The Rhythm of the Game

(Thanks to MLB for the pic)

Baseball has oft been considered the most literary of sports. With its history and pacing, it is easily the most cinematic of sports. Themes of life and culture blend seamlessly into the history of the game, whether it is Jackie Robinson breaking the colour barrier or Curt Flood challenging the owners and creating the most powerful union in sports. Despite this, many casual observers still believe that a game consists of 18 separate half-innings, that because baseball is not a "flow sport" ala soccer or hockey or even football to some extent, that there is no rhythm to it. And yet, for those of us who played it, it is easy to discern the rhythm to each game that is unique to the next. It is felt in the dugouts and enacted on the field nearly always to form.

Teams do come from behind to win games. That's true. The majority of games however, are not decided inning by inning, but by one or two moments that decide the outcome. Take last night's game against the White Sox. With runners on first and second, Aaron Hill hits a rocket up the middle that appears will put the Jays back in the lead. Except White Sox second baseman Brent Lillibridge makes a diving stab to his right to end the inning. A few innings later Vernon Wells hits what looks like a sure double, only to be robbed by an unbelievable catch by White Sox centerfielder Jerry Owens.

Contrast that with the Jays. Down 3-2, emergency starter Burress is facing White Sox backup catcher Corky Miller, a career .182 hitter. He walks Miller to load the bases, and two batters later Alexis Ramirez hits a grand slam. Although it is only the fifth inning, the game is over.

Winning in baseball is about winning the majority of these confrontations, and they are sometimes harder to spot than we first think. (It isn't simply about the hit that drives in the winning or go ahead runs) If you win the key moments, you control the rhythm of the game, and your record will reflect that. The Jays have the best record in baseball because in the first two weeks they have won the majority of these moments.

-Steve