Fri Jun 24 09:33am EDT
Run, Panda, Run! Sandoval’s unorthodox tag seals Giants win
We all know Pablo Sandoval(notes) worked hard in the offseason to drop nearly 40 pounds and make himself slimmer, trimmer, and quicker than ever before. But apparently the Kung Fu Panda thought we needed a reminder in the San Francisco Giants 2-1 victory over the Minnesota.
With Michael Cuddyer(notes) representing the tying run on second base, and Brian Wilson(notes) one out away from closing the game, Luke Hughes(notes) hit a bouncing ball to Sandoval just wide of third base. Rather than make the routine throw across the diamond to retire Hughes, Sandoval elected to show off his newfound quickness and took off running towards Cuddyer.
Now, with first base open, Cuddyer was not forced to run on the play, but how often do you see an infielder choose a foot race when a simple throw is all that's required? It never happens. The throw is always the sure thing, so his cheating down the basepath wasn't unusual.
Sandoval's plan of action was unusual, and that forced a likely stunned Cuddyer to stop dead in his tracks and led what felt like a slow-motion chase back towards second base. With momentum on his side, Sandoval gained enough ground in his pursuit to apply a diving, game-ending, and hide-saving tag just before Cuddyer made a safe return.
In reality the play was over in five seconds. From manager Bruce Bochy's perspective, it must have felt like five minutes.
From MLB.com:
"That's a new play. We didn't work on that this spring, but he broke it out in that situation," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, barely suppressing a laugh. "I didn't know what he was doing either, to be honest. I guess he wanted to show off some speed there."Maybe. Or maybe he just wanted to ruin Michael Cuddyer's reputation.
Or maybe he was caught up in the moment.
"That's the emotion we play with. It's part of the game," Sandoval said. "You get so excited, so pumped up, that you want to do all the things to win."All the things to win can mean a lot of different things. However, I don't think this play ranks too high on that list of things. But if you're the Giants, you'll take it. If you're a Giants fan, you'll accept it. After all, you signed up for the torture. There's nothing you can do but learn to love it.
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