Watching the trailer for Moneyball today (thanks, JPR) reminded me of Scott Hatteberg.
If you’ve read the book on which the movie is based, you’ll be familiar with Scott Hatteberg. The chapter devoted to him is a standout. His career arc is peculiar and wonderful, and it’s one of the most interesting baseball stories I’d never heard of.
Hatteberg was a solid player. But he won’t make the Hall of Fame and he probably wasn’t idolized by any fans or aspiring young players. Before reading about him I barely knew he existed.
Hatteberg does, however, have sole ownership of the greatest example of baseball’s ultimate dichotomy: Failure vs. Redemption.
On August 6, 2001, playing for the Boston Red Sox against the Texas Rangers, Hatteberg hit into a triple play—the worst possible outcome for a hitter, where that hitter is the cause of 3 outs in one swing. In his next at-bat, with the bases loaded, Hatteberg cleared the bases again, this time with a grand slam home run—the best possible outcome for a hitter, where that hitter generates 4 runs in one swing.
Hatteberg is the only player to have ever accomplished this unique feat.
Baseball is powered by individual failures. The best hitters fail 60-70% of the time, while average hitters fail 75% of the time.
But there’s always that chance for redemption.
