Mickey Gasper has been the hottest hitter on the planet for the Boston Red Sox over the past month or so.
That apparently does not translate to his speed on the bases, though.
Gasper was thrown out early in Wednesday's game against the Seattle Mariners, and it was a costly moment when Boston had a chance to build an early lead.
The switch-hitting Gasper was in the No. 2 spot in the order, and he singled to right field with one out in the bottom of the first.
Ceddanne Rafaela followed with a single up the middle to give the Red Sox runners on first and second.
That's when Wilyer Abreu poked a single through the left side, toward Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena. The ball wasn't moving all that quick, and the Red Sox decided to wave Gasper home.
Arozarena came up throwing, and he got Gasper at the plate. The Red Sox wouldn't score in the inning, and Seattle built a solid early lead by cashing in on their opportunities when Boston could not.
In retrospect, it's obvious why Boston sent Gasper, even though it didn't work.
Gasper was waved home mostly because Arozarena is known for having a poor arm.
His arm strength is listed by Baseball Savant as being in the 30th percentile in MLB , which means 70% of players throw harder than him.
Arozarena is listed with an average throw velocity of 81.6 miles per hour.
He actually has an "Arm Value" mark even worse, of negative-3, which is in just the eighth percentile. Almost everyone has supplied more "Arm Value" this season than Arozarena, suggesting that he not only throws a bit soft but also with some accuracy issues.
That's what led to this moment for Boston:
There was one out when this happened, so it didn't automatically run the Red Sox out of a big first inning.
By the same token, one out with the bases loaded in the first is a great place to be. It forces the pitcher to throw more pitches. It sets up multiple chances to score with the 5- and 6-hitters coming to the plate.
There are also a lot of ways to get a runner home from third with one out, including things like a sacrifice fly, a wild pitch or a fielders choice.
In the end, though, Boston got none of those. Their early momentum provided by three consecutive singles was stifled by the throw out at the plate.
The Mariners avoided such mistakes in building up a 4-0 lead early on Wednesday, and with the Red Sox still playing for key playoff positioning, it could prove costly that they didn't stack up runs in the first inning when it seemed they might have a big frame loading.
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