Ralph Kiner was one of the first announcers to emphasize the baseball axiom that when a team is trailing by two runs the last inning and has a runner on base, that player’s run is meaningless.
The run becomes meaningful only if it is the first of at least two runs in the inning.
Last night, Allen Craig led off the the top of the ninth inning for the St. Louis Cardinals, who were trailing the Texas Rangers, 4-2. With the count one ball and two strikes, the next pitch hit Craig.
The batter was Albert Pujols, representing the potential tying run.
Neftali Feliz’ first pitch was a called strike. Pujols fouled off the next pitch. Pujols worked the count full. Feliz threw to first a few times during the sequence. They were polite tosses to hold Craig close, not to decrease his chances of stealing successfully.
Then it happened.
Craig, whose run meant nothing unless the Cards scored a fourth run, took off for second as Pujols swung and missed. Mike Napoli easily threw out Craig.
Instead of one out with probably two more chances to try to tie the game or take the lead, there were two outs with the bases empty.
In the seventh inning, with the teams tied 2-2. Craig drew a one-out walk. Pujols put on the hit-and-run, or at least it was thought that Pujols put it on. The sign was relayed to Craig by third base coach Jose Oquendo.
As the television broadcasters told everyone, with Pujols at bat, Craig on first was already in scoring position.
Yes, the Cardinals failed to hit in the clutch.
Six of the nine batters in the starting lineup were hitless with a runner in scoring position. The Cardinals had at least a runner on second base is six of eight innings and at least a runner on third base five times in the first seven innings. They failed to take advantage and were only one for 12 with runners in scoring position.
What is more amazing is that they had seven hits, nine walks, one hit batter and the Rangers made two errors
That doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t have scored two ninth-inning runs if LaRussa (or Pujols) hadn’t put on the hit-and-run in the ninth inning. One view is that they would continue to fail in the clutch. Another is that they were due.
The media have all jumped on the alleged lack of communication between LaRussa and bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist, which resulted in the “wrong” pitcher facing Mike Napoli, as being the pivotal point. It was critical, but so was the ninth inning hit-and-run.
There are no “predestined” base hits. It is mere speculation to conclude that if Napoli would have been retired if he were facing Jason Motte rather than left-hander Marc Rzepczynski.
What is not speculation is what Ralph Kiner said more than 50 years ago.