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Touche.
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In the limited context of "what is the cleanest way to go from 100 losses to .500," pitching-and-defense may very well BE the best way to do it.
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I think most sportswriters mean, "The way to win the World Series is pitching and defense," which is a different thing, but your point is well taken.
It is pretty clear that the Mariners' brass has "tightened up" that on-field play, changed the culture of losing, convinced the players to play smart and play together ... starting precisely with that glovework, and starting with Gutierrez.  Won't argue against that for a second.
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Lesson learned for me, from 2009, may be that if you're trying to fix a selfish, bickering clubhouse, then a season full of 3-2 games is the easiest way to do it.  :- )