2010 Baseball Thread No. 2 (which was my Little League number!)

Exactly.

Nice, informative writing. It reminds me of the game-inside-the-game approach Buster Olney uses so often.

 

Good column. The bit about 2-1 being the most important pitch reminded me of something I saw in a high school game last year.
Team had a runner on first, no outs and, I think, the No. 8 hitter in the order up. He gets to 2-1 and pulls back a bunt attempt on a pitch that ends up being strike two. A pitch or two later he strikes out for the first out. The No. 9 hitter also makes an out and the team ends up not getting a run in a key spot in the game.
Coach is irate, but not just because of the out. By missing that 2-1 pitch, the player took away the possibility of the bunt, which would have put a runner on second with the top of the order coming up. He explained to the player how that one pitch changed the complexion of the whole inning, the strategy, the different ways the team could have gotten that run home.

 

The batter did the coach a favor, taking away the possibility of giving away an out for nothing in a futile strategy.

High school coaches sure do love sac bunting.

 

Might have been the No. 9 hitter, I can't remember exactly. But I do remember it was a one-run game in the later innings, so they were playing for one run in that spot.

 

Phillies: Scoreless in 43 of their last 44 innings.

 

With Dice-K, Wakefield, R.A. Dickey, Hisanori Takahashi and Pelfry as the starters. Yikes.

 

Last 48 innings:

00x 000000000 000000003 000000000 000000000 000000000

 

In six games against the Yankees and Phillies, Mets starters gave up 2 runs in 38 2/3 innings.

Also in the past five games: Jose Reyes is 12 for 23.
In games in which Reyes has scored a run this season, the Mets are 17-4.

 

Jeff Passan 1, Joe West 0
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ah.z6o37JJ5fnSh9aQ.5mPo5nYcB?slug=jp-west052710

 

But not before writing a three-minute diddy about it, apparently.

 

Wow....what a truly pathetic effort by Randy Wells today. Hits to the first six hitters and his day is done without recording an out.