{"id":9036,"date":"2010-08-30T07:01:54","date_gmt":"2010-08-30T06:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/?p=9036"},"modified":"2010-08-31T07:03:40","modified_gmt":"2010-08-31T06:03:40","slug":"weekly-hit-ground-ball-oswalt-a-left-field-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/?p=9036","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Oswalt a left field choice"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WhgbHlSq\"Everyone was smiling on Tuesday night when the Philadelphia Phillies\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 starting pitcher Roy Oswalt ran out to play left field against the Houston Astros.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Well, perhaps not Ryan Howard.\u00c2\u00a0 The Phillies\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 first baseman was still seething after being ejected from the game in the bottom of the fourteenth inning: the very act that left manager Charlie Manuel in the unenviable position of choosing between Oswalt and Joe Blanton as the only two available options to replace the slugger.<\/p>\n

And Manuel himself probably wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t grinning much either.\u00c2\u00a0 Having dealt with injuries to several key players in recent months, the last thing he wanted to do was send his number two starter into the outfield and risk him getting injured.\u00c2\u00a0 However, Blanton has a classic pitcher’s build (\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbuilt for comfort, not for speed\u00e2\u20ac\u2122) and really wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t an option to start chasing down flyballs, even if he does have a World Series home run to boost his hitting credentials.<\/p>\n

So it was Oswalt who had to pick up a glove and man left field, smiling broadly with the Citizens Bank Park crowd cheering his name.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a surreal scene, made all the more so by the strange coincidence of it happening against Oswalt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s former team.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the way in most sports that many players relish the chance of taking on the role of one of their colleagues.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a way to relieve stress from the daily grind?\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because they believe the opposite role to their own is easier than their teammates make it look?\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a case of the same feeling of wonder that us fans all go through: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcwhat does it feel like to hit a game-winning home run, or a last minute winner?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Whatever the cause, go to a football training ground and more often than not you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll find goalkeepers playing as strikers in the five-a-side games, while Wayne Rooney is far from the only attacker known for being a demon goalkeeper (in his own mind at least).\u00c2\u00a0 And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the same in baseball.\u00c2\u00a0 Position players will try out their knuckleballs in the outfield, pitchers convince themselves that they could easily hit long balls if only given a proper chance.<\/p>\n

Every now and then, the player gets a chance to live up to their own billing and those moments are always treasured by fans.\u00c2\u00a0 We burst into cheers as a goalkeeper heads for the opposition\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s penalty box for a late corner, or offer a standing ovation for every routine save made by a position player suddenly left wearing the goalkeeper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gloves after the normal Number One gets sent off with no substitutes remaining.\u00c2\u00a0 We laugh along as batters hit harmless flyballs off a position player\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tame offerings near the end of a blow-out loss (Bill Hall and Nick Swisher being two of the most recent to take the mound temporarily).<\/p>\n

What is it that makes these moments so special?<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re no longer watching a professional who has dedicated years to honing his skills, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re watching a talented athlete trying his best in an unfamiliar position.\u00c2\u00a0 This typically comes in a state of emergency, and a gung-ho spirit consumes everybody as we enjoy the moment and try to encourage the player into a miraculous performance.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a little different when it comes to a National League pitcher being a substitute position player.\u00c2\u00a0 They have to field their position and also take their hacks at the plate in their normal line of duty, so the skills are far from alien to them.\u00c2\u00a0 Oswalt himself was quick to point this out after the game.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Phildelphia<\/a><\/div>\n