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                                                                                                       SPORTS Tuesday 17 July 2018
            Baseball's shifting culture set to play out in All-Star Game




            By BEN WALKER                                                                                                       said.
            WASHINGTON  (AP)  —  Da-                                                                                            The decrease on the score-
            vid  Ortiz  can  now  laugh,                                                                                        board  has  increased  calls
            sort  of,  at  the  shifting  cul-                                                                                  for  more  radical  changes
            ture  of  baseball.  For  Mike                                                                                      — outlawing shifts, lowering
            Trout,   Nolan    Arenado,                                                                                          the  mound,  forcing  reliev-
            Bryce  Harper  and  most                                                                                            ers to face more than one
            every  other  All-Star  hitter,                                                                                     batter.
            dealing  with  different  de-                                                                                       "This  is  a  game  of  adjust-
            fensive  alignments  is  just                                                                                       ments.  Everybody  is  con-
            part of the game.                                                                                                   stantly making adjustments
            Tune  in  Tuesday  night  and                                                                                       to  you,"  Atlanta  outfielder
            there's no telling where fans                                                                                       Nick  Markakis  said.  "You're
            will see fielders at Nationals                                                                                      going to want to cry about
            Park.  Especially  in  what's                                                                                       it and not have the shift any
            become merely an exhibi-                                                                                            more? I think it's silly."
            tion  —  why  not  try  a  five-                                                                                    No one has suggested cut-
            man outfield?                                                                                                       ting the bases to 88 feet or
            Count  Joey  Votto  among                                                                                           stretching  the  mound-to-
            the  boppers  who'd  love                                                                                           plate  distance  beyond  60
            to  do  away  with  infielders                                                                                      feet, 6 inches.
            clustered on the grass.                                                                                             Meanwhile,    home    runs
            "From someone who's really                                                                                          continue to rise at a record
            been  dinged  by  the  shift,                                                                                       rate. Strikeouts, too.
            I  would  welcome  it,"  the                                                                                        Harper, a six-time All-Star at
            Cincinnati  first  baseman                                                                                          25, is caught in the vortex.
            said  Monday.  "Once  they                                                                                          Set to play in the showcase
            started  shifting  more  with-                                                                                      at  his  home  ballpark,  he's
            out question, I adjusted my                                                                                         batting  only  .214  with  102
            approach and you have to  Perhaps it would mean only  the other NL stars come to  Miami on Robinson Cano's  strikeouts,  along  with  23
            or else you get burned by it  two infielders on each side  bat.                        homer  in  the  10th  inning.  homers.
            because .290 turns into .250  of  the  diamond.  Or  possi-  "The  shift  has  transformed  Not  since  2007,  in  fact,  How can a batter beat the
            turns into .220 like nothing."  bly they'd all be required to  the  game,"  Astros  third  have  both  teams  scored  shift?  "You  can't,"  Harper
            But  the  career  .312  hitter  stay on the dirt.         baseman  Alex  Bregman  more  than  three  runs  in  a  said. "If you hit a ball in the
            can see why Major League  "Maybe  something  where  said.  "We  did  it  a  lot  last  game.                        hole, then you're out. If you
            Baseball  might  want  to  you can only shift a couple  year  and  won  the  World  That's  the  trend  across  hit  a  ball  up  the  middle,
            avoid  delving  into  rules  to  guys  each  inning,"  Arena-  Series, so I guess it works."  baseball these days. Going  you're out."
            define defensive positions.  do offered.                  Despite all the top talent at  into the break, there have  "If I have a kid, I'm not going
            "I  like  the  idea  of  a  dy-  Of  course,  Max  Scherzer,  the  plate,  All-Star  Games  been  more  strikeouts  than  to  tell  him  to  stay  through
            namic  ballplayer.  It's  really  Jacob  deGrom,  Luis  Sev-  rarely  turn  into  run-fests.  hits in the majors. The over-  the  middle  anymore  be-
            hard  to  shift  against  a  re-  erino and other aces might  They're often limited by the  all  batting  average  is  .247  cause  if  you  hit  a  ball  up
            ally  fast  left-handed  hitter  see it a bit differently.  strong  stable  of  pitchers  at  the  break,  and  it  could  the middle, you're out," he
            for a multitude of reasons,"  "I am extremely pro-shift, es-  each  team  brings,  boost-  dip  to  the  lowest  figure  in  said.  "I  guess  guys  could
            he said. "Removing the shift  pecially  against  lefties  be-  ed  by  dominant  relievers  nearly a half-century.  bunt  down  the  first  base
            may  lend  itself  to  the  left-  cause I pound lefties in and  such as Craig Kimbrel, Josh  "I  think  offenses  are  down  line or third base line if they
            handed pull hitter that hits  then  change-ups  away,"  Hader  and  Kenley  Jansen  because  of  the  shift.  I  see  shift you the other way. But
            flyballs,  groundballs  and  Dodgers  right-hander  Ross  ramped up to throw one in-   a  lot  of  guys  hit  balls  hard  you don't get paid to bunt.
            strikes out a ton. I'm not sure  Stripling said. "I know there  ning apiece.           up the middle that are usu-  If you hit it over all of them,
            if Major League Baseball is  are  pitchers  that  don't  like  The AL won last year 2-1 at  ally hits that are outs," Trout  that's how you beat it."q
            excited about that."         it as much. When you think
            To  Ortiz,  these  overloaded  about the shift it's easier to
            infields  are  reshaping  the  remember  the  ones  that
            sport.  Not  in  a  good  way,  hurt  you  than  the  10  that
            either.                      helped you."
            "It seems crazy, it seems like  As  for  the  debate  about
            it's taking some fun part of  shifts damaging the game,
            the  game  away,"  the  re-  "certainly  I  understand  it,"
            tired  Red  Sox  slugger  said  he said.
            Sunday  before  managing  "We were just talking about
            the Futures Game.            this  the  other  day  and  we
            "It  seems  like  there  are  looked  up  the  research  a
            20  guys  playing  defense  little bit. It's led to way less
            against you," Big Papi said,  singles, but more walks and
            playfully  estimating  shifts  more doubles," he said.
            took  "like  500  hits  away  No manager employs more
            from me."                    shifts  than  AL  skipper  A.J.
            There's been talk that base-  Hinch  of  Houston,  so  look
            ball,  concerned  that  less  for  second  baseman  Jose
            action  in  the  field  could  Altuve and shortstop Man-
            translate  to  fewer  fans  in  ny Machado to be moving
            the  stands,  might  consider  around  when  Paul  Gold-
            a rule regarding shifts.     schmidt,  Matt  Kemp  and
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