Cecil Cooper tried something that has never been tried before and I'm guessing will never be again: Walking a batter to get to Hanley Ramirez.
Cecil Cooper made a peculiar decision in the sixth inning Monday night, intentionally walking Nick Johnson to pitch to one of baseball’s best hitters. Challenging Hanley Ramirez is an unusual way to try to win a baseball game, but maybe Cooper figured that because the logical ways weren’t working, he’d try something completely different. "I don’t have a problem with that," Cooper snapped later. Well, OK then, Mr. Touchy. Down the hallway, Ramirez didn’t either. "That’s the first time I’ve seen it," he said. Ramirez’s run-scoring single after the walk to Johnson helped the Florida Marlins break open a close game on their way to an 8-6 victory over the free-falling Astros. Sure, there are situations where you would walk the batter in front of Hanely, most involve setting up a force out at every base. But last night that wasn't the case. However, you must give Mr. Cooper points for creativity because no one has tried that before. And now he knows why.