ST. LOUIS -- The infield shift isn't dead. Kind of.
Two batters before the Cardinals eventually walked off the Pirates at Busch Stadium Sunday, 5-4, the Pirates pulled off one of the more interesting defensive strategies we'll probably see this year. With the bases loaded, one out and the speedy Tyler O'Neill at third base, it was clear that any fly ball would Jordan Walker would probably end the game.
So the play became to pull center fielder Ji Hwan Bae in to between second and shortstop. It doesn't break any of the new shift rules since every infielder is still on the dirt and there are two on each side, and it effectively took away the possibility of a base-hit up the middle.
Good ol’ five man infield with the game on the line pic.twitter.com/6AE2jZhqSo
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) April 16, 2023
"We were just trying to create a situation where we thought we had the best matchups," Derek Shelton said. "We get the walk. We get to Walker. We bring the infield into a five-man. [Wil] Crowe throws a lot of ground balls. If any ball is hit to the outfield there, O’Neill is going to score so just trying to put a little pressure on."
The shift ended up being moot. Crowe struck out Walker, and then Tommy Edman ended the game with a roller up the middle, pretty much to the spot Bae was standing.
But this could be something to watch going forward, either with the Pirates or across the league. The new shift rules are creating more hits, especially for left-handers. Could we one day see a shift where the left fielder plays that short right field against a left-hander? If they do, could it actually work?
