You've heard of an intentional walk but how about an intentional balk?
Saturday's MLB Rivalry Weekend game between the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers offered a clear reason why the phrase "you never know what you're going to see" rings true. During the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and the Angels leading 11-9, closer Kenley Jansen was trying to shut the door on the Dodgers. Meanwhile, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani stood on second base with Mookie Betts at the plate.
As Jansen came to the set position on the mound, he subtly stepped off the rubber, then looked at Ohtani and gestured towards third base in an effort to intentionally balk. Jansen could be seen mouthing "I balked" to Ohtani.
After Angels manager Ron Washington emerged from the dugout to see what the heck was going on, Ohtani then advanced to third base on the intentional balk. Jansen eventually got Betts to line out to center field to seal the win for the Angels.
After the game, Jansen admitted he did intentionally balk Ohtani to third base, and his reason for doing so was smart.
"I definitely wanted the intentional balk there," Jansen told MLB.com after the game. "With Mookie hitting, Shohei at second, I thought it was best for him to be at third. I didn’t want him seeing any of the locations where Logan is sitting. So that was definitely the plan there."
It's not the first time Jansen has pulled such a maneuver; back in 2019, he did the same while with the Dodgers in an effort to prevent sign-stealing. In 2023, the MLB switched from the traditional catcher-to-pitcher signs to a PitchCom system, in which pitchers can pick their own signs and communicate with the catcher electronically. So sign-stealing, at least in the old sense of the term, is no longer a concern.
But baserunners, especially those on second base, can still deduce pitch location from where the catcher is setting up behind the plate before the pitch. And that's what Jansen was trying to prevent Ohtani from doing with his intentional balk.
It's certainly not a common strategy but it paid off for Jansen and the Angels.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kenley Jansen Had Smart Reason for Intentional Balk of Shohei Ohtani to Third Base.
