Kirk Gibson Throws Strategy Out the Window in Diamondbacks’ Loss to Brewers
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson has made no secret of his disdain for Milwaukee Brewers’ outfielder Ryan Braun. During the 2011 post season, Milwaukee beat Arizona in their playoff series, with Braun going 9 for 18 at the plate, including four doubles and a home run. It was later revealed that Braun tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. Braun served a 65 game suspension for use of performance enhancing substances last year. Braun’s tainted performance in that series has stuck in Gibson’s craw ever since.
Which brings us to the Brewers vs. Diamondbacks game in Arizona on June 17th. Brewers starting pitcher Kyle Lohse hit two batters and threw a pitch over the head of a third. Lohse claims he has control problems in the dry Arizona air. Control problems or not, that type of thing usually leads to retaliation, so it was expected that a Brewer would be plunked with a pitch before the night was over. That’s baseball.
But it is also baseball, or at least sound baseball strategy, that one picks the proper time for retaliation. The ideal time to send a message is when it won’t hurt the team’s chances of winning; the Diamondbacks and Gibson either forgot that in an effort to get Braun at all costs or simply didn’t care. Arizona led 4-3 in the seventh inning and there were Brewers on second and third with one out when Braun stepped to the plate.
Arizona reliever Evan Marshall’s first pitch to Braun went behind him, the second hit him on the hip. Marshall was immediately ejected from the game and was applauded and high fived by his team mates and Gibson in the dugout.
That loaded the bases for Jonathan Lucroy, who had hit a home run an inning earlier and who was hitting around .340 for the season. Lucroy promptly hit new pitcher Brad Ziegler’s first offering an estimated 445 feet to deep center for a grand slam home run. Milwaukee went on to win 7-5. Here’s the sequence of events:
The loss dropped the talented, but underachieving, Diamondbacks to 30-44, last in the N.L. West so like we said, perhaps they didn’t care if it was the right time to hit Braun. Meanwhile, arguably less talented Milwaukee has a 3 ½ game lead in the N.L. Central.
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Kurt Gibson is the closest baseball has had to a Hockey player in a long time (and yes, I know that Tom Glavine was a goalie, but goalies are different).
Sport Team: I know you’re a Civil War enthusiast and you seem to be a baseball guy as well: did you see Ken Burns’ series on both? If so, which did you like more?
I’ve seen both series and I liked both of them. The Civil War series was quite popular, although some thought Burns favored the North too much. I know a biographer of Stonewall Jackson was not happy at all with the characterization of Jackson as a “pious blue eyed killer” or something to that effect. Burns is from the northeast, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he had some bias, but overall I thought his treatment of the subject was quite evenhanded. I also enjoyed his Baseball series, although a minor criticism I have is that I thought he spent a little too much time on the Yankees and Red Sox at the expense of other teams (that northeast thing again). But that’s not a huge deal, it’s still a fascinating series. I loved all the archival footage and photos of the great teams and players from the past. The MLB Network reruns the Baseball series from time to time.
Thanks man. I think I saw all (maybe missed the last inning) of the baseball. It was a little slow at first, but accompanies thoroughness. The controversies of the Civil War would make it tougher though: Mays v. Mantle hardly compares.
I can’t say that I agree with your headline. In this situation, a sac fly ties it (and leaves a runner in scoring position) and a hit most likely leads to a Brewer’s lead. So, even without Braun (certainly no Mendoza) hit by the pitch, it’s really not a bad strategy to walk him: it sets up a force at any base and makes a double play more likely. Actually, that wasn’t even an old school pitch: Drysdale would have plugged him in the back.
True, although intentionally walking Braun would have been safer than trying to hit him with an inside pitch that could have resulted in a wild pitch and a run scored. If Gibson intended to get Braun, it would have made more sense to have done it in the third inning, when Braun came to the plate with two out and nobody on base.
Agree about Drysdale. Also, if Drysdale had given up the grand slam to Lucroy, the batter following him would have been knocked down, and so would Lucroy his next time up.
Good point on the pitch to Braun, but more especially the one behind him. Idk about the third inning, but I’ll take your word for it.
You have to wonder, though, if Drysdale nails Braun in the back, is Lucroy not going to be a little hesitant?
Thanks for the input.