Pence seeks to sharpen mind

Outfielder studies chess on day off after baserunning miscue
By Jon Blau / MLB.com

NEW YORK — Hunter Pence sat in his fold-up chair and stared at the alternating blue and white boxes on the page. He was reading about chess, a game the 25-year-old Astros outfielder has begun to study in place of the computer and video games of his youth.

“Kind of grown out of it, got a little bored,” Pence said of Internet games such as Halo and Warcraft. “It’s time for me to do something more productive with my mind and body. And I feel like chess is a little better for problem solving and to just sharpen your mind.”

Similarly, his wits were tested on the bases Friday. With Pence on third base with the Mets’ infield back in the second inning, Brad Ausmus shot a grounder to shortstop Jose Reyes. At the depth in which a grounder would be played, third-base coach Ed Romero had instructed Pence to run if the ball made it past the mound.

But Pence froze. He admitted he was thinking too much.

“I couldn’t go if it was hit to the corners,” Pence said. “You have to freeze on a line drive, see if it went by the pitcher.”

By the time Pence had processed everything, Reyes was pumping toward third to keep him on.

Here is the full story.

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