AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith
Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon
said there were a few reasons for his decision to issue an
intentional walk to Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager with the
bases loaded Friday night, including a desire to light a fire under
his own team.
“I thought by walking Seager, it
would avoid the big blow,” Maddon told reporters. “And just to
stir up the group, quite frankly. It’s not something you normally do.
I thought by going up there and doing something like that, the team
might respond to something like that.”
The Angels trailed 3-2 when Seager
stepped to the plate. His walk brought in the fourth run, and the
Rangers added two more in the inning to grab a 6-2 lead.
Whether that represents a success is
hard to quantify, but it became a moot point as L.A. took the lead
with a five-run fifth and went on to secure a 9-6 victory.
“Whatever it did, it sparked us,” Angels pitcher Austin Warren, who was charged with the walk to
Seager, said. “Because we put up five runs the next inning. So it
all worked out.”
It marked just the third time since
1950 a player was intentionally walked with the bases loaded, and one
of the other instances also included Maddon:
Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted it
was the first time a manager made the decision while losing the game
since Jim O’Rourke of the Buffalo Bisons in 1881.
Los Angeles improved to 4-4 with the
win, while Texas dropped to 2-5 in the early stages of the 2022
season.
The AL West rivals face off again
Saturday with a 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch at Globe Life Field.
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