Infield shift: Difference between revisions
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Originally called the "[[Lou Boudreau|Boudreau]]" or "Williams" shift, the strategy is often associated with [[Ted Williams]], but it was actually first employed against [[Cy Williams]] during the 1920s.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zCoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41&dq=eddie+yost+baseball+digest&hl=en&ei=EH3GTOUch4LhBqS36dsP&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=20th Century All-Overlooked Stars |author=Vass, George |publisher=Books.Google.com |date=August 1999 |work=Baseball Digest |accessdate=24 April 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4i0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA30&dq=ken+williams+baseball+digest&hl=en&ei=i8LGTJnfBJyg4Qa7zoDoDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=ken%20williams%20baseball%20digest&f=false |title=Baseball's Forgotten Stars |author=Vass, George |publisher=Books.Google.com |date=July 2004 |work=Baseball Digest |accessdate=24 April 2012 }}</ref> It was later used against Ted Williams during the [[1946 World Series]] between the [[Red Sox]] and the [[St. Louis Cardinals|Cardinals]] as a defensive gimmick by St. Louis manager [[Eddie Dyer]] to psych out and hopefully contain Boston slugger Williams. It was devised by Cleveland Indians manager Lou Boudreau on a blackboard between games of a doubleheader in July 1946 to halt Williams' hot hitting. "I always considered The Boudreau Shift a psychological, rather than a tactical victory," wrote Lou Boudreau in his book, ''Player-Manager''. The shift has been employed since then to thwart extreme [[pull hitter]]s (mostly lefties), such as [[Barry Bonds]], [[Ryan Howard]], [[Jason Giambi]], [[David Ortiz]], and [[Mark Teixeira]].<ref>[https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ryan-howards-career-is-dead-the-shift-killed-it/]</ref><ref>[https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ahead-of-their-time-why-baseball-revived-a-60-year-old-strategy-designed-to-stop-ted-williams/]</ref> |
Originally called the "[[Lou Boudreau|Boudreau]]" or "Williams" shift, the strategy is often associated with [[Ted Williams]], but it was actually first employed against [[Cy Williams]] during the 1920s.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zCoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41&dq=eddie+yost+baseball+digest&hl=en&ei=EH3GTOUch4LhBqS36dsP&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=20th Century All-Overlooked Stars |author=Vass, George |publisher=Books.Google.com |date=August 1999 |work=Baseball Digest |accessdate=24 April 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4i0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA30&dq=ken+williams+baseball+digest&hl=en&ei=i8LGTJnfBJyg4Qa7zoDoDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=ken%20williams%20baseball%20digest&f=false |title=Baseball's Forgotten Stars |author=Vass, George |publisher=Books.Google.com |date=July 2004 |work=Baseball Digest |accessdate=24 April 2012 }}</ref> It was later used against Ted Williams during the [[1946 World Series]] between the [[Red Sox]] and the [[St. Louis Cardinals|Cardinals]] as a defensive gimmick by St. Louis manager [[Eddie Dyer]] to psych out and hopefully contain Boston slugger Williams. It was devised by Cleveland Indians manager Lou Boudreau on a blackboard between games of a doubleheader in July 1946 to halt Williams' hot hitting. "I always considered The Boudreau Shift a psychological, rather than a tactical victory," wrote Lou Boudreau in his book, ''Player-Manager''. The shift has been employed since then to thwart extreme [[pull hitter]]s (mostly lefties), such as [[Barry Bonds]], [[Ryan Howard]], [[Jason Giambi]], [[David Ortiz]], and [[Mark Teixeira]].<ref>[https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ryan-howards-career-is-dead-the-shift-killed-it/]</ref><ref>[https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ahead-of-their-time-why-baseball-revived-a-60-year-old-strategy-designed-to-stop-ted-williams/]</ref> |
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Typically the [[third baseman]] moves to the left where the shortstop plays; the [[shortstop]] plays to the right of second; the [[second baseman]] plays between first and second and usually on the [[right field]] grass; the [[center fielder]] plays right-center; and the [[first baseman]] and [[right fielder]] hug the [[Glossary of baseball (F)#foul lines|foul line]]. Sometimes the third baseman (rather than the short stop) will play to the right of second, allowing the short stop to |
Typically the [[third baseman]] moves to the left where the shortstop plays; the [[shortstop]] plays to the right of second; the [[second baseman]] plays between first and second and usually on the [[right field]] grass; the [[center fielder]] plays right-center; and the [[first baseman]] and [[right fielder]] hug the [[Glossary of baseball (F)#foul lines|foul line]]. Sometimes the third baseman (rather than the short stop) will play to the right of second, allowing the short stop to remain near their usual position. While this is the most common type of defensive shift seen in baseball, there are numerous variations that can be implemented according to the hitting ability of the batter. For example, an effective defensive shift against [[Joe Mauer]] would have the infield shifted for a pull-happy left hander, and the outfield shifted for a pull-happy right-hander, due to Mauer's uncommon tendency to pull nearly all of his groundballs, and hit nearly all of his flyballs to the opposite field.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/mauers-split/ |title=Mauer’s Splits | FanGraphs Baseball |publisher=Fangraphs.com |date=2010-02-08 |accessdate=2012-10-16}}</ref> |
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Infield shifts have become more common in recent years, and the tactic's drawbacks have become more apparent. For example, in the [[2009 World Series]], [[Johnny Damon]] of the [[New York Yankees]] stole two bases on one pitch against the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] due to an infield shift: Damon stole second, and, after the third baseman covered second and was pulled away from the base, immediately headed for the uncovered third base. |
Infield shifts have become more common in recent years, and the tactic's drawbacks have become more apparent. For example, in the [[2009 World Series]], [[Johnny Damon]] of the [[New York Yankees]] stole two bases on one pitch against the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] due to an infield shift: Damon stole second, and, after the third baseman covered second and was pulled away from the base, immediately headed for the uncovered third base. |
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Revision as of 04:09, 16 May 2018
The infield shift is a generic term used in baseball to describe a defensive realignment from the standard positions to blanket one side of the field or another. Used almost exclusively against left-handed batters, it is designed to protect against base hits pulled hard into the gaps between the fielders on the right side.
Originally called the "Boudreau" or "Williams" shift, the strategy is often associated with Ted Williams, but it was actually first employed against Cy Williams during the 1920s.[1][2] It was later used against Ted Williams during the 1946 World Series between the Red Sox and the Cardinals as a defensive gimmick by St. Louis manager Eddie Dyer to psych out and hopefully contain Boston slugger Williams. It was devised by Cleveland Indians manager Lou Boudreau on a blackboard between games of a doubleheader in July 1946 to halt Williams' hot hitting. "I always considered The Boudreau Shift a psychological, rather than a tactical victory," wrote Lou Boudreau in his book, Player-Manager. The shift has been employed since then to thwart extreme pull hitters (mostly lefties), such as Barry Bonds, Ryan Howard, Jason Giambi, David Ortiz, and Mark Teixeira.[3][4]
Typically the third baseman moves to the left where the shortstop plays; the shortstop plays to the right of second; the second baseman plays between first and second and usually on the right field grass; the center fielder plays right-center; and the first baseman and right fielder hug the foul line. Sometimes the third baseman (rather than the short stop) will play to the right of second, allowing the short stop to remain near their usual position. While this is the most common type of defensive shift seen in baseball, there are numerous variations that can be implemented according to the hitting ability of the batter. For example, an effective defensive shift against Joe Mauer would have the infield shifted for a pull-happy left hander, and the outfield shifted for a pull-happy right-hander, due to Mauer's uncommon tendency to pull nearly all of his groundballs, and hit nearly all of his flyballs to the opposite field.[5]
Infield shifts have become more common in recent years, and the tactic's drawbacks have become more apparent. For example, in the 2009 World Series, Johnny Damon of the New York Yankees stole two bases on one pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies due to an infield shift: Damon stole second, and, after the third baseman covered second and was pulled away from the base, immediately headed for the uncovered third base.
In the 1970s, Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants bunted hard down the third base line when the shift was on. Willie Mays, on first at the time, came all the way around to score, while McCovey reached second for a double.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Vass, George (August 1999). 20th Century All-Overlooked Stars. Books.Google.com. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Vass, George (July 2004). Baseball's Forgotten Stars. Books.Google.com. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ "Mauer's Splits | FanGraphs Baseball". Fangraphs.com. 2010-02-08. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
- ^ Neyer, Rob. Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends.
Further reading
"Who’s on Third? In Baseball’s Shifting Defenses, Maybe Nobody". Waldstein, David. http://nyti.ms/1nBGaIX accessdate=13 May 2014. New York Times. 12 May 2014
