October baseball brings out the best in everyone. From the players to coaches and managers, and even the fans.
More than just stellar individual performances, the above parties often collaborate to execute strategy at a high level. That much was on display in Game 2 of the NLDS as the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off one of baseball's defensive plays to cool the momentum of the Philadelphia Phillies' late rally, getting a much-needed out in the ninth inning.
Here's how the Dodgers executed the wheel play as part of a defensive effort to silence the Citizens Bank Crowd and leave Philadelphia with a 2-0 series lead.
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Dodgers wheel play vs. Phillies
After the Dodgers had taken a 4-1 lead into the ninth inning, the Phillies took advantage of bullpen woes and responded with two runs before a single out.
With the deficit cut to one run, Bryson Stott stood at the plate while Nick Castellanos was on second. As Stott went down for a sacrifice bunt, third baseman Max Muncy rotated inward to field the ball, and shortstop Mookie Betts rotated to third base to beat Castellanos and tag him out.
A perfectly executed wheel play. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/aVRONlLEtP
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 7, 2025
As a result, the Phillies no longer had a runner in scoring position and picked up their first out of the inning. Philadelphia fought back and continued to make L.A. sweat, but the first out went a long way in silencing the comeback effort.
While the Dodgers reportedly don't practice the play in spring training, it was Betts who told the team they should go for it in that moment.
"Somebody’s gotta do it," Betts told reporters postgame. "I figured if there was ever a good time to make a decision and roll with it, that was the time."
Stott, who was at bat when it happened, said, "They ran it as perfectly as you can. They just did it exactly how they drew it up."
Making the Dodgers' execution all the more impressive is that Betts was making just his fourth career postseason start at shortstop, and the team had executed the play just one other time in 2025.
Because of their execution, the Dodgers are one win away from a trip back to the NLCS.
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What is a wheel play in baseball?
The wheel play is the term coined for a defensive strategy employed against a sacrifice bunt. As the name may suggest, infielders rotate in a wheel-like manner to get the advancing baserunner out.
In this alignment, it is key for the shortstop to defend third base, while the third baseman and first baseman move forward to field the ball. The second baseman moves to defend third base and the pitcher moves to a defensive position.
While it can be employed in various situations, these conditions are usually what precede the play:
- It is a close game
- There is a baserunner at second base
- There are no outs
The above conditions typically lead the batting team to attempt a sacrifice bunt, aiming to move the runner to third base. From there, the runner could score on a potential sacrifice fly.
By quickly rotating to get the advancing base runner out, the plot to get a run in that circumstance is thwarted.