Manager intentionally walks hitter with bases loaded, a breakdown

Apr 21, 2022 2.2M views 7:55

What Happened

In an April 2022 game against the Rangers, Angels manager Joe Maddon intentionally walked Corey Seager with the bases loaded while his team was already trailing. That decision forced in a run, pushing the deficit to 4-2. It got worse fast. The next two batters drove in the rest of the runners, and the whole sequence started after reliever Austin Warren walked a hitter on four pitches to load the bases in the first place.

Why This Matters

Teams have walked hitters with the bases loaded before, but almost always with a lead and a guy like Barry Bonds at the plate, trading one run to avoid a big inning. Maddon did it while losing, which had basically never been done in that spot. He even admitted the numbers didn't back him up, since Seager was actually better against lefties that year. He called it an emotional move, not a strategic one. The runners on base looked genuinely confused about where to go. Trout's reaction in the dugout said the rest. It backfired immediately: the next batter nearly cleared the fence, all three inherited runners eventually scored, and the gamble looked exactly as bad as it sounds. This is peak Maddon, a manager who liked being the guy who tried weird stuff.

With 2.2M views, this breakdown sits at #94 of 1,583, putting it in the top 5.9% of everything Jomboy has ever posted.

Key Moments

Who / What Is Involved

Players: Joe Maddon. Teams: Angels.

Key Terms Mentioned

Full Transcript

Click timestamps to jump to that moment

something happened in baseball that has

never happened before in the Angels

Rangers game from last week and this one

is brought to you by DraftKings Joe

Madden is a manager that does weird [ __ ]