Yakety Sax: Dodger Baserunning (8/15/2011)

As usual,

Play the music

and play the plethora of videos featuring Dodger base running mishaps.

Kemp thrown out at home (aka...a triple play).  The Dodgers had runners at 1st and 2nd.  James Loney grounds up the middle into a double play.  Using The Win Probability Enquirer at The Hardball Times we find that the Dodgers Win Probability with Kemp being thrown at at home was .447.  If Kemp had held at 3rd, with two outs the Dodgers WP would have been .485.  The play cost the Dodgers 4.2 points of WP.

Dioner Navarro thrown out at home.  Navarro was on 2nd after a ground rule double.  Justin Sellers singled to CF.  Navarro being thrown out left the Dodgers with a WPA of .518.  If Navarro had been held at 3rd the Dodgers would have had 1st and 3rd no outs, a WPA of .633.  The play cost the Dodgers 11.5 points of WP.

Andre Either doubled off of first base.  Ethier was on first after a walk.  Kemp lines to CF and Jerry Hariston made a diving catch.  Ethier was thrown out scrambling back to 1st for the 3rd out of the inning.  The Dodgers' WP at that point was .438.  If Ethier had stayed up, LA would have had a runner on 1st with two outs, a WP of .467.  The play cost the Dodgers 2.9 points of WP.

And, to top it off, the final play of the game, Matt Kemp doubled off of first base.  With the game being over, and the Brewers up 3 - 0, the Dodgers had 0 WP.  If Kemp had not been doubled off the Dodgers would have had a WP of .013.  The play cost the Dodgers 1.3 points of WP.

4 plays decreased LA's chance of winning by 19.9.

Yakety Sax: Oakland A's (8/2/2011)

The latest yakety sax play comes from the Oakland A's infield who managed to turn a Brendan Ryan ground ball into a Brendan Ryan infield triple.

Fire up the music

and watch the video

Yakety Sax: New York Yankees (6/19/11)

This Yakety Sax moment brought to you by the left side of the New York Yankees infield.


Watch:

*RiverAveBlues

And listen:

Yakety Sax

Yakety Sax: Jonathan Herrera (6/11/11)

The latest Yakety Sax inducing play wasn't committed by a team, but a single player.  The Rockies' Jonathan Herrera.

With the Dodgers leading the Rockies 8 - 6 in the top of the ninth inning and runners at the corners with 0 outs, LA had a Win Probability of 94.9%.

Dodgers' batter Tony Gwynn hit a sharp ground ball to the Rockies' 2nd baseman Jonathan Herrera, who had to make a quick decision on what to do.

It appears that he had 3 options:

The first option would have been to throw to the shortstop covering 2nd base and try for a double play.  If Herrera had chosen this option and if the Rockies had completed the double play allowing Rod Barajas to score from 3rd the score would have been 9 - 6 with 2 outs leaving LA with a Win Probability of 93.5%.  This play would have increased Colorado's Win Probability by 1.5%

The second option would have been to try to tag the runner going by and then turn the double play.  By holding the ball Herrara may have been able to stop Barajas, the runner at 3rd, from scoring.  If Herrera had chosen this option, and completed the play without the run scoring the Dodgers would have had 2 outs and a runner at third leaving LA with a Win Probability of 88.5%.  This play would have increased Colorado's Win Probability by 6.4%.

It appears as though Barajas may have started home on contact, negating option two.  However Herrera's 3rd option would have been to throw directly home and try to stop Barajas from scoring.  If Herrera had chosen this option and if Barajas had been tagged out at home, LA would have had 1 out with runners on 1st and 2nd and a Win Probability of 91%.  This play would have increased Colorado's Win Probability by 3.9%.  

To see what Herrera chose to do, play this video.

While listening to this video.  

Don't peek ahead.

It appears that Herrera didn't have any idea what to do.  He looks like he began to throw home, then tried to tag the runner going by.  However he missed the runner going to second, and his throw home was late.  Everybody safe.  This play gave the Dodgers a 96.7% Win Probability, decreasing Colorado's Win Probability by 3.2%.

Speaking of Win Probability, what a fun game this was...

*Win Probability stats from The Hardball Times

*Game graph from FanGraphs

Yakety Sax: KC Royals (6/7/11)

Just as with the first 2 versions of the Yakety Sax plays,
Toronto Blue Jays: May 25th
Chicago Cubs: May 17


Sit back and enjoy this video of the KC Royals throwing the ball all over the field

As you listen to this song

The play occurred in the top of the first inning.  Toronto leadoff man Yunel Escobar singled to open the game.  The Royals' Win Probability at that point was 46.5%.  With the #2 hitter, Corey Patterson, at the plate Escobar took off for 2nd.  Catcher Matt Treanor's throw went in to CF where it was retrieved by Melky Cabrera who through to 3rd.  Unfortunately, for the Royals, Mike Aviles couldn't field the Melk Man's throw and Escobar jogged home safely with the run.  When KC was finally able to get the ball back to pitcher Vin Mazzaro their Win Probability stood at 40.4%, a loss of 6% on the play.

Yakety Sax: Toronto Blue Jays

Not as encompassing as the Chicago Cubs' Yakety Sax, but the Toronto Blue Jays pulled off a Yakety play today.

Play this video as you behold:

*SBnation

*H/T to OD

Video from the MLB website

Yakety Sax: Chicago Cubs (5/17/11)

Wikipedia says:

"Yakety Sax" is often used in television and film as a soundtrack for outlandishly humorous situations. It is frequently used to accompany comedic chases, most notably in the sketch comedy program The Benny Hill Show,^[3] where it accompanied otherwise silent, rapidly paced comedy sequences (often involving a chase scene). This use of the piece, and the chase scenes themselves, have been parodied in many other movies and TV shows.

So play this video

While watching these plays in the Cubs Reds game last night.

The Reds won 7 - 5 yesterday as the Cubs gave up 7 unearned runs on 4 errors.

The first play occurred with the bases loaded, 2 out and pitcher Edinson Volquez up in the bottom of the 4th and the cubs up 3 - 0.  Volquez hit a sinking line drive to first baseman Carlos Pena that Pena couldn't handle (1st error).  Second baseman Darwin Barney retrieved the ball and threw it back into the infield.  Kerry Wood cut the throw off near first base.  He then threw the ball home but past catcher Wellington Castillo.  All 3 runners on base scored and the Cubs Win Probability (WP) went from 75.3% to 45.3%, a decrease of 30%.

In the bottom of the 6th with 2 out, a runner at first and Miguel Cairo at bat, Cairo swung through a third strike but the umpire ruled that the ball hit the ground before being caught by Cubs' catcher Wellington Castillo.  Confusion abounded as the Cubs walked off the field and the Reds' Ramon Hernandez and Miguel Cairo took their gift bases.  Though a run didn't score, the gaffe cost the Cubs 1.9% WP

Then, in the bottom of the 8th with the Cubs back on top 5 - 3, nobody out, and runners at 1st and 2nd, the Reds' Ryan Hannigan tried to sacrifice.  Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood fielded the ball and threw to third to try and nab the lead runner.  His throw was in plenty of time, but it was plenty off line and went into left field.  Left fielder Tony Campana couldn't stop it and it rolled to the wall.  Scott Rolen and Fred Lewis scored as Hannigan ended up on 3rd.  With the Cubs' lead in the 8th they had a 63.3% WP.  After the error they had a 17.4% WP.  That's a decrease of 45.9%.

Four errors, decreased the Cubs' WP by 77.8% in total.  Yakety Sax, indeed.


*WP data from FanGraphs' awesome new box scores.