Here's a famous little proverb: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." According to the all-reliable Wikipedia, it was popularized by British educational writer William Edward Hickson and has stood the test of time. And while it's usually a good little mantra to live by, and may in fact be one that hangs somewhere in the locker room of the Detroit Tigers, it's not a concrete rule. Take, for instance, those times when you're dealing with the arm of Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo.
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The Tigers decided to test Gallo's arm a little under two weeks ago, on July 7, and the result was an out at third. To be honest, Harold Castro wasn't even close (via MLB Film Room).
You'd think that example would have stuck with them for a little bit longer than a dozen days, but we'll give the Tigers some slack. After all, the All-Star Break separated these two series, and players' minds can unwind and relax during that brief off period. So, when Detroit again tried to test Gallo early in their game on Monday night, he offered up a nice reminder of what not to do when you play against him.
At first they didn't succeed, so they tried again. And they failed again. Lesson learned... right? Wrong. Because the very next inning, Jeimer Candelerio saw his chance to score on a Harold Castro single — the same Castro that was out by a mile when trying to advance to third 12 days ago — and you know what happened next.
We're asking the same question over here, @Rangers. When will the Tigers — and teams in general — learn to stop running on Gallo? There's a reason he's second in the American League in the SABR Defensive Index Rankings, which accounts for approximately 25 percent of the Gold Glove Award selection process, to this point.
Maybe American League teams just haven't learned their lesson... and perhaps they won't have to, especially if all the Gallo-Padres rumors hold some truth to them.
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