In Play, Run(s)

Baseball is a funny game.  Take last night, for example, where the Braves had been no hit (again) through seven innings, this time by Washington lefty Scott Olsen.  While Atlanta couldn't buy a hit for the first seven innings of play, David Ross finally lined a one out single to left to end the no-hit bid.  Before Olsen could even catch his breath, Melky Cabrera reached on an error and Nate McLouth hit a single to right, loading the bases.  All of a sudden, the Braves had the bases loaded and one out, with Jason Heyward coming in to pinch hit off of reliever Tyler Clippard.  On a 1-2 count, Heyward put the ball into play.  At this point in the game, my heart was beating as I inched toward the edge of my seat.

No, I wasn't sitting in an uncomfortable plastic stadium seat; unfortunately I couldn't make it down to DC for the game.  Nor was I sitting in my living room on the edge of my couch or leather La-Z-Boy recliner with built in cup holders (no, I don't actually own one of these, though sometimes I wish I did); the game wasn't televised here in New York last night.  Instead, I was sitting in front of my computer screen, watching MLB.com's Gameday application update me on every pitch.  While they're not nearly as exciting as watching baseball in person or on television, the technology (particularly the PITCHf/x data) and statistics involved in the Gameday "broadcast" are interesting in their own right.

By far the best part about Gameday, though, is when your team is batting and you see "In play, run(s)" pop up on the bottom of the screen.  The time between the appearance of "In play, run(s)" and when the result of the at bat is revealed usually lasts about twenty to thirty seconds, and it is surprisingly (and, perhaps, pathetically) riveting.  In last night's game, for example (Heyward batting with the bases loaded and one out), there were several different outcomes that could have followed "In play, run(s)" that ranged from fantastic to devastating.  Perhaps Heyward hit a pinch hit grand slam, giving Atlanta a 4-2 lead and tremendous momentum heading into a big weeked series with Philadelphia?  Maybe he hit a sacrifice fly to right field, but Melky Cabrera got tagged out trying to advance to third base, resulting in an inning-ending double play with the Braves still behind 2-1?  Or perhaps something in between?  In reality, Heyward hit a two run single to left, temporarily tying the game 2-2.

You rarely know what to expect when "In play, run(s)" appears at the bottom of the screen.

As a Braves fan living in New York, where Atlanta games are rarely televised, I've learned to love MLB.com's Gameday application.  While sometimes you know what will follow "In play, run(s)" (with no one on base, you know the batter hit a solo homer), other times it's a complete mystery.  And waiting those thirty seconds to find out how your team scored is pretty much as exciting as staring at a data-driven sports scoring application gets.