Brett Phillips smacking the winning hit in game four of the World Series demonstrates one reason why I prefer baseball to other sports. Phillips major league slash line stands at .202/.284/.347 in 383 regular season plate appearances. His minor league numbers indicate that his major league line is an extreme downside, as he hit .266/.365/.504 in 1145 AAA PA. The Rays, in trying to win a pivotal game, emptied their offensive bench, so in a key moment, the last man on bench had a chance to be the hero. How often does an NBA team give the last shot of a close game to the 12th man? I suspect that the NBA doesn’t even give the shot to the second best shooter on the team very often.

The other sports are designed not to allow this to happen. Injuries, not strategy would dictate a low depth player getting the opportunity in football, basketball, or hockey. In baseball, anyone can be the hero.

Note that Phillips hit a mistake pitch. On a 1-2 count, Dodgers catcher Will Smith gave closer Kenley Jansen a target at the top of the strike zone. It looked to me like Smith wanted Jansen to go up the ladder. Instead the pitch was in the middle of the strike zone in height, and a bit inside the inside edge. If you look at Phillips heat map, you see why Smith called for the pitch up. Phillips does not do well at the top of the zone. His success comes with the pitch down, and that’s what Jansen delivered. Even the last man on a major league roster can hit a mistake.

Note, too, that the Dodgers did not have their best defensive alignment for that play. Chris Taylor is the jack of all trades fielder, not the best defensive centerfielder on the team. Cody Bellinger, however, served as the designated hitter, so if he moved into CF, the Dodgers pitchers would need to bat if the game went into extra innings. Taylor seemed surprised by the hit. Maybe he was assuming a strikeout given the match-up. He took his eye off the ball to see if he had a chance to get the runner from second at the plate, and muffed the bounce. Then Will Smith takes his eye off the ball on the throw from the cut off man, not realizing that Randy Arozarena fell. Shakespeare would have loved that play.

The finish also reminds us that putting the ball in play can lead to very good things. Swinging for the fences is not always the best strategy.