The Los Angeles Angels pulled off one of the rarer moves in baseball Friday, opting to issue an intentional walk with the bases loaded.
The Texas Rangers had the bases loaded and one out in Friday’s game against the Angels, with Corey Seager stepping to the plate. The Angels were already trailing by one and clearly feared a knockout blow from Seager. Manager Joe Maddon surprisingly chose to intentionally walk Seager in an attempt to limit damage.
The strategy didn’t necessarily pay huge dividends. Mitch Garver hit a sacrifice fly one batter later, but there was no further damage beyond that.
This sort of thing is rare, but not unprecedented. Barry Bonds most famously got the treatment, but it has at least been considered in many other situations. Maddon himself has done it before as well.
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