Once upon a time, Manager David Ross was just a backup catcher who attempted more pickoffs than batterymate Jon Lester. There’s perhaps no better example of Ross’s ability to retire runners than his back-pick during Game 1 of the NLDS.
In the top of the 3rd inning of a 0-0 game with no outs, the Giants’ Conor Gillaspie was leaning too far off of first base. Well aware of San Francisco’s base-running tactics, Ross immediately rocketed a throw to first base to snag Gillaspie.
The pop time of 1.