The Mets Actually Use the Hit and Run Play

My number one complaint about Willie Randolph was that his only solution to a problem was to “keep battling.”
Much to my dismay, as this season was falling apart due to injuries; Jerry Manuel seemed to be clinging to the same do-nothing philosophy.
But I did notice a minor, but potentially impactful, change to Manuel’s strategy last night.
The Mets don’t hit home runs. They aren’t fast enough to take the extra base, so they need to bring back this arcane play called the hit and run.
In the 4th inning with David Wright on first and Ryan Church up they tried it, the shortstop covered second and Church hit it right in the hole. They ended up getting one more run in that inning, thanks to avoiding a likely double play.
In the 8th inning with the human double play Fernando Tatis up and a runner on first, Manuel sent the runner and Tatis hit what would have been a sure double play.

Needless to say this season is over. But instead of making a panic trade, I’d rather see the Mets adopt a style more conducive to the team they have, rather than the one they hoped they would have had.