Why Royals’ Mike Matheny praised Adalberto Mondesi for bouncing a throw home on relay
Following the Royals’ 5-4 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday night in St. Louis, one of the first people manager Mike Matheny texted was Rusty Kuntz.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kuntz isn’t with the team. But Matheny knew Kuntz would be watching and love a perfect relay from the Royals.
The Royals took the lead in the top of the eighth inning, but the Cardinals’ Paul DeJong was on first base when Yadier Molina hit a ball off the wall in left-center field. Whit Merrifield grabbed the ball and threw a strike to shortstop Adalberto Mondesi whose one-hop throw to catcher Cam Gallagher nailed DeJong.
“I sent a text to Rusty (Tuesday) night because I knew he was fist pumping and he was bouncing off the wall with excitement,” Matheny said Wednesday. “You know those are the sort of things that he and Damon Hollins and Mitch Maier have been working so hard with these guys about, and they don’t come around that often. So the fact that guys were in the right place and then executed their portion of that was really something to watch.
“And I love how Mondy is so smart with his throws to take advantage of all the spin he has with the velocity of his arm. He could have easily come up and tried to put a strike on the plate but that is such an easier play for a catcher.”
The ball hit the infield grass and came up to Gallagher, who didn’t have to move his feet to catch the ball.
Matheny, a former catcher, said he always preferred to have a long hop than a ball that came straight to his glove. It’s a point of emphasis for the Royals.
“At every base, we want those long hops and if you have that kind of backspin it typically is going to help that ball check up even a little bit higher,” Matheny said. “The higher the spin, the more the ball is going to grab once it hits the ground, and it’s going to bounce up and should be around chest high and that’s exactly what every defender who’s getting ready to make a tag that’s exactly what they’d like to see.”
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 11:57 AM.
