That drove in Rowdey and Hatcher made me wonder what might have been with the trio. Hatcher’s year didn’t work out like he wanted, obviously, but he stuck it out, make some great defensive plays in the Super, and got a big hit last night. Glad to see him contributing on the big stage.
The TA home run
- Thread starter bulldogcountry1
- Start date
It's pretty cool. Steve Robertson pointed out the parallel between the 2018 Super Regional and the 2021 CWS:
2018 Super Regional, Game 3, 11th inning:
-Hatcher pinch hit, walk
-Mangum K, Hatcher to second on passed ball
-Rowdey infield single, Hatcher to third
-TA double, Rowdey to third, Hatcher scores (ultimately the winning run that sent us to Omaha for the first of three straight trips)
2021 CWS, Game 2, 8th inning:
-Hatcher pinch hit, infield single
-Rowdey double, Hatcher to third
-TA 3-run home run
2018 Super Regional, Game 3, 11th inning:
-Hatcher pinch hit, walk
-Mangum K, Hatcher to second on passed ball
-Rowdey infield single, Hatcher to third
-TA double, Rowdey to third, Hatcher scores (ultimately the winning run that sent us to Omaha for the first of three straight trips)
2021 CWS, Game 2, 8th inning:
-Hatcher pinch hit, infield single
-Rowdey double, Hatcher to third
-TA 3-run home run
Lemonis was on OOB and said he has struggled at times, but always stays positive and supports his teammates. Lots of ways to help your team even when the bat's not working.
His at bat last night was his first meaningful at bat in over 6 weeks. He gets a hit and scores on TA's HR in a 1-run game.
The coaches were smart IMO to keep playing him on defense late in games. He's our best defensive 1B, but it also keeps him engaged and ready to contribute in other ways. Paid off last night. Hancock has done well at first and is more than capable of playing the entire game. But playing Hatcher gets a better 1B late in games AND keeps another player warm and ready to be used.
The coaches were smart IMO to keep playing him on defense late in games. He's our best defensive 1B, but it also keeps him engaged and ready to contribute in other ways. Paid off last night. Hancock has done well at first and is more than capable of playing the entire game. But playing Hatcher gets a better 1B late in games AND keeps another player warm and ready to be used.
I've just got to say... I do not get the fanaticism with the Hatcher articles on here. There is just such an effort to distort the truth. Go back and rewatch his 2 ABs last night. His first AB, he actually swings and misses 2 pitches down the middle and frankly... the 1b for UVA 'should/could' have caught the ball for the out. His 2nd AB was dreadful. I have no idea why a player that has been in an abysmal drought at the plate walks up and NEVER TAKES A PITCH!!!! Kellum Clark is the anti-Hatcher. He is patient at the plate and he actually hits good pitches...
And his defense at 1b has been discussed ad nauseum for the ways it is not 'as magical' as some would have you believe on here. Again, there were some studs who showed up last night... no need to recreate history to try to create one...
Edit to change: 'should/could'. the UVA 1b overstretched and misses the catch. He had the extension to catch it
And his defense at 1b has been discussed ad nauseum for the ways it is not 'as magical' as some would have you believe on here. Again, there were some studs who showed up last night... no need to recreate history to try to create one...
Edit to change: 'should/could'. the UVA 1b overstretched and misses the catch. He had the extension to catch it
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lol I’ve just got to say… you must be a blast at parties.
“Before celebrating a critical base hit, may I remind you that earlier in the at bat he SWUNG AND MISSED!”
And yes, every player who saw the field yesterday contributed to one of the best wins in program history, so nobody cares what you think.
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Jeezus man, I see no need to pile on to the guy like this. You're being over critical of a 17ing baseball player, a sport in which you can be unsuccessful 70% of the time and be considered a great player.
Take a break from being an *******.
Yes, Hatcher has struggled, but he batted .320 two years ago and was a major contributor.
So... why the multiple posts about Hatcher?!?!?! That's the point of the entire discussion here. You take a 3 run homer and somehow try to make it about the guy who you paint as the next Keith Hernandez defensively... Again, watching the 2-3 on here who want to love something Hatcher is just bizarre. I'm glad he contributed last night. I'm also glad that the players who got us here this year continued to be the bell cow when we needed them.
Maybe we are happy he didn't up and leave the GD team like L. Jordan did. He and Rowdy and TA have more experience in Omaha than most any player on any team left in the tournament except for the Vandy guys
Agree.
Just remember that different people have different ways of looking at things. Some people like to give out participation trophies. Other people are very analytical and point out mistakes.
That being said . . . the second AB by Hatcher was a disaster . . . a total complete 17 up.
On a count of 2 balls and 1 strike, he tried to bunt a pitch that almost hit him in the face. Little leaguers know that you only bunt strikes. If you were to ask Hatcher himself about that AB, then he would tell you that he completely screwed it up. Also, remember that Hatcher did this in the top of the 9th inning with nobody out in a 1-run game.
Regarding Hatcher's baserunning on Rowdy's hit (at 11:48 in the video), check out his hesitancy in going from first base to second base:
Observe the difference in the way Rowdy is running the bases and the way Hatcher is running the bases.
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Glad it all worked out but its not like he came in and blistered a line drive hit. He rolled one in the infield to just the right spot and I'm happy he was able to beat it out. Our year could have been a lot better had he been the hitter we needed him to be. The issues with Hatcher's bat and KJ's glove have been real obstacles for this team to overcome this year but its working right now. KJ is playing better defense at 3rd and maybe Hatcher can give us a key hit or two if needed during this CWS run.
First of all, most everyone was swinging and missing at pitches over the plate at times in that game. It makes it even more impressive that the guy was able to grind that at bat and come back and work out the hit. And it was a hit - it would've taken a superstar play to get him there. We don't win that game with out it.
I don't know what your issue is with Hatcher, but let's take a break from it for the one day he helped the team win the biggest game of the year to this point.
The three run homer isn't a three run homer if he doesn't work out a hit in a very tight spot. It's a two run homer. We don't win the game without his hit, just like the other hits in that rally. I don't see post after post of people celebrating Hatcher on here, just people recognizing that he had a big at-bat in that 8th inning and came through. Crazy that you are so triggered over this.
It's kind of like almost throwing an interception on a pass that gets you a first down.
Well, while I don't give a rip about the SEC tourney, an SEC championship would have been nice. But agree that making Omaha and trying to win there is the ultimate goal.
The issue in that AB was that the actual bunt call was dumb. Pitcher was rattled. Had thrown 5 straight balls before we attempted to bunt ball 6 and then went survival mode on ball 8 and bunted it straight up in the air. I was good with the fake bunt take a strike thing, and had we done that, Hatcher would have been on first, and the flood gates might have opened.
Hard to complain too much though…
Hard to complain too much though…
I didn't disagree with that bunt call: 1-run game, 9th inning, no outs, man on first, Rowdey and TA coming up. If we execute the bunt, decent chance we double the lead.
But I wonder about how much Virginia bunted early in the game. It's hard to criticize because the bunts were successful: runner advanced to second and eventually scored. But I wonder if they score more than 4 runs early if they don't give us outs. MacLeod only got 4 outs. 2 of them were SAC bunts. So take out those 2 bunts, MacLeod retired 2 of 9 batters faced. Even though they scored 4 runs early, I feel like Virginia helped us out there.
I love that Lemonis is very selective when using the bunt.
Can we please put the "Hatcher screwed up running the bases" myth to bed. Cheesebrough held him at third, he didn't stop on his own. He ran as far as he needed to until he was assured that the CF wasn't getting to that ball.
The baserunning mistake was on Rowdey, but I'm not going to ***** at a guy with a motor like him. Just tell him to look up and make sure the way is clear next time.
It... was... a 90+ pitch... coming... at... his... face. I get taking one for the team, but that was pure survival instincts to keep that one from knocking out teeth. It was unlucky. I can't fault him too much for that.
Rowdey has nothing to lose by running wide open there. If the CF catches it, Rowdey can't be out twice, so there's no reason for him not to round 1st to 2nd. Hatcher has to make sure it hits the ground before he goes ahead and advances.
I agreed with the bunt. You were dealing with a batter that has struggled at the plate all season. For him or Forsythe I would bunt in that situation every time. Having said that, he needed to be selective and only bunt at strikes knowing the pitcher was rattled. His first bunt was at a pitch that would have been a ball. I think if he had just showed bunt and pulled it back every pitch, he probably would have walked.
The kid had a rough senior year. He had a clutch (if not remarkable) moment in a big situation to cap off a solid (if not remarkable) Bulldog career.
Why can't you just celebrate that?
NOATLDAWG channelling Hugh Kellenberger. "Let's pump the brakes on this Josh Hatcher for Golden Spikes talk."
Exactly. With one out and TA coming up, there were two ways to screw that up: Get doubled off after a catch or get thrown out at home.
I am unable to understand why so many people look at the third base coach telling Hatcher to STOP! and why that would ever mean keep on going toward a likely out at home plate, just so Rowdey can reach third on a hit.
Hatcher did what the base coach told him to do. Rowdey didn't look at the third base coach (he was supposed to look at him to get the sign) and we were lucky it didn't cost us an out. I'll give Rowdey a pass on his poor move there because I love to see him stretch a double out into a triple. He just almost messed up badly this time. Thankfully he didn't.
I watched the second runner in a little league game one time pass his slower teammate ahead of him between third and home. Believe it or not, the rules say you can't do that.
Hatcher did fine. Rowdey should have held up. It all worked out.
Hatcher did what the base coach told him to do. Rowdey didn't look at the third base coach (he was supposed to look at him to get the sign) and we were lucky it didn't cost us an out. I'll give Rowdey a pass on his poor move there because I love to see him stretch a double out into a triple. He just almost messed up badly this time. Thankfully he didn't.
I watched the second runner in a little league game one time pass his slower teammate ahead of him between third and home. Believe it or not, the rules say you can't do that.
Hatcher did fine. Rowdey should have held up. It all worked out.
All of the following is my opinion, so I could be wrong.
Hatcher made the baserunning mistake by not being at second base when the ball went over the CF's glove.
Had Hatcher been at second base at that time, he could have easily returned to first base if the ball was caught (the CF was in a full sprint towards left-CF; he could never have caught the ball and then thrown to first base to double off Hatcher) or he could have easily scored when the ball wasn't caught.
Instead of being at second base ready to take off and score if the ball isn't caught, Hatcher was only about halfway between first base and second base.
Also, Hatcher wasn't running very hard after the ball wasn't caught. When he saw the ball go over the CF's head, he should have taken off at 100% speed. Watch the replay . . . does Hatcher look like he's running at top speed? Or, does he look like he wants the coach to give him the "hold-up" sign?
For the record, the baserunner SHOULD do what the coach tells him to do.
However, as I pointed out, Hatcher's baserunning mistake was made when he was not at second base ready to take off and score when the ball went over the CF's head. (my opinion)
But you're right in saying it all worked out anyway. Thank goodness for TA.
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