Jeff Suppan Baserunning FolliesTM

While it is a bit late to talk about Game 3 of the four-game 2004 World Series, I did want to make a point. You may recall the brain freeze of Cardinal pitcher Jeff Suppan during the third inning of Game 3. He was on third base, when a ball was hit to deep second. The Red Sox were pretty much conceding the run, but Suppan couldn't make up his mind, broke home, went back towards third, stopped, and was eventually picked off.

My intent here isn't to rag on Suppan. These things happen, and it's not like the Cardinals would have won the Series if not for his mistake. He's a pitcher, not a "real" baserunner. Actually, that is my point. I hear National League fans claiming that the American League doesn't play "real" baseball due to the D.H. Maybe that's true. But... it's also true that the chances are that such a sorry display of baserunning would be much less likely to be seen in an American League park. One advantage of "fake" American League baseball is that it tends to keep guys like Suppan off the bases, resulting in fewer "little league" plays in the World Series.