Chicks dig the long ball

Who remembers that commercial with Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine talking about how "Chicks dig the long ball"?

Well if you forgot it, you can check it out on YouTube here.  Tom Glavine recollects the making of the Nike commercial.

I was watching a game earlier this year and the score was tied up with no outs in the 8th inning with a runner on second.  The top of the lineup was up.

A few things could have played out.

The defense could have intentionally walked the guy up at plate to potentially get a double (or triple) play in order.  This didn't happen and the defense chose to just attack the hitter.  

Now the hitter could have chosen to lay down a sacrifice bunt to advance the guy on 2nd base to 3rd base with one out.  This would almost certainly cause the infield to play in on the grass opening more possibilities for the number 2 hitter in the lineup to manipulate a base hit OR hit a sacrifice fly OR let a ball get pass the catcher for the guy on now 3rd base to score.  The ability to score a run from 3rd base with 1 out and your number 2 and 3 hitters up seems like an easy way to push across a run and put your team ahead.  

Do you think that happened?

Nope.  The guy up at the plate was an All Star with high contact rate, but tried to hit a HR in a selfish manner.  He didn't. 

He lined out.

1 out. Runner still at 2nd Base.

The team's number 2 hitter is up at the plate.  He's a rookie.  He struck out on a ball in the dirt that briefly got away from the catcher.  Throw down to 1st. 

2 outs.  Runner on 2nd didn't advance.

The team's number 3 hitter is up, also an All Star.  Fly ball, deep in the outfield.

Caught.

3 outs.

Runner on 2nd stayed there, stranded.

The team gave up the lead in the bottom of the inning and would go on to lose the game.

In a game with the 3 true outcomes (walk, strikeout, HR) grows more and more each year we are seeing teams play small ball less and less.  

Is it because chicks dig the long ball or is it because analytics and the moneyball way of thinking no longer values a productive out?

Not surprisingly the number of sacrifice bunts in 2021 is down per game compared to a decade ago.  Also not surprising is that 13 of the top 15 teams that do sacrifice bunt are National League teams and are often pitchers attempting to lay down a sacrifice.  

The 2 teams not in the top 15 that are National League teams? 

The last place Miami Marlins (0.15 bunts per game) and Pittsburgh Pirates (0.13 bunts per game) both bunt the least for National League teams. 

Go back to 2011 and the Marlins were bunting 0.55 (most in majors) and the Pirates were bunting 0.46 times per game.  The team with the fewest sacrifice bunts in 2011 was the Boston Red Sox at 0.14 sacrifice bunts per game.

The furthest back I can go is 2007 based on the research I was able to do and the Colorado Rockies were sacrifice bunting 0.50 times a game.  They are also leading the majors this year with 0.31 times per game.  The 0.31 times per game in 2021 would put them in the lower half of the 2007 statistics and lumped in with many of the fewest bunts among American League teams.

The art of bunting is nearly gone from baseball.

I miss small ball and seeing action and strategy on the base paths and defense.

When Andrew McCutchen broke into the majors in 2009 he was a force on the base paths stealing 20-30 bags per season during his first 5 years.  

There were even times that Cutch would attempt to lay down a bunt for a base hit.

The last time Cutch was successful with a sacrifice hit was in 2011.  

There was an insert set in 2012 Topps Opening Day called Elite Skills

The 25 card insert set features various skills from the game of baseball.  Oddly enough, Cutch is featured as the bunting skill.

The back of the card talks about how the elite athlete gets ready to lay down a bunt for a potential base hit. 

What are some of your favorite baseball commercials?