Rafael Furcal Appears to Have Pussed Out in 9th Against Brewers
By Larry Brown August 4, 2009 - Posted in Baseball

rafael-furcal-bunt

So Monday night I actually went to my first ballgame of the year, more by chance than anything else. While many people are focused on the failed Dodgers comeback and the disappointing out Manny Ramirez made to end the game with the bases loaded, there is something else that caught my attention. With two outs, Orlando Hudson on third, and the Dodgers trailing by one, Rafael Furcal decided to drop down a bunt. The only way I would forgive him here is if the squeeze was on, but I never saw Orlando Hudson break for home which makes me think it wasn’t, and that Furcal acted independently (or Hudson missed the sign). Of course you can’t count on anyone in the media to write about the play (much less ask about it) so I can’t be certain.

Regardless, it’s worth noting that with the game on the line and the chance to be a hero, Furcal appeared to want nothing to do with the bat. I’m guessing it’s because he’s hitting .266 with barely any power that he doesn’t have confidence. How else can you explain a guy dropping a bunt down with two outs and the tying run on third? How is that going to help the team score a run? That may be a good strategy if the team needs a run in the 9th and you’re leading off the inning, but not when it needs one driven in. That to me was Furcal’s way of saying he didn’t want any part of the clutch situation and that he’d rather let Andre Ethier handle the pressure. He probably would have been better off swinging away. You telling me that mentality’s going to work in the playoffs?

About Larry Brown:
Larry Brown has over nine years of professional sports media experience, working in online, radio, and TV capacities. He recently was a nationally syndicated sports radio host. Follow him on twitter @LBSports
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6 Comments
  • Jessica Duboff

    I had that same thought! Once it was clear it wasn’t a squeeze, I was irritated cause all it did was set up a force out without advancing the runner. Another baserunner was not the priority at that point.

  • Jeff J

    There is definitely a chance O missed the squeeze call. It makes sense they would try the squeeze in that situation and try to catch Milwaukee sleeping.

    It seems odd to me too that Furcal would have pussed out. Maybe the way Ethier has been hitting Torre decided it was better to have him try and drive in the run.

    Larry, was Tommy Lasagna beating up the popcorn machine again the other night :).

  • Vanilla Face

    First of all, he almost ended the game right there with his popped up bunt that Hoffman almost caught.

    Next, I told you already that it was set up this way to give Manny another grand slam opportunity. You pointed out the lack of fans in the stands and the fact that they are using billboard advertising to cover up empty seats so that the stadium doesn’t look so empty.

    More grand slams = more publicity = more people willing to buy tickets.

    *The only problem is that people will be willing to pay for the tickets but not the parking.

  • Jeff J

    Vanilla,

    The only problem with your assessment is that Manny wasn’t up next, it was Ethier. Are you saying that somehow Trevor Hoffman was involved with Dodger marketing to purposely walk Ethier to bring up Manny so they can fill more seats….please. Maybe he and the official ball boy of the night Jr. Seau cooked something up with the Dodger brass :).

    Also, they use more billboards to make more advertising revenue, not to make it look like there are more people in the seats. It’s called business.

  • Vanilla Face

    Jeff,

    I’m just screwing around with my posts. Just giving LB a hard time. Trying to add to the the “conspiracies.”

    But the billboards in the stands are Dodger billboards. I think something like “Dodgertown” and it wasn’t the black ones covering seats in center field so the batters can see better. Huge Dodger billboards in both corner nose-bleeds. They did have a smaller billboard underneath (probably 1:5 size ratio) that said “Korea,” just “Korea” with the flag symbols, no “Fly Korea,” no “Korea Air,” no “Eat Kimchi,” no “Hee-Seop Choi, Chan Ho Park, Jae Weong Seo,” just “Korea.”

    (For LB) There was, as always and as it is around the country, the sponge advertisement in right field also.

  • Jeff J

    Hey Vanilla.

    Sorry I didn’t catch you were just digging at LB in your post :). I’ll have to take a better look next time I go at all the non advertising billboards around the stadium.

    After reading and replying to your post yesterday, I was watching the game last night and it really is amazing how many billboards they have behind home plate. I am surprised McCort doesn’t just remove all those seats and add more advertising. The sad thing is that Frank doesn’t actually take any of that advertising money and put it back into the team in ways that improve the players. How about going out and spending some real money on a true Ace. The Dodgers should have been more aggressive in the off-season in trying to acquire CC Sabathia, throw some real money at him. He really did want to play here.