During Monday’s game between the Mets and the Diamondbacks, the D-backs allowed Tim Locastro, the potential game-winning run, to steal second base without holding him on.
It was a decision that left Mets play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen shocked: “What are they thinking? How do you allow the winning run to steal second base? That is as boneheaded a managerial decision as I’ve seen all year long. Unreal.”
Analyst, and former Mets legend, Keith Hernandez echoed the sentiment, saying: “Oh, wow. Oh, my. Oh, my God. Oh, wow.”
"How do you allow the winning run to steal second base?!? That is as bonehead a managerial decision as I've seen all year long." pic.twitter.com/XZxHKbVfc1
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) September 12, 2023
The Diamondbacks ultimately won the game 4-3, but the controversial play continued to be a topic of discussion. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, pitching coach Brent Strom defended the decision and took a swipe at the Mets’ broadcasting duo.
“I think [manager] Torey [Lovullo] made a very, very good choice of playing behind Locastro, despite what the really smart Cohen and Hernandez group had to say because I think they’re idiots for what they said,” Strom said, according to The Arizona Republic.
The Diamondbacks have consistently defended the decision to allow Locastro to steal second base, citing two key reasons. First, Locastro’s exceptional speed made it a realistic possibility that he could easily swipe second. Second, they argued that Brandon Nimmo, the Mets batter at the time, has a propensity to hit ground balls to the right side of the field.
By not holding Locastro on first base, the Diamondbacks’ coaching staff believed they were minimizing the chance of Nimmo finding the gap on the right side and tying the game with a single.
Strom explained their rationale, stating: “What if we’re holding him on, and (Nimmo) hits a 22-hopper, a left-handed pull hitter with a right-handed pitcher, if the left-handed hitter hits a 22-hopper into right field? Now we have first and third again. It was just worth it to roll the dice with it.”
In Wednesday night’s game, the unconventional strategy did not come into play as the Mets secured a convincing 7-1 victory over the Diamondbacks.
There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned squabble between veteran baseball heads, am I right???