Data That Matters: Driving in Runners from 3rd in the Postseason - Part 2

Recap & Look Ahead

In part one of this series we went over the types of batted balls that created positive and negative results driving in runners from 3rd with less than two outs. I wanted to focus on the process in this situation as a hitter and give you data to back that up why we teach what we do. We also explained that this is such a huge momentum play, especially in the playoffs. Every time you let a team off the hook by not scoring in an advantageous situation, it's almost like adding a run for the other team.

Today I want to dive more into analyzing the team data from the playoffs in this scenario. Which teams gave themselves the most opportunities? Which teams failed, but got 2 out hits to bail their teammates out? Which players were great in this scenario and what can we learn from watching their at bats? All valuable info, which should shape how we approach our own at bats in this situation.

How the Teams Stacked Up

As a refresher on the total data, in the 47 postseason games that took place in 2025, there were 168 plate appearances that started with a runner on 3rd and less than two outs. This includes all instances with a runner on 3rd, meaning it could be bases loaded, 1st and 3rd, or 2nd and 3rd as well. Of those 168 plate appearances, 83 resulted in successfully getting the runner home from 3rd base (49.4%). Here's a look at the total number of successes and attempts by team: