<sod>Base stealing is an important characteristic of the "[[small ball (baseball)|small ball]]" managing style (or "manufacturing runs"). Such managers emphasize "doing the little things" (including risky running plays like base-stealing) to advance runners and score runs, often relying on pitching and defense to keep games close.  The [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] of the 1960s, led by pitcher [[Sandy Koufax]] and speedy shortstop [[Maury Wills]], were a successful example of this style. The antithesis of this is reliance on power hitting, exemplified by the [[Baltimore Orioles]] of the 1970s, which aspired to score most of its runs via home runs.  Often the "small ball" model is associated with the [[National League]], while power hitting is associated with the [[American League]]. However, some successful recent American League teams, including the [[2002 in baseball|2002]] [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|Anaheim Angels]], the [[2001 in baseball|2001]] [[Seattle Mariners]] and the [[2005 in baseball|2005]] [[Chicago White Sox]] have excelled at "small ball." The [[Kansas City Royals]] have embodied this style recently, leading the league in stolen bases but finishing last in [[home run]]s in 2013 and 2014. Successful teams often combine both styles, with a speedy runner or two complementing hitters with power, such as the 2005 White Sox, who despite playing "small ball", still hit 200 home runs.<eod>
<sod>Base stealing is an important characteristic of the "[[small ball (baseball)|small ball]]" managing style (or "manufacturing runs"). Such managers emphasize "doing the little things" (including risky running plays like base-stealing) to advance runners and score runs, often relying on pitching and defense to keep games close.  The [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] of the 1960s, led by pitcher [[Sandy Koufax]] and speedy shortstop [[Maury Wills]], were a successful example of this style. The antithesis of this is reliance on power hitting, exemplified by the [[Baltimore Orioles]] of the 1970s, which aspired to score most of its runs via home runs.  Often the "small ball" model is associated with the [[National League]], while power hitting is associated with the [[American League]]. However, some successful recent American League teams, including the [[2002 in baseball|2002]] [[Anaheim Angels]], the [[2001 in baseball|2001]] [[Seattle Mariners]] and the [[2005 in baseball|2005]] [[Chicago White Sox]] have excelled at "small ball." The [[Kansas City Royals]] have embodied this style recently, leading the league in stolen bases but finishing last in [[home run]]s in 2013 and 2014. Successful teams often combine both styles, with a speedy runner or two complementing hitters with power, such as the 2005 White Sox, who despite playing "small ball", still hit 200 home runs.<eod>