Simon: A day in the life of the Tampa Bay Rays’ defense
From SABR member Mark Simon at The Athletic on May 22, 2019:
From the first time you go to a game, you’re taught to watch baseball in a specific way. You put the pitcher and batter in your line of sight and the rest of the field in your peripheral vision. When the batter hits the ball, you shift your focus to watch the fielders pursue it.
But what if you tried to watch some of a game a little bit differently?
What if you focused your eyes on the defense for the entirety of the play?
This story will attempt to do something like that as we share snapshots from a game in the life of the Tampa Bay Rays defense. The game took place Friday night at Yankee Stadium, where storylines included the continued offensive heroics of Yankees pickup Gio Urshela and Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia extending a rivalry by yelling at Rays players.
Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/986306/2019/05/21/snapshots-from-a-day-in-the-life-of-the-rays-defense/
Originally published: May 22, 2019. Last Updated: May 22, 2019.