WAY OFF BASE

Baseball managers keep on fumbling endgame decisions

WHY IS it that the most astute fans so often know before the GMs, managers, coaches and assigned media experts?

Even many progressive, analytically wishful know by now that they fell for and advocated nonsense, as MLB has been reduced to a primitive exercise of trying to hit home runs or striking out, and pitchers assigned to one half-inning before being returned to the bullpen or to Syracuse, Scranton or Modesto.

Fundamental, functional strategy has vanished. And that brings us to the bottom of the ninth of tie games, now often followed by speed-it-up legislated runners at second base to begin extra innings.

But even artificial additives seem to escape common sense and easily applied strategies.

Reader Sam Agami still can’t figure out what Aaron Boone was or wasn’t thinking a week ago Friday at the Stadium against the Tigers.

At 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees had Alex Verdugo on third and Giancarlo Stanton on second when Boone replaced Stanton with pinch runner Taylor Trammel. Trammel is faster — or at least runs harder — than Stanton. So it seemed to make sense.

Except for the fact that it didn’t, as Stanton wouldn’t have even had to move — and he’s good at that!

As Agami noted, if Verdugo scores from third, the game is over. If the game enters, say, the 11th, Trammel would be batting for Stanton.

Agami: “Must be some genius analytics beyond my mental capacity.”

Reader Ron Eckstein doesn’t get it, either:

“In the bottom half of extra innings with the assigned runner on second, wouldn’t it make more sense to walk the first batter setting up a double play or force at any base?

“If the score is tied, the winning run is on second base, anyway.

“I’ve never seen that happen or even mentioned by announcers. Seems to be a simple, logical strategy.”

Wednesday, Tigers at Cleveland, 4-4 bottom of the 10th. The Guardians move the automatic runner to third on a — holy Gino Cimoli! — sacrifice bunt.

But still the Tigers leave first base open, thus the infield must play in. The game ends with a single up the middle. No chance for a double play because Detroit eliminated it as a matter of odd choice or professional neglect.

GET OUTTA THERE! Aaron Boone greets Giancarlo Stanton on his way back to the dugout. Last week, Boone pulled Stanton for a pinch runner on second base in the ninth inning of a tie game, when the winning run was on third. Those kind of thoughtless decisions seems to be growing in MLB, writes Phil Mushnick.