2012 MLB Regular Season Running Thread

Meanwhile, Mike Trout went 3-for-4 with a homer, a steal and three runs scored last night. He's at .316/.369/.561 in 15 games since being called back up.

Bryce who?

 

I don't think Lawrie meant to hit the ump with the helmet and difficult to prove he did.

That was one of the worst consecutive wrong call I've ever seen. The 2nd strike was in the same location as the first pitch which was called a ball and Miller waited about four seconds to call it. The 3rd strike was little better and was high. The umpire would have called Lawrie out no matter where the last pitch was. Umpire made the game about his vendetta instead of the players.

 

Yeah. It's really hard to tell. Did the helmet actually hit the ump?

 

Yeah, you run over a jogger with your car — intentional or not — you're going to jail.

 

I know this isn't the perfect comparison, but, Yadier Molina got five games last season after he hit the umpire. Lawrie should get less or the same amount.

 

Here's the pitch F/X plot of Lawrie's at-bat.

 

Unbelievably horseshit call on the last two pitches. The 3-1 pitch was outside but arguable I guess, I thought Molina did a pretty good sell job on it. The third strike call was horrific, especially in a one-run game, if Miller was paying him back for showing him up after he started to first after the 3-1 pitch then he deserved to have Lawrie and Farrell go ape shit on him. That's a gutless, bullshit move by the ump.

(Note, I am not advocating Lawrie's helmet throwing, that's the petulant, somewhat immature side of him that we have seen from him at times this season. He'll get a five game break - or maybe more - for this and he deserves it.)

 

So what we have here is that Lawrie didn't like the 3-1 call, got pissy about it and the umpire decided to teach him a lesson on the full-count pitch.

It's happened before; it'll happen again. You have to reach a certain level to get the borderline call. Ask any pitcher in the majors.

And if you act like a 5-year-old about it and show up the umpire ... well ...

 

Here's one writer who won't let these newfangled sabermetric stats stand in the way of his love for a four-homer or perfect game! And Bryce Harper deserved what he got, OPS be damned!

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120512/OPINION03/205120392

 

I don't know how pissy Lawrie got after the 3-1 pitch, he started to first, got called back, paused and maybe looked a little too long in the general direction of the ump. Neither party appeared to say anything, but you're right, you have to earn your stripes in the bigs and can't show up the ump in that situation.

Still there was nothing even remotely borderline about the next pitch, it was a horseshit, vindictive call.

 

The job of the ump is to get the call right, not to teach players lessons.

No excuse for what Lawrie did, he deserves a long suspension.