SEATTLE – Luis García’s RBI single in the top of the 11th was a key moment in the Nationals’ wild, 7-4 victory over the Mariners on Tuesday night. His play at second base throughout the game might have been just as significant, and certainly eye-opening to the team at large.
In what was arguably his best defensive game of the season, García turned two key late double plays. And he nearly turned a third one with an incredibly high degree of difficulty.
With runners on the corners and nobody out in the bottom of the seventh of what was a tie game at the time, Seattle’s Kolten Wong hit a chopper to short. Ildemaro Vargas fielded it and threw the ball to García at second base for the first half of what looked like a routine 6-4-3 double play that would concede the go-ahead run.
But instead of throwing to first, García turned against his body and fired to the plate, where Keibert Ruiz caught the throw and tagged a sliding Jarred Kelenic. Plate umpire Brennan Miller called Kelenic out, and the Nats thought they had just pulled off a rare 6-4-2 double play.
The Mariners, though, challenged the call. And upon replay review, it was determined Kelenic barely slid into the plate before Ruiz could apply the tag.
Outcome aside, the Nationals raved about García’s decision-making and execution in that moment.
“A heads-up play by him to throw the ball home right there,” manager Davey Martinez said. “That was awesome. We didn’t get him by a little, but I told him that was an unbelievable play. Keep your head up, and let’s go score some runs.”
García said the idea to try to throw home instead of to first didn’t just come to him in that moment. He thought through the possibility prior to the pitch and believed he could pull it off if everything went as planned.
“I anticipate it,” he said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “I was thinking ahead of that, if the play was correct, I would probably do that as well, go home. Once the ground ball was hit to Vargas, I saw the runner take a jab-step back, hold up a little bit, and I knew there was a possibility. As soon as Vargas threw the ball to me, I reacted, and I thought we had a really good chance. But I’m always anticipating a play ahead.”
That kind of pre-pitch visualization makes a coaching staff giddy. Especially in the case of García, whose struggles in the field in the past often have been the result of him losing focus.
“He was engaged,” Martinez said. “His pre-pitch was good. He was ready and engaged. … He’s playing better. He’s really focused on getting quicker. He’s doing a lot of agility stuff in the mornings and afternoons when he comes in to be better prepared. I think it’s helping him a lot.”
For García, the improvement has been noticeable of late. And, he believes, it’s been just as much mental improvement as physical improvement.
“In all reality, I don’t think I’ve gotten better with my glove or my footwork or any of that,” he said. “I think it’s just anticipation. I think I’ve been getting better about anticipating certain plays, and that’s helped me be better prepared to make certain plays. That’s what’s helped me come around a lot more on my defense.”