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Is Rangers' Risk of Having Catchers Set Up on One Knee Worth Strikes?

Jonah Heim currently has one of the highest wild pitch rates among major league catchers

Jonah Heim #28 of the Texas Rangers stretches to make the tag on Kyle Lewis #1 of the Seattle Mariners for the final out of the game at Globe Life Field on May 8, 2021 in Arlington, Texas.
Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

The Rangers weigh the rewards vs. the risks of having towering Jonah Heim set up on one knee to get his body lower for pitchers.

The rewards: He’s stealing the most strikes in the majors for his pitchers. The risks: Wild pitches with him behind the plate are piling up at out-of-this-world numbers. On Wednesday, Rangers pitchers were charged with two wild pitches with him behind the plate. That came a night after a pitch in the dirt got away from him in the 11th, allowing the winning run to score.

It was the second walkoff wild pitch the Rangers have allowed this year, both coming with Heim behind the plate.

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