Sox Finally Win: Brian Anderson Theory Strengthened

I am Batman!

We've previously discussed the phenomenon known as the Brian Anderson effect, and the reality is that while the formula is solid, it is far from perfect. Thankfully, there are people like ME who obsess over all things Brian Anderson and are capable of forgoing human interaction for days in order to nail down the formula.

AND I'VE DONE IT.

First, let's start with the basics - Brian Anderson NEEDS to be in the game for the Sox to win games. This is just a fact. The since May 12th, there have been 7 games that Brian Anderson was entirely uninvolved in. The Sox lost all seven of these games. Over the course of the entire season, the Sox are 6-15 when Anderson isn't in the game at all.

But frankly, even when the Sox DO have Anderson in the game, we don't always seem to win. I mean, our team record is a depressing 28-33 - if Anderson has been in 40 games, we should have 40 wins...except that there's just a little more to it than that: Dewayne Wise is the Yang to Brian Anderson's overwhelming Yin.

BEST. FART. EVER.

See, Dewayne Wise has an incredible ability - he can negate the mightiness that is Brian Anderson. First of all, if Dewayne Wise gets two or more AB's, the Sox tend to lose. Since Wise's DL stint, the Sox are 2-6 in games where Wise has 2 ABs or more. To contrast, when Wise has been used as a late replacement or pinch runner, the Sox are an impressive 5-1.

Now, here's the kicker - depending on the order that the two are used, Anderson can cancel out a Dewayne Wise performance. However, there are very specific rules for this to occur. First of all, Brian Anderson doesn't like to work his magic in blowouts - that's just boring. If the Sox are losing 5-0 and Anderson comes in for the 9th, there's only so much he can do. However, if the Sox are tied or losing by 1-3 runs when Anderson comes into the game in the 8th or 9th, the Sox are 3-0.

Essentially, if the Sox want to win they need to:
1. Start Brian Anderson (duh)
2. If they absolutely have to put Dewayne Wise in, keep his at-bats to a minimum.
3. If we're losing late, put in Anderson as a pinch-hitter.

And here's another interesting fact - in games in which we get absolutely annihilated that Anderson plays in (lose by 5 or more runs), Anderson is hitting over .500. Wow.