Offense is easy to appreciate. Offense leads to runs, runs lead to winning. You need to outscore the other team to win and the easiest way to do that is to score a lot of runs. Defense is a different story. You can’t outscore the other team with defense. It’s also not always visible. The best defenders make plays look easy. The worst defenders can make easy plays look hard. It is often hard to discern, on a game-by-game basis, the difference between an above average but not spectacular fielder from a below average but not terrible fielder. Your brain, without stats, would think they’re the same.

Here’s how I’d sum up the difference between fans’ responses towards offense and defense. If the offense shows up in a loss, it’s still appreciated. If the defense shows up in a loss, it’s mostly

See Full Page