The Rockies accidentally tried out the two first basemen shift and it didn't work out very well
Defensive shifts have moved from being the future of baseball to defining its present. Beyond just moving a few infielders to the pull side when a big slugger comes to the plate, teams are now constantly shifting their infielders and outfielders with a number of subtle and not-so-subtle defensive adjustments. There's even some experimentation with five-man infields as evidenced in Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller's "The Only Rule Is It Has to Work."
During the Rockies' 1-0 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday night, Colorado accidentally tried out the two-man first base while trying to cover for a bunt. Which isn't all that surprising. After all, the team entered the night with the fourth-most shifts on the season. That's a lot of moving parts.
With runners on first and second and one out, Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda dropped a bunt down to Nolan Arenado. But when he threw to first base, some miscommunication led to less of a putout and more of a relay race between second baseman D.J. LeMahieu and first baseman Daniel Descalso.
At least the form is fantastic.
The Rockies have to be creative, but I'm not sure trying two first basemen is going to work out too well. pic.twitter.com/6MZYJazfNg
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) June 9, 2016
Said Descalso after the game:
"We both covered the bag. I knew I had time to get back there. We're both saying 'I got it, I got it' and neither of us gave way to the other. I probably should have just let him have it, but I knew I had time get back there. Just a miscommunication."
Fortunately for the Rockies, Chris Rusin got a strikeout and a groundout to leave the bases loaded. Plus, with Descalso driving in the only run of the game -- coming on the heels of his pinch-hit home run on Tuesday no less -- I'm pretty sure any and all foibles were smoothed over.
