Snubbing the Cycle

History or Hustle?

If you didn't bother to watch the meaningless 9th inning of Monday night's Red Sox/Rays game at Fenway Park, you missed a career minor-leaguer snub the cycle in an effort to take 2nd base.

Here was the scenario: Fuld's Tampa Bay Rays were up 15-3 in the 9th inning. All Fuld needed was a single to hit for the cycle, something only 291 players have ever done. Fuld smacked a line drive into the left field corner and legged out a double instead of stopping at first base to achieve history. His entire bench, including manager Joe Maddon, was yelling for him to stop at first instead of taking second base.

My first instinct was to question Fuld's decision. It is the cycle! It is something Willie Mays never did! Why take 2nd base up 12 runs? I did some research to find that in baseball's long history, the greatest 9th inning  comeback ever is 9 runs. Even though the Red Sox could, theoretically, have scored 13 runs before the Rays recorded three outs in the 9th, it would have been an astronomical feat. Fuld's feat was there for the taking and he snubbed it.

And he should have. I cannot imagine pulling up while the ball is unfielded (yes, that is a word) in the corner. How could a baseball player live with himself while he stood on 1st base celebrating instead of finishing the play?

Every baseball player is taught to run out fly balls even when he knows they will be caught. Every baseball player is taught to run out ground balls that have been cleanly fielded. It is the right way to play the game. Fuld played the game the right way. Forget the score. Forget the scenario. Run from base to base until it is no longer safe to advance.

This week saw the retirement of Fuld's teammate Manny Ramirez who, for all his tremendous talent and charisma, was also one of the most selfish players in baseball history. He will always be remembered for "being Manny" which, sadly, included quitting on the Boston Red Sox, failing to run out ground balls, and cheating the game by taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Compare that to Sam Fuld. A guy with two career home runs who chose to race to second base instead of dogging it to make history.

Here is hoping this won't be Fuld's only opportunity to hit for the cycle, but even if it was, he earned something more by snubbing the cycle than attaining it.

He earned the respect of the baseball world.