Sadly, there were not any no-hitters or transcendent goals achieved in this past week of Major League Baseball action. There were however many a display of defensive wizardry, extra base robbery, and one hell of a debut. Without further ado, here are the top five plays that defined the week that was in baseball.
5. Devon Travis’ Spectacular Fundamentals
The fundamentals in baseball are often overlooked. They aren’t flashy but they are necessary. Nobody gets fired up when somebody lays down a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt. There are no Sportscenter Top 10 entries in which a catcher flattens a breaking ball in the dirt. Every once in a while though, the fundamental becomes less mundane. Take for instance this past Saturday’s game between the Blue Jays and the Rangers. In the sixth inning, Toronto’s Matt Boyd was in a 3-0 hole in his Major League debut. With no outs, Mitch Moreland hit a comeback shot to the left hander. He whirled to start the double play but his throw was, for lack of nicer words, errant. However, second baseman Devon Travis was backing up the play. Coming over from his place in the shift against the pull-happy Moreland, Travis was able to backhand Boyd’s throw in the outfield grass and still manage to throw out Adrian Beltre at second base. He made the blasé beautiful.
4. Marlin Magnificence
There has been more bad news than good news lately in South Beach. Giancarlo Stanton has a broken bone in his hand. The trade rumors are beginning to get louder and louder as the Marlins fall further and further out of contention. Amidst the doom and gloom however, the Marlins were able to defeat the reigning National League MVP this past Saturday at Marlins Park. During that game, their infield showed off some mighty fine leather work against one of the toughest lineups in the sport. Miami clung to a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning, but starter Tom Koehler had men on first and second with just one out. He need not worry as Adeiny Hechavarria and former Dodger Dee Gordon were on point. As Koehler looked back at the hard hit grounder of the bat of Yasmani Grandal, he saw the rangy Hechavarria make a great stop and a great flip to Gordon for the first out. Gordon then made a leaping laser of a throw to first to double up Grandal and end the inning. The Marlins would go on to win by that same 3-2 margin.
3. Starling Marte To The Rescue
The Pirates have a knack for making their way into the Top of the Heap more often than not, good or bad. This week was no different, returning to the good side thanks to left fielder Starling Marte. Last Tuesday, the Pirates had used a big fourth inning to get ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. They clung to that lead of just one run into the seventh inning when Todd Frazier came to the plate against Pittsburgh reliever Arquimedes Caminero. Billy Hamilton had did what Billy Hamilton does by slapping a single, getting to second on a knubber to the catcher, and stealing third. Frazier wouldn’t have to do much to get him home. So when Frazier ripped a 98 MPH pitch towards left, Hamilton thought he was going to strut home with the tying run. Starling Marte spoiled the “partay” with an astounding diving catch to save the run and the game as Pittsburgh would win by that 7-6 margin. The look on Todd Frazier’s face afterwards says it all.
2. Josh Donaldson With A Catch In The Second Row
We’ve had a lot of pitchers taking perfect games into the later halves of games lately. The closest this week came from Toronto last Wednesday with Marco Estrada facing Tampa Bay. Estrada was holding on to perfection in the eighth inning. The first batter, David DeJesus, would foul a ball off to the third base side towards the stands. Josh Donaldson had made the inaugural Top of the Heap with his bat, felt he could show off the glove as well. Donaldson channeled Nolan Arenado from that premiere edition and dove into the stands to make the catch and keep the perfect game intact. Sadly, the perfecto would be lost in the next at-bat as Logan Forsythe was able to beat out a Donaldson throw to first on an infield dribbler. On a more positive note, the Jays would win the game keeping pace in the tight AL East and Donaldson would leapfrog Mike Moustakas to the top of the third base heap in All-Star voting.
1. Meet The Matz, Meet The Matz
The New York Mets have been able to keep themselves in the National League playoff picture despite a miserable road record (11-26) and an anemic offense (-11 run differential). Who knew that pitchers coming up from the minors would provide the biggest boost to the offense? First it was Noah Syndergaard last month. This past Sunday saw the introduction of New York’s latest pitching phenom, Steven Matz. Matz had quite the contingent of supporters in the crowd. He was pitching at Citi Field, roughly 50 miles from home, in front of nearly 130 family members and friends. Pretty nerve racking situation eh? Not for Matz. He went 7 2/3 innings striking out six for the win. He also became the first Met hitter, yes hitter not just pitcher, to have 4 RBI (he was 3-for-3) in his Major League Debut. The Mets may not be on the top of the standings currently, but Steven Matz was Top of the Heap this week.