The Dodgers' Will Smith tags out Joey Bart at the plate to end the second inning Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Throughout the 2025 season, the Pirates have made questionable decisions on the basepaths, especially when it comes to sending runners to the plate. In the top of the second inning, with runners on first and third, they made another.
Joey Bart led off the inning with a five-pitch walk and advanced to second on a Ke'Bryan Hayes single and then moved to third on an Adam Frazier fielder's choice groundout. That put runners on first and third with just one out and Tommy Pham stepping to the plate.
Then this happened:
At the time of the play, the Pirates trailed the Dodgers 2-1 after the home team scored two in the bottom of the first inning, following Oneil Cruz's leadoff home run, his fourth in nine games. They were in a good position to at least push one more run across in the inning after Pham's flyout. Yet, they ran into another inning-ending double play that cost them another run-scoring opportunity.
You can see in the video above that Bart gets a late jump, he seemed like he was indecisive on whether he wanted to go to the plate or not, especially in a situation with two runners on, two outs and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the team's best hitter in terms of batting average, coming to the plate.
I asked Bart after the game if he elected to go home by himself on the play, or if he was sent by third-base coach Mike Rabelo. After mulling over the question, he said he went on his own.
Derek Shelton was asked about Bart going home as well and the sixth-year manager said: "I don't know on that. I don't know what happened. I mean, Teoscar made a really good play. He was running in and made a throw on the run and got us."
In the grand-scheme of things, this play didn't play a part in the final result -- an 8-4 loss, the Pirates' second of this six-game West Coast trip -- but it highlighted another area that the Pirates need to see improvement in. It didn't on this night, but baserunning mistakes like this one can impact games that need to be won in the margins.
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
7:51 am - 04.27.2025LOS ANGELESMound Visit: Another baffling baserunning mistake
GETTY
The Dodgers' Will Smith tags out Joey Bart at the plate to end the second inning Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Throughout the 2025 season, the Pirates have made questionable decisions on the basepaths, especially when it comes to sending runners to the plate. In the top of the second inning, with runners on first and third, they made another.
Joey Bart led off the inning with a five-pitch walk and advanced to second on a Ke'Bryan Hayes single and then moved to third on an Adam Frazier fielder's choice groundout. That put runners on first and third with just one out and Tommy Pham stepping to the plate.
Then this happened:
At the time of the play, the Pirates trailed the Dodgers 2-1 after the home team scored two in the bottom of the first inning, following Oneil Cruz's leadoff home run, his fourth in nine games. They were in a good position to at least push one more run across in the inning after Pham's flyout. Yet, they ran into another inning-ending double play that cost them another run-scoring opportunity.
You can see in the video above that Bart gets a late jump, he seemed like he was indecisive on whether he wanted to go to the plate or not, especially in a situation with two runners on, two outs and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the team's best hitter in terms of batting average, coming to the plate.
I asked Bart after the game if he elected to go home by himself on the play, or if he was sent by third-base coach Mike Rabelo. After mulling over the question, he said he went on his own.
Derek Shelton was asked about Bart going home as well and the sixth-year manager said: "I don't know on that. I don't know what happened. I mean, Teoscar made a really good play. He was running in and made a throw on the run and got us."
In the grand-scheme of things, this play didn't play a part in the final result -- an 8-4 loss, the Pirates' second of this six-game West Coast trip -- but it highlighted another area that the Pirates need to see improvement in. It didn't on this night, but baserunning mistakes like this one can impact games that need to be won in the margins.
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