If you lasted until almost 3 a.m. ET to watch Game 3 of the National League Division Series between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants, you got an education into the pros and mostly cons of the fabled "double switch."
Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who built his managerial resume in the American League with the Tampa Bay Rays, didn't miss any opportunities to double up (or down, in most cases) every chance he got, rearranging his offense and defense with every move. In the process, he was left without his No. 4 and No. 5 hitters and with only one of three starting outfielders, while making defensive moves with nine outs to go and holding a one-run lead.
Maddon's last double-switch, made when closer Aroldis Chapman entered in the eighth inning, resulted in his best defensive outfielder, Jason Heyward, exiting stage right. Sacrificing defense with the closer coming on the scene was the most curious of all the decisions made during the course of an extremely tense game, and it may have been the most costly.