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The San Diego Padres were fighting for their season in the top of the ninth inning on Sunday night. With a runner on first and second with one out, Padres manager Bob Melvin reached into his bag of tricks and had batter Trent Grisham bunt.
To some extent, the move worked. The two runners advanced to second and third, respectively. However, it brought the Padres within their final out of the season. Austin Nola followed Grisham by flying out on the first pitch he saw.
The Padres lost 4-3, and the Philadelphia Phillies advanced to the World Series for the first time since 2009. Following the game, Melvin defended his decision to have Grisham bunt. The goal, according to Melvin, was for Grisham to get a hit.
“Grass is wet. Tough lefty on the mound… I talked to him before it,” Melvin said. “First baseman's back, drag it over there and we've got a chance, with a righty up behind him, to potentially knock in the go-ahead run too. So I think it's a decent play for sure.”
Grisham struggled for the Padres during the regular season, hitting just .184. However, during the first two postseason rounds, the San Diego outfielder played hero. He cooled off in the NLCS, failing to record a hit during the entire series.
Despite it all, Melvin feels the decision to bunt was the right one. It cost the Padres an out, but the trade-off was a fair one for the Padres skipper.
“Look, this is what we thought was best for it,” Melvin said. “He's a good bunter, and it got us in a position to potentially, like I said, knock in the winning run.”
