Big Ball > Small Ball

“Pitching wins championships.”

“The difference between good teams and great teams are the little things.”

“Hitting behind the runner, making productive outs, and playing team baseball are the keys to winning.”

If you’ve ever watched a baseball game with the sound on, you’ve heard one of these cliches mentioned, and probably have heard them a few thousand times. Well, the Tampa Bay Rays are trying to make sure you know that they’re total and utter crap. Want to know the best way to make the World Series? Hit the ball really, really far.

The Rays connected for three home runs in Tuesday night’s game, putting five runs on the board in the first three innings and chasing Tim Wakefield from his start early on. Those longballs now give the Rays 16 home runs in eight playoff games. Their October home run pace would put them on track for 305 over a full season – the major league record for home runs in a season is 264, by the 1997 Seattle Mariners. The Rays are blowing that rate out of the water.

Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton have led the charge, combining for 10 of the 16 round trippers, but Carlos Pena has added a pair as well, and Akinori Iwamura, Cliff Floyd, Rocco Baldelli, and Willy Aybar have each hit one out. This team wide power fest allowed the Rays to send the White Sox back to Chicago and given them a 3-1 lead in the ALCS over Boston, putting the Cinderella story of the year one win away from the World Series.

They’re not doing it by hitting behind the runner. They’re not doing it with bunts. They’re not taking the extra base, making productive outs, or playing for one run. They’re hitting the ever loving crap out of the baseball, and proving that Big Ball will get you to the Big Dance. Toss the cliches out the window – when your team has a .535 slugging percentage in the playoffs, you’re going to win.