Back in April I pointed out that the Yankees lost a game because
first year 3rd Base Coach Joe Espada was out of position on
a crucial decision to send/hold a base runner rounding 3rd.
He held the runner because he was too close to the 3rd base bag when he
decided to flash the stop sign, a split second before the center fielder
did not field the ball cleanly.
I explained that if Joe had come down the line towards home as the play developed,
he would have seen the bobble and waived the runner (Chase Headley)
on without Chase breaking stride. If the play was made cleanly, Espada
would still have time to flash the stop sign as Headley
started rounding third.
Well the good news is this… someone in the Yankee dug out must
have noticed the mistake and mentioned it
to Joe because now Espada comes down the line so far he
almost shakes hands with the home plate umpire )
Kudos to Joe for his adjustment.
It doesn’t take away the difficulty of deciding
to send or hold a runner on what would be a bang-bang play,
but it gives him a split second longer to decide, and some times
the fielder doesn’t come up with the ball cleanly .. and that
makes the decision for you .. if you are in the proper position.
