HENRY MILLER | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
MERCEDES — In an era of the long ball, when “oohs” and “aahs” come from monumental home runs by Major League players like Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton, small ball has nearly run itself out of ballparks at every level.
That’s not the case with the Mercedes Tigers.
Before the season began, Mercedes coach Armando Reyes realized that his team was going to be short on the long ball but large on speed and aggressive running. He knew Mercedes would have to manufacture runs.
The Tigers are running at every opportunity.
“We are going to force defenses’ hands,” Reyes said prior to his team winning the Knights of Columbus baseball tournament by defeating perennial winner Harlingen South 11-5 in the finals. The victory marked the first time Mercedes won its own tournament in at least 30 years.
In that championship game, the Tigers scored five runs on two hits in the fifth inning to break away from a 6-5 lead. The Tigers loaded the bases four times in the game but had two runners gunned down at the plate and another two doubled up for straying too far off the base. They also took an extra base on at least three occasions, even when the odds didn’t look so good. They registered four stolen bases, as well.
“We certainly don’t want to just go through the motions,” Reyes said. “When you try to take extra bases, it puts pressure on the other team, and they have to make perfect throws. If they do, that’s part of the game. The odds are that it won’t happen that often.”
In a recent game against Donna North, Mercedes scored its only run on back-to-back hit-and-run plays. The Tigers advanced six runners to scoring position throughout the game, including five who reached third base, but couldn’t get a key hit and fell 4-1.
“We got on base and we put runners in scoring position, but we couldn’t get the key hit, and getting those hits are critical when you play small ball,” Reyes said.
Playing the type of ball the Tigers play takes a total commitment. They can’t wait around to see if someone is going to send a fastball over the wall. They are required to push pitchers deep into the count, looking for free passes, passed balls or wild pitches and hoping a pitcher makes a mistake the longer he has to throw.
Facing a large deficit, however, puts additional pressure on the batters, and Reyes has to remind them that just because they are down a few runs, they aren’t going to change their philosophy.
“When we were down early in the season in some games, we talked about what type of a team are we,” he said. “How are we going to react to deficits? One of the things is being even more disciplined at the plate.”
Mercedes holds a 2-5 record so far in District 32-5A play but is still well within reach of the postseason. The Tigers’ pitching, behind J.P. Luna and Mando Reyes, has been solid of late. So has their fielding, which was a question early in the season. Now, the team’s success hinges on getting guys on base, running at every chance, and making some timely hits. Maybe even a home run or two? Well, maybe not. Even through the Tigers have a couple sluggers with more than just warning-track power, looking for gaps and making solid contact is what they are focused on doing. If the long ball comes, it’s not because they were swinging for the fences.
Josh Rodriguez leads the team with nine stolen bases, while Mando Reyes and Alejandro Cabrera each have five. As a team, the Tigers have swiped 38 bases. Even when they are not attempting to steal, they are putting pressure on pitchers and fielders, who know that a slight bobble could mean an extra base. On more than one occasion this season, the Tigers have scored from second on an infield hit or a fielder’s choice.
Joel Barrientes leads the team, hitting .545 with 14 RBIs. Mando Reyes is batting .500, and Rodriguez is at .455. Cabrera is second on the team with 12 RBIs. “Small ball and baserunning is a big part of our offense,” Armando Reyes said. “We go in there with a plan, and we are looking for a certain pitch — a positive pitch — and it takes a lot of practice and patience to do that.”