May 15, 2022 4 min read

A manager must make at least a hundred decisions during a baseball game. Some are easy to make because they follow proven methods and are considered “playing it by the book.”

Some decisions are made based on statistics or analytics. Other decisions a manager will make are based simply on a “gut feeling.”

Sometimes a manager must choose between two sound strategies that are conflicting. That’s the position Wild Things manager Tom Vaeth was in during the seventh inning Sunday in the series finale against the New York Boulders.

With Washington holding a 4-3 lead and two outs, New York had Max Smith on second base and Tucker Nathans at the plate. Vaeth had to decide between breaking a cardinal rule of baseball and intentionally walking the potential go-ahead run or going against the plan of attack when playing the Boulders, which is not letting New York’s best player beat you. That player is Nathans, the Boulders’ shortstop.

Washington intentionally walked Nathans with two outs in the fourth inning and it worked out for the home team. Vaeth chose the same strategy in the seventh inning but the result was much different.

New York’s Jake MacKenzie lofted a Dan Kubiuk outside fastball down the right-field line for a two-run triple that proved to be the winning margin in New York’s 5-4 victory.

Vaeth defended his decision and New York manager T.J. Stanton added that he agreed with and expected the move.

“Tucker Nathans is the one guy I wasn’t going to let beat us,” Vaeth explained. “(MacKenzie) stuck his bat out and found a spot down the right-field line. I would make the same decision 100 times.”

“Tom knows Tucker well,” Stanton said, pointing out that Vaeth was the hitting coach at Winnipeg in the American Association when Nathans played there. “I thought maybe they might pitch around him for a couple and pitches and then decide to put him on.”

After Mackenzie’s well-placed hit gave New York the lead, Washington had several chances to regain the lead. The Wild Things left a runner on second base in the seventh inning and had runners on first and second with no outs in the eighth but couldn’t get a bunt down and eventually hit into a double play.

In the ninth, after New York closer Leudy Pineda retired the first two batters, he issued consecutive walks to Cole Brannen, Nick Ward and Scotty Dubrule, all on 3-2 pitches, to load the bases. Pineda, however, struck out Wagner Lagrange to end the game and give the Boulders a series win after losing the opener 11-0 Friday night.

“It came down to they executed a two-out hit and we didn’t,” Vaeth said. “It was a good game.

“It hurts because our goal every time we take the field is to win the series. We got ours Friday and they got their win (Saturday). This one was up for grabs.”

Four pitches into the game Washington found itself trailing 2-0 after Nathans hit a two-run homer off Wild Things starter Sandro Cabrera. Washington got one run back in the bottom of the first when Ward hit a solo homer.

Both teams scored a run in the second inning and Washington tied the score at 3-3 in the third when Ward doubled and scored on a Lagrange single.

The Wild Things forged the 4-3 lead in the fifth when Colt Brannen singled, stole second base, moved up on a single by Ward and scored on a passed ball.

New York relief pitcher Matt Leon (2-0) was the winning pitcher. Leon faced only six batters in the series but picked up two wins.

Extra bases

The Frontier league created a buzz Friday when the Tri-City ValleyCats announced they will sign former Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker. It was only a year ago that the hard-throwing pitcher Rocker was considered the likely first pick in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft. The 22-year-old Rocker had a 28-10 record over three seasons at Vanderbilt and threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter in the 2019 Super Regional against Duke. Rocker helped Vanderbilt reach the College World Series last year but he slipped to the No. 10 draft pick, where the New York Mets selected him. The Mets, however, did not sign Rocker after a physical exam raised concerns about the health of his arm. Scott Boras, Rocker’s agent, disputed that the pitcher had any physical problems. The ValleyCats announced that Rocker will join the team later this month and will be with them until the MLB draft in July. Tri-City plays two series at Washington, May 24-26 and June 7-9.