearly distinct. For the Rangers, long hitting is a strategic asset. Game 1, which was dragged on for the entire time, was also resolved with this. A dramatic victory was achieved with a two-run (Corey Seager) tying game in the 9th and a walk-off cannon (Adolis Garcia) in the 11th. This is the magnificence of the slugger corps, which ranked tied for third among 30 clubs with 233 during the regular season.
On the other hand, D-backs are different. There is no comparison based on the number of home runs. It is far behind at 166 (22nd). Instead, there are other weapons. It is meticulous.
The first thing that stands out is running. He succeeded in stealing 190 bases (2nd overall) in the pennant race. There are only 26 failures. The success rate is a whopping 86.5%. There are five runners who have stolen more than 10 runs, including Corbin Carroll (54), Jake McCarthy (26), and Pedomo (16).
There is no rest even in PS. Rattlesnakes run whenever they get the chance. Already 21 have been successful (3 failed). It is more than twice the number of Rangers, who recorded 10.
There is something that catches the eye more than anything else. It’s style. He plays an old-fashioned, unfamiliar small ball. A representative example is the sacrifice bunt. He uses it casually. He recorded 36 in the regular season. It is by far first place among 30 teams (Auckland is in second place with 28 teams).
It doesn’t stop even in fall (PS). It has already been recorded 8 times. For teams like Rangers, this number is completely ‘zero’. Most teams are like that. I guess I should do at most one. But they are not. If the opportunity arises, trade one out. I don’t hesitate to send him to second base. (There are 7 teams with 8 or fewer sacrifice bunts during the 162 games of the regular season.)
3 of the 8 sacrifice bunts came in Game 2 of the World Series. This is a strategy to send the game away even after taking the lead in the 7th and 8th innings. Even with a 4-1 lead, he rolls the first pitch. It’s like watching the KBO (Korea) or NPB (Japan) league. PS This is the first record of three sacrifice bunts in one game since the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. It is the fifth time in the World Series since 1960.
This is what former coach Kim Seong-geun always said. The theory is that the most aggressive attack is the bunt. He preached that it was a strategy that could put pressure on the opponent and get not just 1 point, but 2 or 3 points. That statement was proven in the second game of WS. Thanks to solid sacrifice hits, 2-1 became 4-1, 7-1, and eventually the opponent collapsed. The final score is 9-1.
The D-backs are underdogs. We always have to compete with big clubs like the Dodgers and Giants. Recently, the Padres have also been sparing no investment. You have to survive in that division. And in the postseason, we face an even more monstrous team.
Coach Torrey Lovullo, who took office in 2017, gained competitiveness through differentiation. In the first year, they advanced to the NLDS with 93 wins and 69 losses. Although he lost to the Dodgers, he won the Manager of the Year award that year. After 6 years, they are playing fall baseball again and are aiming for supremacy for the first time in 22 years.
Arizona’s GM Mike Hazen said, “It is not easy for us to have a lineup that hits as many home runs as other teams. Instead, you have to win in another way. “We need to repeat the process of making one single important and converting it into a score,” he said, supporting the bunt strategy.
There was a moment that even the GM didn’t expect. It was Evan Longoria’s bunt that came in the third inning that day. He is a three-time All-Star hitter. He was also selected as a Silver Slugger. It is far from cute. He doesn’t even remember the last bunt. The only record remains from 2014.
He said, “It is not the director’s signature. He didn’t prepare in advance. It’s something I couldn’t even imagine before the game. But at that moment, he felt like he had to do that at the plate. Because we know that’s how we play the game.”
It’s old and shabby. It’s like a cheap ballpoint pen in an old drawer. No one cares. At least that was the case for them. Small ball. That trivial, old-fashioned method was brought back into the world this fall. And it’s getting attention.