Leading off Tuesday night's game, Coco Crisp saw a cutter up and in on a 3-1 pitch. He pulled it foul, weakly, down the first-base line. This was the perfect outcome.
Swinging the bat for the first time allows a hitter to time up the pitcher. As he's acclimating to the pitcher's speed, he's less likely to make solid contact.
As we now know, the ultimate outcome was favorable for him. Crisp barreled up a line drive to the opposite field. He walks away feeling exceptionally confident. Shields, on the other hand, now wonders how the night will go after Crisp looked so, well, crisp. Alex Gordon tracked down a clean line drive from Sam Fuld, but Brandon Moss followed with a two-run home run.
You never knew a foul ball could have such a ripple effect, huh? A single foul ball added value at the margins. You gotta love it.
