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April 10, 2007
The third-base coach has to know the arm strength and accuracy of the opposition's outfielders.
That knowledge tells him, along with the variable of the baserunner's speed, when to send a guy home.
Give Boston's third-base coach, DeMarlo Hale, a high grade for doing his homework.
With catcher Jason Varitek on second base and Dustin Pedroia at first in the third inning, Julio Lugo banged a bad-hop single off third baseman Adrian Beltre's midsection. The ball ricocheted into left field, where left fielder Raul Ibanez chased it down.
Ibanez picked up the ball in relatively shallow left as Varitek was just rounding the third-base bag. Hale waved home Varitek, gambling that an expected weak throw from Ibanez would allow the slow-footed catcher to score.
Hale was right.
Varitek beat the weak one-hop throw, and the Sox got a bonus when the ball hit Varitek and rolled away from home plate, permitting Pedroia and Lugo to each move up an extra base.
-- STEVEN KRASNER
Posted by Steven Krasner 
at 3:55 PM to Krasner
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