The Diamond Chess Strategy: Pitcher-to-Fielder-to-Pitcher In-Game Maneuvers

Manager Paul Richards, right, seen here shaking hands with New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel in 1958, is often credited with the invention of the “Waxahachie Swap,” where a pitcher changes place with a position player before returning to the mound. Richards was born in Waxahachie, Texas. (SABR-Rucker Archive)

 

Baseball managers have platooned players depending on the handedness of the batter and the handedness of the opposing pitcher “forever.”1 The “lefty-swinger-vs.-righty-hurler” or “southpaw-pitcher-vs.-lefty-hitter” strategies have been employed before a game when the managers generate the starting lineups and during a game when the managers bring in relief pitchers and deploy pinch hitters. Such “platoon strategies” have been utilized because right-handed batters typically hit better versus left-handed pitchers and vice versa.

An intriguing variant of the platoon strategy is simultaneously (a) moving the current pitcher “A” to a field position; (b) bringing in another pitcher “B” to face (typically) just one batter; and then (c) moving the first pitcher A back to the mound and bringing in a new player for the field position. I have dubbed this pitcher-to-fielder-to-pitcher strategy the Diamond Chess Strategy (DCS) because of its similarity to the classic highly intellectual game of chess in which the (non-pawn) pieces can be strategically moved “back and forth” over multiple squares.

Throughout my years following and researching baseball I have occasionally encountered examples of the Diamond Chess Strategy. I felt it would be useful to compile a comprehensive list of such DCS games and document the particularly interesting aspects of them. A search of the Internet revealed that some previous articles have referenced some DCS games. For example, in a 2009 ESPN article, Rob Neyer stated, “As Peter Morris notes in [his book] A Game of Inches: The Game on the Field, the practice goes back as far as 1880.”2 Neyer also mentioned that “Morris documents an instance in 1909. Apparently the practice died after 1909… [and Neyer wasn’t] able to document a single use of the Waxahachie Swap in the majors between 1909 and 1951.” Neyer named the “pitcher-to-fielder-to-pitcher” strategy the “Waxahachie Swap” in honor of Paul Richards (who was born in Waxahachie, Texas) and because he “is usually credited with inventing the tactic in the early ‘50s.” In his article, Neyer stated that he was “able to document 21 employments of the Swap.”3 However, I have found significantly more from 1901 through 2019.

OBJECTIVES

1. Produce a comprehensive record of Diamond Chess Strategy games in the major leagues for the period from 1901 (when the American League joined the National League as a major league entity) through the 2019 season, the last year before the introduction of MLB Official Rule 5.10(g)(1) which states that “any substitute pitcher is required to pitch to a minimum of three consecutive batters, including the batter then at bat (or any substitute batter), until such batters are put out or reach first base, or until the offensive team is put out.”4
2. Ascertain the interesting features of each DCS game.

RESEARCH PROCEDURE

For each season during the 1901–2019 time frame, the Baseball Reference Stathead search engine was employed to identify those games in which the Diamond Chess Strategy was utilized, the search parameters being “single games in which the player’s defensive position was both pitcher and a field position” (such as first base, or left field, etc). From each of the lists generated, each game’s box score and play-by-play account were next examined to identify those players who achieved the requisite “pitcher-fielder-pitcher” participation. Then the game accounts provided in some newspapers published in the cities of the two opposing teams were scrutinized to ascertain the complete details.

RESULTS

During the 1901–2019 period the Diamond Chess Strategy was used infrequently and sporadically. There were only 45 instances (42 games) spread out as follows: From 1901 through 1950 there was only one DCS; from 1951 through 1957 there were eight; from 1965 through 1971 there were 10; from 1986 through 1993 there were nine; from 2008 through 2019 there were 17.

Tables 1 through 6 present the complete list of Diamond Chess Strategy games from 1901–2019 ascertained in my research, grouped by time period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Columns one and two contain the date of the game and the teams participating. The teams are listed in standard form, with the visiting team listed first and the home team listed second. The team in bold is the team which executed the DCS. In some cases, two DCS maneuvers were executed in the same game. The first DCS is indicated with “(1)”, and the second is “(2)”.

Columns three and four contain information about Pitcher A and Pitcher B. Each pitcher’s handedness is listed, and under their names are the positions they started at, the first position they were switched to, and the second position they were switched to. “X” indicates that they were not in the game, and had yet to play or were switched out.

The final column reveals whether the DCS team (the team in bold in column two) won the game.

For more complete information about each game, including winning and losing managers, the innings in which each DCS took place, and which pitcher faced which hitters, please see the more complete chart in the appendix to this article, which will be available soon on SABR.org. Complete write-ups for all DCS games will also be provided in the appendix; only a selection of those games will appear in this article.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND OVERALL TAKEAWAYS

Inspection of Tables 1 through 6 reveals five intermediate temporary field positions were used to keep pitcher A in the game: left field (17 times), first base (12 times), right field (eight times), third base (seven times), and second base (once). There were three games in which a pair of Diamond Chess maneuvers were employed: July 22, 1986; June 28, 2016; and June 13, 2018. While the first Diamond Chess game found in the 1901–2019 period was in 1909, the next one was 42 years later, in 1951. Other periods of long intervals between DCS games were 1958–64 (7 years), 1971–85 (15 years), and 1994–2008 (14 years).

With regard to the managers who utilized the Diamond Chess Strategy, there were ten who did so two or more times: Al Dark of Cleveland (5), Joe Maddon of the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs (5, one game with one pitcher and two other games with pairs of pitchers), Paul Richards of the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles (4), Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays (4), Harry Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates (2), Lou Piniella of the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs (2), Brad Mills of the Houston Astros, (2), Bo Porter of the Houston Astros, (2), and Davey Johnson of the New York Mets (one game with two DCS pitchers).

Seven managers were on the receiving end of Diamond Chess maneuvers multiple times: Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds (3), Casey Stengel of the New York Yankees (2), Birdie Tebbetts of the Cincinnati Redlegs (2), Lum Harris of the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves (2), Ted Williams of the Washington Senators (2), Bryan Price of the Cincinnati Reds (2), and Craig Counsell of the Milwaukee Brewers (2). Only four managers both used and contended with the Diamond Chess Strategy: Birdie Tebbetts, Chuck Tanner, Joe Maddon, and Bruce Bochy.

Fifteen pitchers were active participants in multiple Diamond Chess games: Harry Dorish (1 A and 1 B), Billy Pierce (1 B and 1 A), Stan Williams (1 B and 1 A), Sam McDowell (2 A), Dean Chance (2B), Roger McDowell (1 B and 2 A), Paul Assenmacher (2 B), Wesley Wright (2 A), Tony Sipp (2 A), Spencer Patton (1 A and 1 B), Travis Wood (1 B and 2 A), Steve Cishek (1 A and 1 B), Brian Duensing (1 B and 1 A), Chaz Roe (3 B), and Adam Kolarek (2 A).

The two most critical aspects of the Diamond Chess Strategy are: (1) did the B pitcher succeed in retiring his batter(s) and (2) did the A pitcher succeed in retiring the first batter he faced after returning to the mound. B pitchers, in composite, allowed the first batters faced to compile a batting/on base/slugging slash line of .317/.378/.512; see Table 7 for a complete summary.

With regard to A pitchers, Table 8 collects the information for how they performed upon returning to the mound. As can be seen, A pitchers did better than B pitchers in terms of the triple-slash averages for first batters faced, subsequent batters faced, and all batters faced. However, what cannot be stated is how A pitchers would have performed against the first batters B pitchers faced. Nonetheless, it would seem that keeping the A pitchers in the game—the Diamond Chess Strategy—was beneficial. Of course, the most important metric for evaluating the Diamond Chess Strategy is the winning percentage: For the 42 games encompassing the 45 DCS events, the W–L–T record that surfaced is 22–19–1 (.537).

 

 

 

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Inspection of the full data set (available in the online version on SABR.org) reveals that of the 45 Diamond Chess maneuvers, just ten can be deemed perfect—i.e., where Pitcher A retired the last batter he faced before being relieved by Pitcher B, who retired the only batter he faced, and then Pitcher A retired the first batter he faced upon relieving Pitcher B.

STORIES for SELECTED DCS GAMES

The First DCS Game of the Twentieth Century

May 13, 1909: Washington Nationals vs. Chicago White Sox: The first game during the 1901–2019 period with a DCS maneuver was a 17-inning marathon between the White Sox, playing at home, and the Nationals. The DCS move took place in the final inning, which began as a 1–1 tie. Here’s how it was described in the Chicago Tribune account:

[Dave] Altizer opened the seventeenth with a single, and [Bill] Shipke pegged [Billy] Purtell’s bunt so badly to first that both runners were safe. [Freddy] Parent sacrificed them to third and second. Here [Chicago] Manager [Billy] Sullivan, who had failed three times in a pinch [as a batter], sent Mike Welday to bat for himself.5

The next paragraph, was introduced with the emboldened headline “Like Battle of Chess Masters,” and continued:

[Washington manager] Cantillon met this move by sending Dolly Gray, a sou’paw, to the slab to pitch against the left handed sub-batter. But he wanted [to keep starting pitcher Tom] Hughes to put back on the slab against [Lee] Tannehill, a right hander, so sent Tom out into right field to keep him in the game. Sullivan responded by replacing Welday at bat by Catcher [Yip] Owens, a right hander as soon as Gray had pitched one ball to Mike. Cantillon attempted to checkmate Billy by bringing Hughes back to the slab to face Owens and putting Gray in right. But Joe forgot the new rule which forbids changing pitchers as often as that. Gray, having mounted the slab, had to complete one time at bat before he could be replaced. After this had been diagrammed by [Tommy] Connolly and [Jack] Egan [the game’s two umpires], Gray deliberately passed Owens, filling the bases. Then it was legal to bring back Hughes from right field. Gray started out there but Cantillon discovered [Bob] Ganley had not been in the game at all, so Cantillon sent him out there for the rest of the inning.6

Hughes then proceeded to retire the next two batters, Tannehill and Doc White, to end the frame. The game was then called because of darkness, resulting in the 1–1 deadlock.7,8,9,10

The Re-emergence of the DCS

May 15, 1951: Chicago White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox: After a 42-year absence, the DCS re-emerged, courtesy of first-year skipper Paul Richards of the White Sox. Said the Chicago Daily News:

With the Sox ahead by one run going into the last of the ninth, Richards sent right-handed pitcher Harry Dorish to third as he called in Billy Pierce, a left-hander, to pitch to Ted Williams, a left-hander. Williams popped up on the second pitch. Pierce left the game, Dorish went back to the mound and Floyd Baker took over third.

Richards explained his strategy as follows:

“I’ll play the percentage as far as I can if it will win a ball game. I wanted the left-hander [Pierce] to pitch to Williams, who I was sure wouldn’t hit to third base, and if he did Dorish probably could have handled it. I wanted to keep Dorish in the game. I had complete confidence in him. I think he’s tough to hit in this [Fenway] park and he throws that sinker which most batters hit on the ground.”11,12,13,14

Stan Musial Wins 1952 Batting Title After Facing One Batter on the Mound

September 28, 1952: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs: The third DCS game took place in the final game of the 1952 season and involved the host St. Louis Cardinals and the guest Chicago Cubs. There was considerable interest in the games leading up to the final game—because Red Birds Stan Musial and Wrigley Fielder Frank Baumholtz were engaged in a close race for the NL batting championship. Going into the season finale, the fifth-place Cubs visited the third-place Cardinals with Musial [.33565 (193/575)] having a 10-point lead over Baumholtz [.32593 (132/405)]—it would take a 5/5 by Baumholtz coupled with an 0/4 by Musial for Baumholtz to emerge with the batting crown (.334 to .333). To promote the game and add some intrigue, the Cardinals player-manager Eddie Stanky (after having obtained the necessary permission from National League President, Warren Giles) said that “Musial would pitch at least once against Baumholtz in Sunday’s game.”15

Musial, who had begun his professional diamond career as pitcher in the Cardinals minor league system (compiling a very impressive mound record—33–13 W–L, 3.52 ERA) started the game in center field and then relieved starting pitcher Harvey Haddix in the very first inning to face Baumholtz, who batted right handed for the first time in his professional career. The result of this solitary “promotional” confrontation was a grounder to third, which was bobbled, after which Haddix returned to the mound and Musial resumed patrolling the center field garden.16 An excellent account of this DCS game is given in a Retrosimba article.17

First DCS Blown Save Results in Win

August 14, 1955: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Redlegs: Unlike the first six DCS games, in which each of the middle (B) pitchers achieved the hoped-for result (i.e, the equivalent of a modern-day “hold”), the seventh Diamond Chess maneuver resulted the most unwanted result: a blown save. Cardinals pitcher Tom Poholsky had hurled a solid game against the Redlegs for the first seven innings, giving up just five hits and two runs (both coming on a two-run homer by Ted Kluszewski in the sixth inning). With St. Louis leading 4–2 going into the top of the eighth, the right-handed Poholsky retired the first two batters before surrendering a single to left-hander Smokey Burgess, which bought Kluszewski (another lefty) to the batter’s box.

Cardinals skipper Harry “The Hat” Walker decided to bring in a lefty on the mound to prevent Poholsky from facing Kluszewski again. He summoned Luis Arroyo from the bullpen, relocating Poholsky to left field. On Arroyo’s fourth pitch, Big Klu belted the ball into the seats for a game-tying homer, blowing the save. Poholsky then came back to the hill and gave up back-to-back singles before ending the inning by retiring Stan Palys. The game remained knotted, 4–4, until St. Louis broke the tie in the bottom of the tenth, winning on Bill Virdon’s single. Poholsky emerged with the victory.

After the game, Walker explained his reasoning for the Poholsky-Arroyo-Poholsky maneuver:

“The reason was that I figured Klu represented the tying run. I wanted to get a left-hander in there just to pitch to him. I felt that the percentage was in our favor. Even if Arroyo did make a mistake, it wouldn’t hurt us too much, and I felt that after we got rid of Big Klu we would be home free the way Poholsky was pitching. At that Arroyo had Klu fooled, and the ball he hit for the homer was a slow curve four to six inches wide that he reached out and hit with one hand.”

Walker added that he had used the Diamond Chess maneuver several times in the minors but this was the first time it had backfired.19,20

A Kick and a Knee Results in DCS Loss

June 7, 1968: Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers: The second-place Indians (just 2.5 games behind the first-place Tigers) had a 4–3 lead over Detroit going into the bottom of the ninth inning. After Mike Paul struck out left-handed batting Tommy Matchick to open the frame, Cleveland manager, Al Dark, let lefty reliever Paul continue with the weak-hitting righty Dick Tracewsiki, whom Paul disposed of on an easy grounder. This brought up the more-potent-hitting right-hander Bill Freehan, whom Paul had struck out in the seventh inning. Dark again stayed with Paul. However, when the count reached 3–1, Dark decided to play Diamond Chess and lifted first baseman Tony Horton, shifted Paul to first base, and brought in the right-handed hurling Stan Williams to finish pitching to Freehan.

Williams’s “first” pitch strike made the count full. Then, after fouling off the next pitch, Freehan singled. With the left-handed batting McAuliffe up next, Dark then removed Williams, brought Paul back to the mound, and put Lee Maye at first base. The Diamond Chess strategy appeared to work as McAuliffe grounded the first pitch to the hole between first and second. But Maye, attempting to field the ball bare-handed, fumbled it and then kicked it, allowing McAuliffe to reach first base safely, keeping Detroit’s chances alive. Paul then faced the right-handed swinging Mickey Stanley, whom he had struck out in the eighth inning. After the count proceeded to 2–2, Stanley attempted to check his swing on a high outside fastball, but instead looped a soft drive into center field that fell safely when center fielder Jose Cardenal couldn’t get there in time to make a diving catch, the ball skipping off his knee to the foul line. The hit went for a triple as Freehan and McAuliffe scored the game-tying and game-winning runs.21,22,23,24,25,26

DCS Helps Tie a Record

August 31, 1968: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves: The pitcher-to-fielder-back-to-pitcher technique was utilized by the Pirates to help one of their hurlers tie a major league record: most games pitched for one team. The immortal Walter Johnson had set the record of 802 games for the Washington Nationals with his retirement in 1927. But at the end of August 1968, Roy Face was on the cusp of tying that record, having pitched 801 games for the Pirates starting in 1953. Face, a reliever, had been placed on waivers (which expired at midnight on August 31) one game short of tying the record. When no other team picked him up, the Pirates decided to use the DCS maneuver to get him in one more game so his name could be next to Johnson’s in the record books.

Here are the details: Steve Blass started the game and induced Atlanta Braves leadoff batter, Felipe Alou, to ground out. Then Face came in to pitch to Felix Millan and Blass moved to left field, replacing Carl Taylor. Face retired Millan on a grounder to short. Then Blass returned to the mound and Manny Mota took over in left. Blass proceeded to hurl shutout ball as the Pirates emerged with an 8–0 triumph. Later that day, Face’s contract was coincidentally purchased by the Detroit Tigers.27

The First and Only Pitcher Shift to Middle Infield Leads to a Win

July 6, 1970: Cleveland Indians vs. Washington Senators: The only time that the Diamond Chess Strategy involved shifting the pitcher to a middle infield position was carried out by Cleveland manager Al Dark. Here’s how this surprising, if not flabbergasting, maneuver was described by Russell Schneider for the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Sam McDowell was almost as good a second baseman as he was a pitcher last night. The key performance by the swift southpaw came in the eighth inning when Dark shocked the fans—as well as McDowell and all of the Indians—by moving Sam to second base and bringing in Dean Chance to pitch. “You’re darned right I was surprised when Alvin told me what he was going to do,” confirmed McDowell. “I had no idea what he had in mind. And when it was all over, I was almost too excited to go back to the mound and pitch.”

Here’s the situation that led Dark to make this unexpected move. The Indians were protecting their 6–4 lead, but with two outs, Eddie Stroud was at third base, Eddie Brinkman at second, and Frank Howard—a right-handed batter who had already singled twice and walked twice against the left-handed McDowell—was at the plate, ready to do more damage.

“Here’s what I think I’m going to do,” Alvin told Sam. “I think I’m going to put you on second base, move Eddie Leon to third and bring in Chance [a righty] to pitch to Howard.” McDowell gulped once, blinked twice, and then was caught up in the spirit of the situation. McDowell said he told Dark, “That’s fine… I can handle it.” Chance strode to the mound and looked to his manager for instructions. “All Alvin said was that I should walk intentionally Howard,” reported Chance. “That’s all. Then he turned and walked off, leaving me standing there.”

Then Dark’s reasoning dawned on him.

“All of a sudden I realized what Alvin was doing,” said Chance. “Even though I walk Howard, who is the potential winning run, now we can counter any move that [Washington manager] Ted Williams might make. If Williams sends up a left-handed pinch hitter, Sam comes back to face him. If [next batter Rick] Reichardt stays in, I handle him. It was beautiful,” chortled Chance.

Chance went to a 2-and-1 count and Reichardt hit the next pitch off his fists to Leon at third. Leon scooped up the grounder and shocked the audience again. Instead of going to first base, Leon fired to McDowell, covering second, to force Howard. “Before the ball was hit, before every pitch, in fact, I kept thinking of all the possibilities and what I should do,” said McDowell. “[Shortstop] Jack Heidemann and I talked before every pitch, too, but the only thing he kept saying was [that I] make sure to cover second on a ball hit on the ground.” McDowell did just that—except a new problem reared its ugly head. “I saw Leon come up with the ball and start to throw to me, but then I lost it momentarily in the white-shirt background,” related McDowell. “So, I just got over to the base and went down on both knees. Then I looked for the ball. Finally, I found it—but there was no way it could have gone through me, believe me,” said the pitcher-second baseman.

And what was Leon’s reasoning for throwing the ball to McDowell at second? “I threw to second because I’ve got this sore finger and I didn’t want to force a longer throw.” Leon then added, “Heck, I wasn’t worried about Sam. He’s a good athlete.”28

Mets Use the DCS Twice in One Game

July 22, 1986: New York Mets vs. Cincinnati Reds: The first instance of the Diamond Chess Strategy being implemented twice in one game was due to the managerial masterminding of Davey Johnson of the Mets, who were visiting the Reds. It was a little creativity on Johnson’s part, as several key position players had been ejected. Here’s how it was described in the Cincinnati Post: “Mets’ Darryl Strawberry is ejected by plate umpire Gerry Davis in the sixth inning for protesting a called third strike.” With the game tied 3–3 in the 10th, the Reds’ Eric Davis was running for player-manager Pete Rose, and then stole third. “A brawl ensues and [third baseman] Ray Knight and Davis are ejected along with the Reds’ Mario Soto and the Mets’ Kevin Mitchell [who had taken over in right field for Strawberry].”

Johnson protested the ejection of Mitchell on the grounds that he didn’t have any non-pitchers left to fill Mitchell’s spot, which did not convince the umpire to reverse his call. “Out of position players, Johnson sends pitcher Roger McDowell to play right field. He then changes his mind and brings McDowell in to face Wade Rowdon, with [pitcher] Jesse Orosco taking his place in right field.” Rowdon was retired to end the tenth. “In the 11th inning [with two out and a runner on second base], Orosco is summoned to pitch to Max Venable, with McDowell moving to right.” Orosco struck out Venable. “Right fielder McDowell moves to left and left fielder Mookie Wilson moves to right when Dave Parker comes to bat in the 12th.” After Orosco retired the Reds in the 12th, with McDowell and Wilson alternating between right and left depending on the batting handedness of the hitter, McDowell returned to the mound for the 13th, with Orosco moving to right field and Wilson moving back to left field. McDowell remained on the hill and Orosco continued in right field for the rest of game. The Mets ultimately won the game, 6–3 (in 14 innings)—thanks in part to the Orosco-McDowell-Orosco and McDowell-Orosco-McDowell Diamond Chess maneuvers.29,30

Two DCS Game Adds to Cubs’ Legendary Curse-Breaking Season

June 28, 2016: Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds: Joe Maddon became the second manager to implement the Diamond Chess Strategy twice in one game in 2016, when the Cubs broke their legendary World Series curse. With Chicago and Cincinnati tied 2–2 in the 13th, Cubs reliever Joel Peralta came into the game and quelled the Reds rally by getting Joey Votto to hit into an inning-ending double play. After the Cubs were held scoreless in the top of the 14th, Maddon brought another pitcher into the fray, righty Spencer Patton, to face Cincy’s righty lead-off man Brandon Phillips. Patton got Phillips out, which brought up lefty Jay Bruce. Maddon responded by shifting Patton to left field and bringing left-handed left fielder Travis Wood to the mound.

Wood then induced Bruce to ground out, bringing up righty Adam Duvall. So, responding once again to the matchup, Maddon simply switched Patton and Wood in left field and pitcher once again. And, as Maddon was hoping, Patton retired Duvall, thereby effecting a three-men-up-three-men down inning.

After the Cubs staged a five-run rally in the top of the 15th, during which Patton was pinch hit for by pitcher Jason Hammel, Maddon brought Wood in from left field to pitch. And, in left field he placed Pedro Strop—another pitcher! Wood then proceeded to strike out the first two batters, give up a meaningless single, and get the next batter to line out softly to right to close out the triumph for Chicago.

Here are some of the comments made after the game: “When I went out there to do it originally, the infielders were kind of giggling,” said Maddon, who had also talked to Wood about playing left field. Wood hadn’t done that since high school, but he would take fly balls during batting practice to stay ready. Wood, who didn’t have to field a single ball during his stay in left field, said “It was definitely interesting, a lot of fun. I would have liked to have recorded an out.”

It is worth noting that in addition to Maddon’s two Diamond Chess maneuvers (Patton-Wood-Patton and Wood-Patton-Wood), the Cubs skipper also deployed six different players in left field—position players Willson Contreras (1st–8th), Matt Szczur (9th and 10th), and Chris Coghlan (11–13), and three pitchers—Travis Wood (13th–14th), Spencer Patton (14th), and Pedro Strop (15th). This established a major league record for most players at left field in one game for one team.

The Final Recorded DCS Game

July 24, 2019: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox: Tampa Bay’s manager Kevin Cash, along with the A–B–A pitching tandem of Adam Kolarek and Chaz Roe, successfully achieved the currently-last Diamond Chess maneuver in a game against the visiting Red Sox. Here are the details: At the start of the top of the eighth, with Boston trailing the Rays by a 3–2 score, southpaw Kolarek was announced as the new Rays pitcher (replacing starter Charlie Morton, who had been pinch hit for) to face scheduled batter Jackie Bradley Jr.

However, Boston skipper Joey Cora, playing the percentages, called on the righty Sam Travis to pinch hit for the lefty Bradley. Kolarek prevailed, inducing Travis to pop out. With the right-hander Mookie Betts up next, Cash went to his bullpen and brought in the righty-hurling Roe, shifting Kolarek to first base in order to deal with the batter after Betts, lefty Rafael Devers. The first part of the maneuver was successful—Roe retired Betts on a fly out. At this point, Kolarek was brought back to the mound. The second phase of the Diamond Chess Strategy was also successful as Kolarek got Devers to ground out to the first baseman, Kolarek taking the putout throw at first, thereby completing a perfect three-up-three-down inning.

After the game, Cash commented, “There appeared to be some confusion, but I’m confident that we got it right. It’s not customary, what took place, but I’m glad the guys were able to still execute.”32

HERM KRABBENHOFT is a retired organic chemist (BS, Wayne State University, 1970; PhD, University of Michigan, 1974) and author of Leadoff Batters of Major League Baseball (McFarland, 2001). Among the various baseball research topics he has pioneered are: Ultimate Grand Slam Homers, Consecutive Games On Base Safely (CGOBS) Streaks, Quasi-Cycles, Imperfect Perfectos, Downtown Golden Sombreros, and Pitcher’s Cycles. In addition to The National Pastime and the Baseball Research Journal, Herm has contributed articles to the newsletters for SABR’s 19th Century, Deadball Era, Statistical Analysis, and Baseball Records Committees. Krabbenhoft has received three SABR Baseball Research Awards (1992, 1996, 2013).

 

Acknowledgments

I gratefully thank Pete Palmer, Jeff Robbins, Gary Stone, and Patrick Todgham for helpful discussions and inputs in my Diamond Chess Strategy research endeavor.

 

Dedication

I enthusiastically dedicate this article to Steve Boren, a SABR friend who has greatly helped me with some of my research projects over the years. THANKS again, Steve, for your superb collaboration with Jim Smith and me to generate our comprehensive database of ML Triple Plays [Baseball Research Journal, 52–1 (2023)].

 

Notes

1. Bill James, “A Capsule History of Platooning,” The New Bill James Historical Abstract (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001), 117.

2. Rob Neyer, “More on ‘the Waxahachie Swap’,” ESPN Sweet Spot, July 15, 2009. Accessed July 29, 2025, https://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/485/more-on-the-waxahachie-swap.

3. It is important to point out that some of the information presented in Neyer’s article is not in alignment with the results I achieved in my research effort. For example, Neyer states, “I’ve been able to document 21 employments of the Swap [during the period from 1951 through July 12, 2009] (which isn’t to say I haven’t missed a few).” According to my research, I found a total of 29 for the same period. Neyer’s “Waxahachie Swap” apparently does not require Pitcher A to actually return to the mound after being replaced by Pitcher B and moving to a field position—Neyer’s rationale apparently being that if the game ends before Pitcher A could return to the slab, “that one [still] counts in my book.” For example, Neyer states that “[manager] Whitey Herzog did it four times, too.” According to my research, Herzog had only one bona fide A-B-A Diamond Chess Strategy maneuver.

4. Major League Baseball, 2025 Official Rules of Major League Baseball (Triumph Books, 2025), 55.

5. I.E. Sanborn, “White Sox and Senators Battle to 17-Inning Tie,” Chicago Tribune, May 14, 1909, 2.

6. I.E. Sanborn, “White Sox and Senators Battle to 17-Inning Tie,” Chicago Tribune, May 14, 1909, 2.

7. Richard G. Tobin, “Sox and Senators Battle Seventeen Innings to a Tie,” Chicago Inter Ocean, May 14, 1909, 4.

8. “Nationals Play 17-Inning Tie Game,” Washington Post, May 14, 1909, 8.

9. “Nationals and Sox Have Great Battle,” Washington Evening Star, May 14, 1909, 17.

10. “Play 17 Innings to a 1-to-1 Tie,” Washington Herald, May 14, 1909, 1.

11. “Who’s on Third? Anyone If You Ask White Sox,” Chicago Daily News, May 16, 1951, 47.

12. Edgar Munzel, “Sox Defeat Boston 9–7 in 11; Dorish Pitches, Plays Third, Pitches,” Chicago Sun-Times, May 16, 1951, 61.

13. Irving Vaughan, “Fox Defeats Boston, 9–7, With Homer,” Chicago Tribune, May 16, 1951, Part 3, 41.

14. Jack Barry, “Richards’ Strategy, Fox’s Homer in 11th Beat Sox, 9–7,” Boston Globe, May 16, 1951, 22.

15. Bob Broeg, “Cards Clinch Third and Feast on $365 ‘Skull’ Kitty; Musial Whacks 21st Homer and Single,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 27, 1952, 6A.

16. Harry Mitauer, “Musial Wins But Cards Lose,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 29, 1952, 2B.

17. Mark Tomasik, “Attention, now pitching for the Cardinals—Stan Musial,” Retrosimba, September 20, 2022, https://retrosimba.com/2022/09/20/attention-now-pitching-for-the-cardinals-_-stan-musial/ (accessed March 30, 2024).

18. Bob Broeg, “Cards Survive Rare Strategy and Kluszewski’s Two Homers,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 15, 1955, 4B.

19. Lou Smith, “Klu Homers Twice, But Reds Lose, 5-4,” Cincinnati Enquirer, August 15, 1955, 34.

20. “Klu Foils Foes; Socks 41st Homer,” Rock Island (Iowa) Argus, August 15, 1955, 12.

21. Jim Schlemmer, “Outlucked, Over-Managed!,” Akron Beacon Journal, June 8, 1968, B4.

22. “Indians Drop One-Run Game on Late Triple,” Delaware (Ohio) Gazette, June 8, 1968, 2 [UPI story].

23. “Tigers Trip Indians in 9th,” Marion (Ohio) Star, June 8, 1968, 11 [AP story].

24. Russell Schneider, “Indians Lose in 9th, 5–4,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 8, 1968, 47.

25. Bruno L. Kearns, “Stanley ‘Checks’ Swing, Tribe Strategy,” Pontiac (Michigan) Press, June 8, 1968, C1.

26. Two innings prior to Mike Paul becoming a Diamond Chess player he had achieved the rare feat of striking out a batter without throwing even one pitch to the batter. Trailing the Cleveland Indians by a 3–2 score in the bottom of the seventh inning with runners on first and second and nobody out, Detroit Tigers catcher Jim Price had failed twice in trying to lay down a sacrifice bunt against the Tribe’s righty hurler Hal Kurtz. So, Tigers skipper, Mayo Smith, summoned the left-handed batting Gates Brown from the bench to bat for the right-handed batting Price. Cleveland pilot, Al Dark, responded by bringing in Paul, a southpaw, from the bullpen. Paul proceeded to strike out the Gater, the strikeout being officially charged to Price—whom Paul did not face.

27. Les Biederman, “Face Ties Record, Bought by Tigers,” Pittsburgh Press, September 1, 1968, Section 4, 2.

28. Russell Schneider, “McDowell Fans 15, Wins 12th, 6–4,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 7, 1970, 1-D.

29. Bill Peterson, “Definitely not your run-of-the-mill loss,” Cincinnati Post, July 23, 1986, 1D.

30. Jim Naughton, “HoJo’s 3-run HR wins brawling game,” New York Daily News, July 23, 1986, 49.

31. The previous record (5), according to research by Pete Palmer, for most players playing left field in a single game was accomplished eight times: Baltimore Orioles (July 7, 1958 and September 14, 1960); Philadelphia Phillies (July 23, 1964 and May 21, 1966); Montreal Expos (June 27, 1972 (1)); California Angels (September 10, 1988); Seattle Mariners (September 11, 1992); Chicago Cubs (June 24, 1998).

32. Ryan Kolakowski, “Lineup changes lead to delay, protest,” Tampa Bay Times, July 25, 2019, 4C.