(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Arizona Diamondbacks earned their first win of the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.
It was a very close baseball game in which pitching prevailed, evidenced by the final score of 2-1.
Rookie Brandon Pfaadt dominated for 5.2 innings and the D-Backs bullpen allowed just a single run to give the team a chance to win.
The home team took advantage of a somewhat wild Phillies closer in Craig Kimbrel in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Kimbrel opened that frame with a walk to Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
After getting just one out (at home plate), Kimbrel again walked another hitter, Geraldo Perdomo.
Evidently, he was having some command issues.
If the following hitter could figure out the specifics, he would have an important competitive advantage.
Luckily for Arizona, Ketel Marte, a great contact hitter, studied Perdomo’s at-bat.
“Ketel Marte told me postgame that he was able to concentrate on the fastball from Kimbrel, because he noticed that the curveball hadn’t been located for strikes in the walk to the previous batter, Geraldo Perdomo,” MLB insider Jon Morosi tweeted.
Ketel Marte told me postgame that he was able to concentrate on the fastball from Kimbrel, because he noticed that the curveball hadn’t been located for strikes in the walk to the previous batter, Geraldo Perdomo. @MLBNetwork @LasMayores https://t.co/ujWoZmG7Td
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 20, 2023
Marte, who was locked in with three hits on Thursday, took a hack on a high fastball from Kimbrel, and sent it on a line drive to center field to end the game, 2-1.
That’s the importance of scouting and analyzing the opposing pitcher even before going to the plate.
It can give a hitter important information about his tendencies, what he is doing right, and what he is doing wrong.
In this case, he decided to swing knowing that the odds of seeing a fastball were very high.
It worked.
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