Chandler Simpson Can Fly

Kim Klement Neitzel-IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect On Saturday night, in the first inning of Game 2 of the World Series in Milwaukee, Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson slapped an RBI single through the left side of the infield. Once the hometown fans had finished groaning and the visitor’s dugout had exhausted its supply of high fives, Simpson’s presence on first base temporarily warped the gravitational pull of the World Series. A chyron featuring Simpson’s stolen base totals for the regular season provided an impromptu long division lesson: 46 steals, 60 attempts, 76.7% success rate. The camera zoomed in on him as he conferred with first base coach Corey Dickerson (who, it’s worth noting, didn’t come close to stealing 46 bases in his entire 11-year career), and Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers did his best to look like he wasn’t eavesdropping. When starter Logan Henderson came set, the broadcast switched to a side-by-side-by-side shot that showed Simpson bracketed by Henderson and catcher William Contreras. Contreras stayed in a high, one-knee crouch and sneaked peeks down to first base before and after each pitch to Junior Caminero. Henderson tried to freeze Simpson by standing as still as a statue while the pitch clock ticked down toward zero on one pitch, then firing the next as soon as he came set. Everybody knew it was only a matter of time. It happened on the fourth pitch. Despite Henderson’s best efforts, Simpson timed him up perfectly. At the exact moment Henderson raised his left heel, Simpson took off like a shot. The pitch was a fastball and Contreras was already on his feet by the time it arrived. He made a quick transition and fired a laser down to second base, a foot or two higher and more toward the first base side of the bag than he’d intended, but by no means a terrible throw. It didn’t matter. Simpson already had second base stolen. His hand touched the bag as second baseman Brice Turang’s glove closed around the ball. In a bit of visually pleasing accidental choreography, when Turang turned to attempt a swipe tag, Simpson was executing his own, equally sharp turn. He was also, temporarily, weightless.FanGraphs Playoff Coverage Is for MembersYou must be a Member in order to read our postseason coverage. You can read our announcement here, but it's not the only reason you should consider becoming a Member. Membership includes:✓Ad-free browsing✓Unlimited FanGraphs & RotoGraphs articles✓Historical & platoon projections✓Leaderboard & player-page stat heatmaps✓One-click data exports✓Customizable player-page dashboards✓Dark & Classic site modes✓Weekly Members-only mailbag✓FanGraphs Walk-Off, your year in review✓Optional homepage photo removal✓Gift articles to non-Members✓Full postseason coverage