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I also agree that Tracy's move was the percentage play. As others have said, Berkman was hotter in this game plus it set up the double play or force at 2nd. Since the runner at first has no value to the home team in the bottom of the 9th, that was good enough reason. However, more than that, if there are two outs left, who would you rather pitch to: Berkman-Ensberg or Ensberg-Lane? I was very nervous the inning would come down to Lane with 2 outs.


Thanks to all for explaining. I was away, and didn't know so many people thought that was a bad move by LA.

Force (poss DP),Hotter hitter (Berkman at that moment), and the fact that Berkman being on base did nothing to help the Astros (he couldn't score no matter what). Most of the things that could happen putting a runner on 1st in that situation are good things for the defense. The odds that one run will score with a runner on 2nd and 1 out are higher than they are with runners on 1st and 2nd. It's a pure percentage play, and at that point in the game that's all you can do. How bad would it have been if MoBerg had hit a GB to SS for a 6-4-3 DP to end the inning? That would have been bad, and the Dodgers put themselves in position to do that.