Red Sox Record In Road Extra Inning Games

[Tedballgame]

Boston is now 1-8 in road extra inning games. I would think any smart baseball man would see that the current strategy of always playing for two runs is not working. How about bunting the runner over to try to score the first run? Put some pressure on the home team to have to score. Since the Red Sox rarely score from second what makes them think the home team is always going to score two runs? Throw out the analytics and use some common sense. Like Martin Hall on the Golf Channel says: " If you keep doing what you've been doing, you will keep getting what you have been getting."

[moonslav59]

6 minutes ago, Tedballgame said:

Boston is now 1-8 in road extra inning games. I would think any smart baseball man would see that the current strategy of always playing for two runs is not working. How about bunting the runner over to try to score the first run? Put some pressure on the home team to have to score. Since the Red Sox rarely score from second what makes them think the home team is always going to score two runs? Throw out the analytics and use some common sense. Like Martin Hall on the Golf Channel says: " If you keep doing what you've been doing, you will keep getting what you have been getting."

PR DHam, have him steal 3B and give the team 2 chances for a fly ball or correctly placed ground out and 3 chances for a hit or WP/PB?

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

8 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

PR DHam, have him steal 3B and give the team 2 chances for a fly ball or correctly placed ground out and 3 chances for a hit or WP/PB?

I like this better than having Hammy strike out on foul bunts. 

When guys with wheels from the lefty box -- presumably a prerequisite to making the majors for lefthanded-hitting sprinters -- can't put one down in fair territory, it sure makes it easier to hate bunting.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

I like this better than having Hammy strike out on foul bunts. 

When guys with wheels from the lefty box -- presumably a prerequisite to making the majors for lefthanded-hitting sprinters -- can't put one down in fair territory, it sure makes it easier to hate bunting.

DHam has two useful skills and neither lead him to a starter, even vs RHPs:

1. He may be one of  the top 3 base stealers in MLB.

2. He plays plus D at 2B- a position we have sucked in (D & O) for over 5 season.

If he is going to be on our 26, that is the only two ways we should use him: PR'er and late inning D at 2B.

[mvp 78]

17 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

DHam has two useful skills and neither lead him to a starter, even vs RHPs:

1. He may be one of  the top 3 base stealers in MLB.

2. He plays plus D at 2B- a position we have sucked in (D & O) for over 5 season.

If he is going to be on our 26, that is the only two ways we should use him: PR'er and late inning D at 2B.

Top 3? He has the same SB% as Sal Frelick in 25. Worse than Josh Naylor in 24-25. We did see him and his dumb oven mitt come off the bag this series. 

[moonslav59]

37 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Top 3? He has the same SB% as Sal Frelick in 25. Worse than Josh Naylor in 24-25. We did see him and his dumb oven mitt come off the bag this series. 

I rarely go by one season to make statements, and I did say "might be...:

He has 50 SBs and 8 CS since 2024. I believe he was only on 1B 94 times, in that period of time.

[mvp 78]

4 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I rarely go by one season to make statements, and I did say "might be...:

He has 50 SBs and 8 CS since 2024. I believe he was only on 1B 94 times, in that period of time.

He reached on a force out or stole 3b? Weird!

[notin]

20 hours ago, Tedballgame said:

Boston is now 1-8 in road extra inning games. I would think any smart baseball man would see that the current strategy of always playing for two runs is not working. How about bunting the runner over to try to score the first run? Put some pressure on the home team to have to score. Since the Red Sox rarely score from second what makes them think the home team is always going to score two runs? Throw out the analytics and use some common sense. Like Martin Hall on the Golf Channel says: " If you keep doing what you've been doing, you will keep getting what you have been getting."

The downside to bunting Manfred Mann over to third is the Sox do strikeout a lot.  Sac bunt followed by a strikeout, and you have a runner on third with 2 outs and still haven’t scored.

The reason to play for two runs on the road is not because you think the opposition is going to score twice, but rather because you believe they will score once.  Score 2 while they score one? Like it or not, it is a strategy built on winning rather than on prolonging games…

[mvp 78]

8 minutes ago, notin said:

The downside to bunting Manfred Mann over to third is the Sox do strikeout a lot.  Sac bunt followed by a strikeout, and you have a runner on third with 2 outs and still haven’t scored.

The reason to play for two runs on the road is not because you think the opposition is going to score twice, but rather because you believe they will score once.  Score 2 while they score one? Like it or not, it is a strategy built on winning rather than on prolonging games…

Sox are 6-3 in extras at home. I think there's just an advantage for the home team with the new dumb rules. 

They are 3-3 in 9th inning walkoffs. 

[Maxbialystock]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

Top 3? He has the same SB% as Sal Frelick in 25. Worse than Josh Naylor in 24-25. We did see him and his dumb oven mitt come off the bag this series. 

The oven mitt is a mixed blessing.  

[Maxbialystock]

20 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

PR DHam, have him steal 3B and give the team 2 chances for a fly ball or correctly placed ground out and 3 chances for a hit or WP/PB?

i like this better.  I'm completely in favor of bunting--sabermetrics be darned--but don't think the Sox know how to.  

[mvp 78]

27 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

i like this better.  I'm completely in favor of bunting--sabermetrics be darned--but don't think the Sox know how to.  

Hamilton doesn't know how to for sure. 

[Bellhorn04]

36 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Sox are 6-3 in extras at home. I think there's just an advantage for the home team with the new dumb rules. 

There seems to be an advantage, but I'm not really sure what the explanation for it is.  

It would be interesting to see how extensive this advantage has been since the change.

[Bellhorn04]

31 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

i like this better.  I'm completely in favor of bunting--sabermetrics be darned--but don't think the Sox know how to.  

Why are you in favor of bunting for an out?

[Maxbialystock]

16 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Hamilton doesn't know how to for sure. 

I can't remember who,  but at least one or two Sox have made good bunts this season.  Maybe they were fined afterward.  

[Maxbialystock]

21 hours ago, Tedballgame said:

Boston is now 1-8 in road extra inning games. I would think any smart baseball man would see that the current strategy of always playing for two runs is not working. How about bunting the runner over to try to score the first run? Put some pressure on the home team to have to score. Since the Red Sox rarely score from second what makes them think the home team is always going to score two runs? Throw out the analytics and use some common sense. Like Martin Hall on the Golf Channel says: " If you keep doing what you've been doing, you will keep getting what you have been getting."

Great stat.  

[mvp 78]

25 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

I can't remember who,  but at least one or two Sox have made good bunts this season.  Maybe they were fined afterward.  

Team leader in bunt hits by year:

'24 Wong - 4

'23 McGuire/Reyes - 2

'22 Duran - 2

'21 4 players had 1

'20 Beni/JBJ - 1

'19 Marco Hernandez - 2

'18 Brock Holt - 2

'17 Leon  - 3

'13 Victorino - 7

'07 Lugo - 9

'04 5 players had 1

'99 Offerman - 3

'88 Barrett/Burks - 3 (1st year with info on bref)

[Kimmi]

On 8/10/2025 at 1:35 PM, Tedballgame said:

Boston is now 1-8 in road extra inning games. I would think any smart baseball man would see that the current strategy of always playing for two runs is not working. How about bunting the runner over to try to score the first run? Put some pressure on the home team to have to score. Since the Red Sox rarely score from second what makes them think the home team is always going to score two runs? Throw out the analytics and use some common sense. Like Martin Hall on the Golf Channel says: " If you keep doing what you've been doing, you will keep getting what you have been getting."

Interestingly, the away team has a slight advantage overall in extra innings games since the inception of the ghost runner.

From 1901 to 2019, the home team winning percentage in extra innings games was .523.

From 2020 to 2024, the home team winning percentage in extra innings games was .493.

If the away team can score in the top of the inning, even one run, they have a decent chance of winning the game.  For that reason, I agree with your opinion of bunting the runner over to third base, in general.

That said, it really depends a lot on who is at the plate and who is on deck.  If Anthony is up with Bregman on deck, I'm swinging away.  If Wong is up with Anthony on deck, I'd probably bunt.  This also assumes that the guys can actually get a good bunt down.