With a runner on first and one out in the eighth inning, the Pirates deployed an infield shift against Diamondbacks’ hitter Blake Swihart. The shift worked to perfection, with the left-handed hitter lining a one-hopper to Tucker, who stepped on the second base bag before throwing out the runner at first to end the inning. Had the defense been in a traditional alignment, Swihart’s rip would have gone into center field uncontested.
Tucker had not done a lot of shifting in the minors until he reached AA Altoona.