STARKVILLE — The overall theme to John Cohen’s baseball coaching philosophy at Mississippi State University is if it’s unconventional then it’s probably worth giving a try.
This theory of MSU’s baseball coach was certainly tested Tuesday evening during MSU’s 7-3 victory over Penn State University in the eighth inning when Bulldogs pitching coach went to take the baseball away from MSU reliever Tanner Gaines. Not that uncommon of a move or even unexpected in a one-run game but the count, 0-and-2, was what might have made the move puzzling to fans at Dudy Noble Field.
“I started doing it a long time ago and people thought I was crazy but I think the fans now see it puts so much pressure on the hitter,” Cohen said.
Cohen stated Tuesday night bringing in quality relievers with a two-strike count will be used more than sparingly this season. Senior right-handed closer Caleb Reed, who has been honored with several preseason All-American honors, came into the eighth frame with one out and already two strikes on the board thanks to MSU right-hander Tanner Gaines. After a successful pick-off attempt and a fastball, Reed was out of the inning with MSU still up 4-3 faster than it took him to warm up in the bullpen.
Cohen says he’ll continue to look at this quirky scenario from the eyes of a hitter and said it was done to him twice in his minor league career after being drafted by the Minnesota Twins organization.
“I had that done to me (as a hitter) twice in my career,” Cohen said. “I couldn’t stand it because you feel like you’re five pitches into an at-bat so you think to yourself ‘you’re on this’. Then you bring in a brand new pitcher with no history and that’s a nightmare.”
Confusion even ripped through the Dudy Noble Field press box as officials were unsure for several minutes which right-hander (Gaines or Reed) recorded the strikeout for box score purposes. For the record, Reed gets the positive result.
“Any time our coaches bring Caleb in a ballgame is okay with me,” Gaines said.
After throwing nine different pitchers out for a four-game in three day weekend during wins against Lipscomb University and the University of Connecticut, Cohen appreciated how he was able to maneuver his bullpen in a way that best suited his style while still getting their most reliable reliever in a one-run game.
“Any time there’s an opportunity to bring Caleb Reed into a game to slam the door — that’s an easy call to me,” Cohen said. “No matter the inning or situation.”
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