Don’t be surprised if the Giants-Royals World Series is decided by 90 feet. After all, baseball is a series of contests for 90 feet—the distance from home to first, first to second, second to third, and third to home again. The two teams are bidding for the same property for nine innings, both when they’re at bat and in the field. The club that wins more of those 90 feet skirmishes, says George Washington University head baseball coach Gregg Ritchie, puts itself in position to win ball games.

Ritchie came back to GW after a career in professional baseball that lasted nearly 30 years, with his most recent stop in Pittsburgh as the Pirates’ hitting coach. We were teammates at GW and I hadn’t seen him since, and then he returned to take over at our alma mater in 2013. With the postseason upon us, I asked him if he’d share some of his insights into the game.