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Rajai, Alomar key to Indians’ elite baserunning
- Updated: October 5, 2016
CLEVELAND — The Tribe kept running. Three stolen bases in the first inning. Another pair in the fourth. By the end of the night, the Indians had eight thefts, matching a franchise record that had stood since the days of Braggo Roth nearly a century ago.
After that Aug. 12 display against the Angels, Rajai Davis was asked what the team found within Tyler Skaggs’ delivery that made so many steals possible. Cleveland’s fleet-footed outfielder cocked his head and flashed a grin. He was not about to reveal any secrets.
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“It was a little bit of just instincts,” Davis said, “with a bit of preparation.”
Dating back to Day 1 of Spring Training, baserunning preparation was high on the priority list for the Indians. The American League Central champs ended the season with the second-highest run total in the league, but no one around the team expected that kind of production. Cleveland expected to manufacture runs, and running the bases well was going to be integral to acheive that goal.
Game Date Time Matchup TV Gm 1 Oct. 6 8 p.m. BOS @ CLE TBS Gm 2 Oct. 7 4:30 p.m. BOS @ CLE TBS Gm 3 Oct. 9 4 p.m. CLE @ BOS TBS *Gm 4 Oct. 10 TBD CLE @ BOS TBS *Gm 5 Oct. 12 TBD BOS @ CLE TBS *- If necessary | All times listed ETShop for postseason gear: Red Sox | Indians • Complete Postseason coverage
On the eve of Game 1 of the AL Division Series against Boston — beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday on TBS — the Indians are the best baserunning team in the league. The Tribe led the AL in stolen bases (134), stolen-base success rate (81 percent) and FanGraphs’ all-encompassing Baserunning metric (17.1).
“We don’t have to steal bases to be a good baserunning team,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “I think that’s one of our strengths, and I think it will continue.”
As Francona noted, steals are not …
