CLEVELAND – Cubs left fielder Ian Happ lined himself up so that fielding the bounce off the wall would feed into his throw to second base. The run was already going to score easily, but if he could get the ball in quickly enough, he could get his team out of an inning that was threatening to spiral.
Sure enough, the Guardians’ David Fry tried to stretch his RBI single in the fifth inning Monday into a double. Happ’s throw beat him to the base on a single hop, and second baseman Nico Hoerner’s confident tag sealed the out.
“It’s a variation of being a cut and relay man in the infield,” said Ian Happ, who was a utility player earlier in his career. “Receiving that ball and getting rid of it quick, that’s the same thing as, that ball kicks off the wall, just from a lower slot.”
Happ and Hoerner have connected for a lot of momentum-killing plays at second base this season – from ensuring extra innings in a late-May contest against the Brewers by throwing out Willy Adames as soon as he tied the game, to shutting down an early Cardinals rally in mid-July by nabbing Pedro Pagés after a two-run single.
“It prevents big innings,” Hoerner said. “And most games are won with big innings.”
In the Cubs’ 9-8 loss on Monday, Happ recorded two outfield assists at second base. The first turned the Guardians’ first hit of the game into the last out of the third inning, as Austin Hedges tried to leg out a double. The second got the Cubs out of a three-run fifth inning before Cleveland’s lead became too daunting.
On close plays, two things have to go right for an out: Happ’s throw and Hoerner’s tag.
“Nico has been fantastic with his tags,” Happ said. “I think that’s a big part of it.”
The bigger basses, implemented last year, give baserunners a wider target for evasive maneuvers. And replay review means there’s no faking contact.
“The days of, ‘the ball beat him, so he’s out,’ are very much over,” Hoerner said. “… Tagging hands is pretty tough; those are the parts that move. So I usually get my glove to the front of the base and tag through the body.”
On throws from left field when a runner is trying to stretch a single to a double, Hoerner’s back is to the runner – which he admitted was “a little uncomfortable” for him at first. But he’s honed his positioning and lets the ball travel. As long as the throw is accurate, the ball will always move faster in the air than in a glove.
“Ian throws a really catchable ball,” Hoerner said. “That sounds silly, but the way that some guys throw, it has a lot of tail or sink. And he throws a very true ball with good carry.”
Happ credits his infield background for his short arm action and accuracy. It also gives him perspective on what kinds of throws – long hops in most cases – are easiest to field. Conversations with Hoerner fill out the specifics on how to best set up the second baseman for the tag.
“We kind of get wowed by arm strength, [but] creating outs in the outfield goes by throwing accuracy,” manager Craig Counsell said. “And Ian is an exceptionally accurate thrower.”
With that attribute at the center of his argument, Happ’s putting together a strong case for a third straight Gold Glove. Entering play Thursday, he led all outfielders in assists this year, with 10. And he ranked second among National League left fielders in defensive runs saved (7), behind only the Phillies’ Brandon Marsh (10).
The knock on his campaign would be that in outs above average, a range-based metric, he hasn’t scored highly (-2). But he’s claimed the honor twice before with different strengths each year.
In 2022, his sliding plays in the gap and by the foul line stood out. The next year, his assists on plays at the plate were especially noteworthy. Gold Glove winners are chosen through a combination of metrics and voting by opposing managers and coaches.
“Anytime you’re recognized in that way by your peers, by the coaches, it’s pretty cool,” Happ said. “You just go there and try to do the best you can for the [team].”