Boston Red Sox Andrew Benintendi’s Functional Lines – athletic to balletic

OK, I’ll admit it – when I go to a baseball game – or worse, watch one on TV – I take along a chessboard for some excitement.

I realise that will be anathema to most of my friends who are rabid Red Sox fans, since I live in the Northeast.
But Andrew Benintendi – Air Benny – got in a leap near the Green Monster last night that spanned the adjectives from A to B – athletic to balletic. 

Image credit: The Kings of Boston Sports

In the slow motion replay, thrill to the interplay of Anatomy Trains lines that help him up under that crucial fly ball to rob LA Dodger Brian Dozier of extra bases.

I especially call your attention to the right Front Functional Line that runs from his right shoulder to the inner left thigh.

The Functional Lines, from Anatomy Trains

That left leg is really strongly flexed at the hip, with the knee largely extended. Unnecessary to the leap itself, so why? From an Anatomy Trains point-of-view: in order to stabilise that right shoulder for the catch through the Front and Back Functional Lines.

From my neighbour’s point-of-view, who named her dog Fenway? “Who cares as long as he caught the goddam ball?”

Note bene: There’s a fun writeup in the Boston Globe about what a professional ballet dancer has to say about Benintendi’s catch form.