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Detroit — You remember manager AJ Hinch’s decision to intentionally walk right-handed hitting Patrick Wisdom to load the bases with two outs in the sixth inning Sunday against the Mariners?
Lefty Drew Sommers was pitching and left-handed hitting Colt Emerson was up after Wisdom.
Remember?
You should know, he hated that decision, too. He hated it before Sommers hit Emerson with a 0-2 pitch to force home the Mariners’ fourth run.
“I don’t like it,” he said. “I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now.”
Hinch has had a stormy relationship with the intentional pass his entire managerial career. He didn’t issue a single free pass in the 2019 regular season. But in Game 2 of the World Series that year, he gave a free pass to the Nationals’ Juan Soto and it led to a five-run inning.
“You try to take your shot when you can,” he said.
Hinch issued 11 free passes in 2024 and 14 last season. He’s already issued four this year.
“I did it the other day because I wasn’t willing to give the right-handed hitter a look when I had the lefty behind him,” Hinch said. “I trust Drew. He got ahead 0-2 and just let a ball get away from him. And that’s exactly the risk. It feels good on the front end. Like, of course you’re not going to let a righty beat Drew Sommers with a lefty on deck. And look what happens.”
Unintended consequences happen. Errors were made that fueled the five-run inning he walked Soto. Those don’t factor into the equation when deciding whether to put Soto on first.
You don’t factor in Sommers, who hasn’t given up a hit in his current stint with the Tigers, to clip Emerson on an 0-2 pitch.
“Mathematically, competitively, it’s not a great play over the course of time,” Hinch said of the intentional pass. “It feels better and sometimes you get away with it. But you are increasing run scoring by putting a free guy on base. I’ve believed that since the beginning of my managerial career and I will continue to believe that.
“And I will continue to pick and choose these special circumstances that feel like you really need to do it to give yourself a better chance. And you are willing to accept the risk of something random happening, like a walk or hit by pitch.”
Seattle manager Dan Wilson opted not to use the intentional pass strategy in the bottom of the ninth and it burned him. His closer, Andres Munoz, walked back-to-back hitters and with runners at second and third and two outs, he could’ve walked lefty Kevin McGonigle and pitched to right-handed hitting Gleyber Torres, who was hitless in his last eight at-bats in the series.
But walking the bases loaded with Munoz, who was fighting his control, would be risky, too. And McGonigle is a rookie, so he thought Munoz could exploit some over-aggressiveness in that moment.
McGonigle ripped a game-winning, two-run single.
“What do we tell our hitters, get on base,” Hinch said. “Why? Because it increases run scoring. So if I give you a free one, I better be right.”
[email protected]
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers' AJ Hinch talks about relationship with free passes
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Lefty Drew Sommers was pitching and left-handed hitting Colt Emerson was up after Wisdom.
Remember?
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You should know, he hated that decision, too. He hated it before Sommers hit Emerson with a 0-2 pitch to force home the Mariners’ fourth run.
“I don’t like it,” he said. “I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now.”
Hinch has had a stormy relationship with the intentional pass his entire managerial career. He didn’t issue a single free pass in the 2019 regular season. But in Game 2 of the World Series that year, he gave a free pass to the Nationals’ Juan Soto and it led to a five-run inning.
“You try to take your shot when you can,” he said.
Hinch issued 11 free passes in 2024 and 14 last season. He’s already issued four this year.
“I did it the other day because I wasn’t willing to give the right-handed hitter a look when I had the lefty behind him,” Hinch said. “I trust Drew. He got ahead 0-2 and just let a ball get away from him. And that’s exactly the risk. It feels good on the front end. Like, of course you’re not going to let a righty beat Drew Sommers with a lefty on deck. And look what happens.”
Unintended consequences happen. Errors were made that fueled the five-run inning he walked Soto. Those don’t factor into the equation when deciding whether to put Soto on first.
You don’t factor in Sommers, who hasn’t given up a hit in his current stint with the Tigers, to clip Emerson on an 0-2 pitch.
“Mathematically, competitively, it’s not a great play over the course of time,” Hinch said of the intentional pass. “It feels better and sometimes you get away with it. But you are increasing run scoring by putting a free guy on base. I’ve believed that since the beginning of my managerial career and I will continue to believe that.
“And I will continue to pick and choose these special circumstances that feel like you really need to do it to give yourself a better chance. And you are willing to accept the risk of something random happening, like a walk or hit by pitch.”
Seattle manager Dan Wilson opted not to use the intentional pass strategy in the bottom of the ninth and it burned him. His closer, Andres Munoz, walked back-to-back hitters and with runners at second and third and two outs, he could’ve walked lefty Kevin McGonigle and pitched to right-handed hitting Gleyber Torres, who was hitless in his last eight at-bats in the series.
But walking the bases loaded with Munoz, who was fighting his control, would be risky, too. And McGonigle is a rookie, so he thought Munoz could exploit some over-aggressiveness in that moment.
McGonigle ripped a game-winning, two-run single.
“What do we tell our hitters, get on base,” Hinch said. “Why? Because it increases run scoring. So if I give you a free one, I better be right.”
[email protected]
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers' AJ Hinch talks about relationship with free passes
Continue reading...
