Interleague play needs to die

June 30, 2011|By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff, Globe Staff

John Lackey reacts after hitting an RBI-double off Philadelphia Phillies…

David Ortiz gets a rare start at first base as he holds Placido Polanco of the Philadelphia Phillies close to the bag. (Len Redkoles / Getty Images)

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

It’s been said ad nauseum, but it needs to be said again: Interleague play needs to go the way of Old Yeller. It just so happens that the Red Sox proved that last night against the Philadelphia Phillies.

How so, you ask? Because part-time players David Ortiz and John Lackey showed they can play full-time. Let me explain.

Of all people, Big Papi is having another one of his stellar seasons. Despite the doubts of his place in Red Sox kingdom, he keeps on trucking, batting .311 (.391 OBP and .581 SLG) with 17 homers and 48 RBIs. Nobody is questioning whether or not the man should get at-bats. They just want to know at what cost, especially with injuries and interleague play forcing an awkward scenario into Terry Francona’s hand. On one side, to have a player of Ortiz’s talent on the bench is a waste. But on the other, experimenting with players out of position can be dangerous. Not because of injuries, but because of errors that can be costly to the game. The brouhaha yesterday over inserting Ortiz at first base -- in which he played only four times in 2010 and 17 times in the last 5 years -- while moving Adrian Gonzalez to right field inevitably starts the chatterboxes.

But that same chatter drowns out the larger issue at hand. When guys like Ortiz and Gonzalez show up and perform their jobs at par no matter where they stand on the diamond, nobody thinks “of course, they’re professional athletes.” Instead, they breathe a sigh of relief and clamor for Theo Epstein to find another suitable outfielder for 15 days. And while Ortiz played flawlessly at first base, Lackey doubled in a run to left center off of Vance Worley (later working the count admirably on his counterpart). Between the three, you could say they played more than ably in the field and at the plate.

You know why? Because they’re baseball players. And despite the label of a P, DH or 1B, they all know this game more than the average schmuck and can honorably man any number of positions outside of stepping on the mound. It’s a stance I’ve argued for years and what I believe is the fallacy of the American League. The players need to play both phases of the game, for sanity’s sake as much as integrating the leagues.

John Lackey reacts after hitting an RBI-double off Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Vance Worley Wednesday. (Matt Slocum / AP photo)

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