After smacking a double off of the Clemente Wall, Pedro Alvarez is standing on second base. It’s a 3-2 game, in the bottom of the ninth inning of the National League Wild Card play-in game.
With two outs, trailing by one and a berth to the second round of the playoffs on the line, Jordy Mercer steps up to the dish and lines a single into left field.
Alvarez makes his way to third and looks up to his third-base coach to see if he’s going or if he’s staying put.
In a season with 162 games, the year comes down to this one moment.
If you’re the third-base coach, what do you do?
For us, it’s a lot of pressure, not being in that situation before, but for long-time base coach Nick Leyva, it’s just another day at the office.
“He’s [Clint Hurdle] an aggressive manager. He likes us to be aggressive too. He’ll always have your back. We’ll always make mistakes because no one is perfect,” Leyva said. “He stands behind you 100 percent. That comfort level he gives you makes you want to go out and do your job. It’s my 21st year in the major leagues. I’ve been through the war, made mistakes and had great moments. It’s about putting them together.”
Leyva, a former Major League manager for the Philadelphia Phillies, joined the Pirates in 2011 when Hurdle was named the new manager of the team.
Throughout his tenure with the Pirates, he’s served as a base coach, most recently at third, but will be switching over to first base this year. It’s a lot less pressure than being a manager, but there’s more to it than just telling people when to advance to the next base.
“The biggest difference is as a manager, you’re overlooking the whole team. You’re not just overlooking the infield like I am or the pitching like Ray Searage is or the outfield like Rick Sofield,” Leyva explained. “As managers, you have the whole club as your responsibility. We’re fortunate to have Hurdle who has the confidence in us and allows us to work. We’re proud to be on his staff because of his trust in us to get the job done.”
With anyone involved with the team, there’s more time that goes into it than people realize. It’s not just showing up for batting practice early and going to play the game.
For Leyva and the other coaches, it’s no different, as they arrive at the ballpark early every day to prepare.
“There’s a lot of video that goes into play. You watch the individuals in the field. I tape them and go back and look at it. When you’re hitting the groundballs, you don’t see the technical things,” Leyva said. “The biggest thing is to look at the team you’re playing. I count on my analytical team upstairs to give me the information. We put it together and give it to the players.
“A lot of people think the game starts at 7 p.m. but they don’t realize the time we get there. We’re watching video at 12:30 p.m. a lot of the time. We don’t call it a long day because we love what we do, but it’s a time consuming day. We don’t want to get beat because we aren’t prepared.”
Being prepared is what helps during the game for the coaches, too. If the scenario in the lede took place this year, Leyva wouldn’t hesitate at all.
“The first thing you have to do is know your players. Can Francisco Cervelli or Pedro Alvarez run? Are they good baserunners? You have Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen’s speed, so you know what you’re doing there,” Leyva said. “You never want to make the first or third out at third base or home plate. That’s the old rule. You have more opportunities to score if you don’t run them into outs then.
“The decisions come from reps and game activity. There’s a whole lot of games under my belt. I have 2,500 games of coaching third base, so I’m more than ready.”
But even as prepared as one could be, mistakes happen. Leyva could send the runner and he could be gunned out. Or, even worse, the player could run through the stop sign and attempt to score, but is instead gunned out by a wide margin.
What happens behind the scenes then, you ask?
“As long as you have a reason for what you’re doing, then it’s fine. No one is going to be in your shoes. That’s OK. The time you get in trouble is when you don’t have an answer. That means you aren’t prepared. That’s when it’s easy to get second-guessed. It’s the same with a manager with picking a certain reliever or infield positioning. Not everyone will be happy,” Leyva said. “If a player blows off a sign, it’s usually addressed by the coach first. We have a great relationship with all of the players, and we know that no one is trying to make a mistake.
“Sometimes you have to pull back the reins. It’s good to be aggressive, but it’s good to be aggressively smart. There are things that are taken into consideration. Clint wants us to address it and have them not do it again.”
But this year, the pressure won’t be on Leyva as much, as he’s heading across the diamond to coach first base, a position in which he started his Major League career at.
“I started my career as a first base coach for the Cardinals. I’m there again this year. The responsibilities are important, but it doesn’t involve as much quick decision making as third base,” he said. “You don’t get a mulligan at third. The best base coach is like an umpire; if you go unnoticed you did a good job.”
Switching to first base won’t be a problem for Leyva. He’s had to adjust throughout this baseball career, starting in the minor leagues.
See, Leyva never had the chance to play baseball in the Major Leagues, as he suffered a knee injury that left his future in doubt. At that time, he had to make a decision about his future.
“I always wanted to be in the Major Leagues, and I thought I was a good communicator. Back in the day when I played, I hurt my knee. There was no such thing as a quick surgery and you’re back in three weeks. I would be out six months, so injuries cut my career short,” Leyva said. “When I was injured, I was able to make the decision if I wanted to keep playing or if I wanted to coach. You have to look at yourself in mirror and ask how you can make an impact. I chose the coaching route and 21 years later, it paid off for me.”
And while it’s been 24 years since he was the manager of a team, Leyva said he would be lying to you if he said it wasn’t a position he’d love to hold again.
“We’re always happy and fortunate to be where we are. We are one of 30 doing what we are doing at the highest level,” Leyva said. “But if someone was to tell you they aren’t interested in managing, they’re kidding themselves. I’ve done it in the past and it’s fun. For you to be that guy in charge, it’s an honor to be called that manager.”
