Worst Baseball Whine of the Season in Only Week 1

[silverscreenselect]

In the ninth inning of Minnesota's 7-0 win over Baltimore, with one out, Baltimore catcher Chance Sisco bunted to the empty left side of the infield for a base hit (all the Minnesota infielders had shifted to the right). Baltimore later loaded the bases that inning but failed to score. For some reason, however, Minnesota relief pitcher Jose Berrios got upset, saying: ""I don't care if he's bunting. I just know it's not good for baseball in that situation. That's it." Other Minnesota players made similar statements.

I can understand if Baltimore had been winning 7-0, bunting for a hit in that situation might have been a bit tacky. But, I thought the idea when you are way down in the last inning, is to get on base any way you can and hope something good happens. And if the other team wants to essentially give up a bunt hit, take advantage of it. But I guess that what would have been "good" for baseball in that situation was for the batter to hit a hard ground ball into the shift for an easy out instead.

My feeling is that weird shifts like that aren't good for the game and that what is needed is for more batters to do just what Sisco did and bunt or slap ground balls through the empty side of the infield. Do that four or five times in a game and you will see the use of shifts decline dramatically.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/2300 ... -shift-9th

[Appa23]

In the ninth inning of Minnesota's 7-0 win over Baltimore, with one out, Baltimore catcher Chance Sisco bunted to the empty left side of the infield for a base hit (all the Minnesota infielders had shifted to the right). Baltimore later loaded the bases that inning but failed to score. For some reason, however, Minnesota relief pitcher Jose Berrios got upset, saying: ""I don't care if he's bunting. I just know it's not good for baseball in that situation. That's it." Other Minnesota players made similar statements.

I can understand if Baltimore had been winning 7-0, bunting for a hit in that situation might have been a bit tacky. But, I thought the idea when you are way down in the last inning, is to get on base any way you can and hope something good happens. And if the other team wants to essentially give up a bunt hit, take advantage of it. But I guess that what would have been "good" for baseball in that situation was for the batter to hit a hard ground ball into the shift for an easy out instead.

My feeling is that weird shifts like that aren't good for the game and that what is needed is for more batters to do just what Sisco did and bunt or slap ground balls through the empty side of the infield. Do that four or five times in a game and you will see the use of shifts decline dramatically.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/2300 ... -shift-9th

The Twins cried "foul against the unwritten rules of baseball" because Berrios was not a reliever. He was the starting pitcher who had thrown a one-hitter to that point in the 9th. (He ended up with a 3-hitter).

Now, while I know that you are not supposed to break up a no-hitter with a bunt, I did not know that some extend "the rule" that to a one-hitter, as well.

I tend to think that if you do not want someone to bunt or slap a hit against the shift, then don't shift. Much noise for no reason here.

[elwoodblues]

I don't know if there is an unwritten rule about putting on a shift with a 7 run lead in the ninth, but it seems just as "bad" as some of the things for which there are unwritten rules.

[BackInTex]

"Unwritten rules".

You want a no-hitter? Earn it by not allowing a hit. Don't expect your opponents to give in by denying themselves a chance to win, no matter how slim.

[Vandal]

The Book of Unwritten Baseball Rules
by Baseball Digest (1986)

#
Unwritten Rules
1 Never put the tying or go-ahead run on base.
2 Play for the tie at home, go for the victory on the road.
3 Don't hit and run with an 0-2 count.
4 Don't play the infield in early in the game.
5 Never make the first or third out at third.
6 Never steal when you're two or more runs down.
7 Don't steal when you're well ahead.
8 Don't steal third with two outs.
9 Don't bunt for a hit when you need a sacrifice.
10 Never throw behind the runner.
11 Left and right fielders concede everything to center fielder.
12 Never give up a home run on an 0-2 count.
13 Never let the score influence the way you manage.
14 Don't go against the percentages.
15 Take a strike when your club is behind in a ballgame.
16 Leadoff hitter must be a base stealer. Designated hitter must be a power hitter.
17 Never give an intentional walk if first base is occupied.
18 With runners in scoring position and first base open, walk the number eight hitter to get to the pitcher.
19 In rundown situations, always run the runner back toward the base from which he came.
20 If you play for one run, that's all you'll get.
21 Don't bunt with a power hitter up.
22 Don't take the bat out of your best hitter's hands by sacrificing in front of him.
23 Only use your bullpen stopper in late-inning situations.
24 Don't use your stopper in a tie game - only when you're ahead.
25 Hit behind the runner at first.
26 If one of your players gets knocked down by a pitch, retaliate.
27 Hit the ball where it's pitched.
28 A manager should remain detached from his players.
29 Never mention a no-hitter while it's in progress.
30 With a right-hander on the mound, don't walk a right-handed hitter to pitch to a left-handed hitter.

[silverscreenselect]

13 Never let the score influence the way you manage.

24 Don't use your stopper in a tie game - only when you're ahead.

Unwritten rules are like proverbs; you can always find one that says what you want.

[BackInTex]

12 Never give up a home run on an 0-2 count.

That is the stupidest "rule". When should you give up a home run?

13 Never let the score influence the way you manage.

This is why rules should be written, so you don't have a rule that contradicts others. Rules 1, 2, 6, 7, 15, and 24 are based on the score.

[T_Bone0806]

So let me get this straight...you can go against the traditional positions of your fielders according to what your stupid ANALytics say, in order to give yourself every advantage to win the game, but your opponent is not allowed to try to outsmart you by doing something to screw up that "advantage"?

Bullcrap.

So your little shifty-wifty didn't work for you and now you're crying about that mean ol' batter who wouldn't go along with the plan. Boo freakin' hoo. I laughed at this when I first read about it. Almost every team is employing the shift constantly, and I hate it. Shading a couple fielders over a little in one direction is one thing, but having one side of the playing field more crowded than a Walmart parking lot on Black Friday is another thing entirely. Once more I go into grumpy old man mode here, but I can't stand how reliant on these stupid, minute little stats GM's and managers have become. Nobody manages based on what their eyes and their gut tell them anymore. Seen it happen with my Yankees on Sunday. runners on 2nd and 3rd for the Jays, 2 outs, Yanks clinging to a 4-3 lead. Josh Donaldson coming up, normally a dangerous batter but really hurting, trying to play through an injury and not succeeding very well. On deck is Justin Smoak, who has opened the season by ripping up Yankee pitching. If they've been paying attention to the first three and a half games, it should've been pretty obvious that they should pitch to the struggling Donaldson. Instead, because the numbers say that Donaldson was lethal against them in that situation in the past, they intentionally walked him. Up comes Smoak, out goes the baseball, Jays lead, then win, 7-4.

Saw a lot of this last year when Girardi was managing, too, most notably in the 6th inning of that playoff game with Cleveland, where THREE times he ignored what was happening before his own eyes, and went with what the damn numbers in his little "stat notebooks" told him. Total disaster of course.

And I read that the fans in Philly are already gathering the torches and pitchforks for Gabe Kapler after he blew two games by sticking to stats rather than what was happening on the field.

Also seems most of the broadcasters, the talking heads on MLB Network, ESPN, etc., as well as the ones calling the games, are in love with nonsensical stats. I used to like David Cone in the booth as a color commentator, now I can't stand listening to him. Every other sentence he utters contains some obscure stat. He is totally in love with the ANALytics, to the point where I don't think he can function in the booth anymore without that crutch.

All I can say is that I am sick to death of hearing about launch angles, exit velocity, and so on. Won't be long before managers are replaced in the dugout by Watson and the like. Can you imagine somebody telling Earl Weaver he has to do what the stats indicate instead of what his eyes and instincts are telling him?

My beloved game is becoming an Xbox video game and I don't like it, nosiree. One more thing....

You kids get off my lawn!!!

[BackInTex]

As long as we're griping about the current state of baseball, I HATE with a passion the now too common use of a reliever for a single batter. It slows the game down more than mound visits. It is another opportunity for ad revenue, but if a pitcher is only good for one batter then he isn't much good. Rather than limit mound visits I'd prefer they put in a rule that barring injury, once in, a pitcher must face a minimum of 3 batters or complete the inning.

[T_Bone0806]

As long as we're griping about the current state of baseball, I HATE with a passion the now too common use of a reliever for a single batter. It slows the game down more than mound visits. It is another opportunity for ad revenue, but if a pitcher is only good for one batter then he isn't much good. Rather than limit mound visits I'd prefer they put in a rule that barring injury, once in, a pitcher must face a minimum of 3 batters or complete the inning.

Yeah, I'm with you on hating all the pitching changes. "Specialists"...ugh. That, in addition to starting pitchers giving 5 innings out there...if that..and calling it a day, is why teams are carrying 13 pitchers, leaving only a 3-man bench, one of which is a catcher who you're not going to use most of the time in case your starting catcher is hurt, so essentially it's a 2-man bench. Utterly ridiculous.

[silverscreenselect]

Yeah, I'm with you on hating all the pitching changes. "Specialists"...ugh. That, in addition to starting pitchers giving 5 innings out there...if that..and calling it a day, is why teams are carrying 13 pitchers, leaving only a 3-man bench, one of which is a catcher who you're not going to use most of the time in case your starting catcher is hurt, so essentially it's a 2-man bench. Utterly ridiculous.

Interesting stat that over 60% of Goose Gossage's saves were longer than one inning. Rollie Fingers holds the record with 135 saves of two innings or more. They way they used to manage was (unless you had to pinch hit for a pitcher) one guy pitches until he runs out of gas or doesn't have it and then you bring the next one in. If somebody goes 2-3 innings he might get a rest the next day. Nowadays people act like it's a miracle if a "closer" goes 1 1/3 inning. I always find in amusing when a team has Pitcher A come in and look like Nolan Ryan in the eighth inning and then they bring in their "closer" Pitcher B in the ninth and he looks like Irene Ryan.

[BackInTex]

I always find in amusing when a team has Pitcher A come in and look like Nolan Ryan in the eighth inning and then they bring in their "closer" Pitcher B in the ninth and he looks like Irene Ryan.

Beyond frustrating. The Astros have got to be the worst. One of the best, if not the best, starting rotations. Starter will go 6 innings, giving up 2 hits, no runs, then a 1-2-3 7th, sitting on 80 pitches, and they'll bring in a relief for the 8th who'll immediately give up back to back hits, they'll pull him, bring in relief #2 who gives up a 3-run shot, then gets the next three outs. Closer comes in, gives up 1 run and we lose 4-2.

[littlebeast13]

I always find in amusing when a team has Pitcher A come in and look like Nolan Ryan in the eighth inning and then they bring in their "closer" Pitcher B in the ninth and he looks like Irene Ryan.

Beyond frustrating. The Astros have got to be the worst. One of the best, if not the best, starting rotations. Starter will go 6 innings, giving up 2 hits, no runs, then a 1-2-3 7th, sitting on 80 pitches, and they'll bring in a relief for the 8th who'll immediately give up back to back hits, they'll pull him, bring in relief #2 who gives up a 3-run shot, then gets the next three outs. Closer comes in, gives up 1 run and we lose 4-2.

LOL! I've been reading way too much Fangraphs the last year or two, because arguments like this actually look weird now. Analytics endorses starters (outside of aces) going through the batting order no more than twice because most starting pitchers start getting the crap beat out of them once the lineup turns over a third time. I don't particularly care for that way of baseball either, but from a purely statistical sense, having a quick leash on starting pitchers is actually the best strategy (And something the Astros are lauded for in the sabermetric community)....

lb13

[littlebeast13]

The Book of Unwritten Baseball Rules
by Baseball Digest (1986)

#
Unwritten Rules
1 Never put the tying or go-ahead run on base.
2 Play for the tie at home, go for the victory on the road.
3 Don't hit and run with an 0-2 count.
4 Don't play the infield in early in the game.
5 Never make the first or third out at third.
6 Never steal when you're two or more runs down.
7 Don't steal when you're well ahead.
8 Don't steal third with two outs.
9 Don't bunt for a hit when you need a sacrifice.
10 Never throw behind the runner.
11 Left and right fielders concede everything to center fielder.
12 Never give up a home run on an 0-2 count.
13 Never let the score influence the way you manage.
14 Don't go against the percentages.
15 Take a strike when your club is behind in a ballgame.
16 Leadoff hitter must be a base stealer. Designated hitter must be a power hitter.
17 Never give an intentional walk if first base is occupied.
18 With runners in scoring position and first base open, walk the number eight hitter to get to the pitcher.
19 In rundown situations, always run the runner back toward the base from which he came.
20 If you play for one run, that's all you'll get.
21 Don't bunt with a power hitter up.
22 Don't take the bat out of your best hitter's hands by sacrificing in front of him.
23 Only use your bullpen stopper in late-inning situations.
24 Don't use your stopper in a tie game - only when you're ahead.
25 Hit behind the runner at first.
26 If one of your players gets knocked down by a pitch, retaliate.
27 Hit the ball where it's pitched.
28 A manager should remain detached from his players.
29 Never mention a no-hitter while it's in progress.
30 With a right-hander on the mound, don't walk a right-handed hitter to pitch to a left-handed hitter.

These aren't the unwritten rules. This is that infamous "book" they talk about managers managing by...

lb13

[Bob78164]

I always find in amusing when a team has Pitcher A come in and look like Nolan Ryan in the eighth inning and then they bring in their "closer" Pitcher B in the ninth and he looks like Irene Ryan.

Beyond frustrating. The Astros have got to be the worst. One of the best, if not the best, starting rotations. Starter will go 6 innings, giving up 2 hits, no runs, then a 1-2-3 7th, sitting on 80 pitches, and they'll bring in a relief for the 8th who'll immediately give up back to back hits, they'll pull him, bring in relief #2 who gives up a 3-run shot, then gets the next three outs. Closer comes in, gives up 1 run and we lose 4-2.

LOL! I've been reading way too much Fangraphs the last year or two, because arguments like this actually look weird now. Analytics endorses starters (outside of aces) going through the batting order no more than twice because most starting pitchers start getting the crap beat out of them once the lineup turns over a third time. I don't particularly care for that way of baseball either, but from a purely statistical sense, having a quick leash on starting pitchers is actually the best strategy (And something the Astros are lauded for in the sabermetric community)....

lb13

I'm not sure that analysis is sound. It doesn't account for wear and tear on the bullpen. If you're asking your bullpen to get 9 outs a game, every game, your top relievers may lose their effectiveness in August and September. --Bob

[BackInTex]

Beyond frustrating. The Astros have got to be the worst. One of the best, if not the best, starting rotations. Starter will go 6 innings, giving up 2 hits, no runs, then a 1-2-3 7th, sitting on 80 pitches, and they'll bring in a relief for the 8th who'll immediately give up back to back hits, they'll pull him, bring in relief #2 who gives up a 3-run shot, then gets the next three outs. Closer comes in, gives up 1 run and we lose 4-2.

LOL! I've been reading way too much Fangraphs the last year or two, because arguments like this actually look weird now. Analytics endorses starters (outside of aces) going through the batting order no more than twice because most starting pitchers start getting the crap beat out of them once the lineup turns over a third time. I don't particularly care for that way of baseball either, but from a purely statistical sense, having a quick leash on starting pitchers is actually the best strategy (And something the Astros are lauded for in the sabermetric community)....

lb13

I'm not sure that analysis is sound. It doesn't account for wear and tear on the bullpen. If you're asking your bullpen to get 9 outs a game, every game, your top relievers may lose their effectiveness in August and September. --Bob

Well, the Astros have two legitimate starters in the bullpen. I think they can work a few innings.

[littlebeast13]

LOL! I've been reading way too much Fangraphs the last year or two, because arguments like this actually look weird now. Analytics endorses starters (outside of aces) going through the batting order no more than twice because most starting pitchers start getting the crap beat out of them once the lineup turns over a third time. I don't particularly care for that way of baseball either, but from a purely statistical sense, having a quick leash on starting pitchers is actually the best strategy (And something the Astros are lauded for in the sabermetric community)....

lb13

I'm not sure that analysis is sound. It doesn't account for wear and tear on the bullpen. If you're asking your bullpen to get 9 outs a game, every game, your top relievers may lose their effectiveness in August and September. --Bob

Well, the Astros have two legitimate starters in the bullpen. I think they can work a few innings.

That's largely by design... not only to give the team pitching depth, but to use as long relievers. And not in the traditional way long relievers were usually just mop-up men. Think Charlie Morton's long relief stint to close out the World Series last year. Mixing and matching "piggyback starts" (One starter goes innings 1-5, a second "starter" takes innings 6-9) with the more common cycle of middle relievers can work well with plenty of optionable bullpen pitchers who can be shuttled back and forth to AAA, as well as a Dodgersesque manipulation of the 10 Day DL to rest "injured" pitchers. The Astros are the closest team to being able to try the new postseason method of deploying a pitching staff during the regular season. In ten years, it could be the new normal (Or it could blow up badly and get scrapped for the Next Best Thing)...

lb13

[ToLiveIsToFly]

An awful lot of this smacks of "young whippersnapper, when I was your age I walked uphill in the snow barefoot both ways"

Speaking specifically to pitcher usage, my understanding is that Back In The Day, pitchers were expected to pace themselves, and now they're expected to be basically max effort all the time, and that necessitates a change in usage patterns, and that's the reason bullpens are growing and the number of hitters on the roster is shrinking.

But more to the point of the original post, I think this take (http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/2300 ... iant-samee) sums up most of how I feel. Calling on unwritten rules is kind of like working the refs --> if you can psyche the other team into leaving powerful tools in the box, more power to you, but it can bite you in the ass.

[silverscreenselect]

Speaking specifically to pitcher usage, my understanding is that Back In The Day, pitchers were expected to pace themselves, and now they're expected to be basically max effort all the time, and that necessitates a change in usage patterns, and that's the reason bullpens are growing and the number of hitters on the roster is shrinking.

In 1968, Bob Gibson compiled a 1.12 ERA with 268 strikeouts in 304 innings and 28 complete games and 13 shutouts in 34 starts. In 1966, Sandy Koufax compiled a 1.73 ERA with 317 strikeouts in 323 innings and 27 complete games and five shutouts in 41 starts. In 1972, pitching for one of the worst teams in baseball history, Steve Carlton compiled a 1.97 ERA with 310 strikeouts in 346 innings and 30 complete games and eight shutouts in 41 starts. These pitchers usually pitched on three days rest. If that's pacing yourself, it's a heck of a pace.

[ToLiveIsToFly]

Speaking specifically to pitcher usage, my understanding is that Back In The Day, pitchers were expected to pace themselves, and now they're expected to be basically max effort all the time, and that necessitates a change in usage patterns, and that's the reason bullpens are growing and the number of hitters on the roster is shrinking.

In 1968, Bob Gibson compiled a 1.12 ERA with 268 strikeouts in 304 innings and 28 complete games and 13 shutouts in 34 starts. In 1966, Sandy Koufax compiled a 1.73 ERA with 317 strikeouts in 323 innings and 27 complete games and five shutouts in 41 starts. In 1972, pitching for one of the worst teams in baseball history, Steve Carlton compiled a 1.97 ERA with 310 strikeouts in 346 innings and 30 complete games and eight shutouts in 41 starts. These pitchers usually pitched on three days rest. If that's pacing yourself, it's a heck of a pace.

They were pitching on higher mounds, with a different ball, against lesser-hitting competition. By "pace themselves" I mean within a game. They had the luxury of pitching against a weak back of the lineup against most teams, and by all accounts, including their own, they could take it easier against the back third of the lineups they faced in a way today's pitchers simply can't.

And if your argument is that pitchers should be able to handle a higher workload without breaking, maybe Koufax isn't the best example to cite.

I'll get off your lawn if you'll quit shaking your fist.

[silverscreenselect]

They had the luxury of pitching against a weak back of the lineup against most teams, and by all accounts, including their own, they could take it easier against the back third of the lineups they faced in a way today's pitchers simply can't.

In 2017, the American League batting average was .256 and the National League was .254. In 1973 (the first year with the designated hitter rule), the American League average was .259 and the National League was .254.

Doesn't look like that much of a difference to me.

[Bob78164]

They had the luxury of pitching against a weak back of the lineup against most teams, and by all accounts, including their own, they could take it easier against the back third of the lineups they faced in a way today's pitchers simply can't.

In 2017, the American League batting average was .256 and the National League was .254. In 1973 (the first year with the designated hitter rule), the American League average was .259 and the National League was .254.

Doesn't look like that much of a difference to me.

I'm curious. How did batting averages the third time through the lineup back then compare to the same figure now? The point is that the pitchers modern batters have to face are generally fresher than was the case back when lb was still young enough to chase kids off his lawn instead of simply yelling at them, so it's at least plausible to me that better hitting is necessary to achieve the same results. --Bob

[Estonut]

In today's game, the Angels were hitless in the 5th inning when shortstop Andrelton Simmons noticed the Cleveland third baseman positioned very deep. He bunted and outran the throw to first.

Now, the interwebs are whining about him breaking one of the biggest unwritten rules of baseball by bunting to break up a no-hitter. I call BS. It was 1 out in the 5th inning, so there was plenty of game left. If the leadoff batter in the game bunts, is that a no-no for breaking up a no-hitter, too? When, exactly, is the unwritten cut-off?

[ToLiveIsToFly]

They had the luxury of pitching against a weak back of the lineup against most teams, and by all accounts, including their own, they could take it easier against the back third of the lineups they faced in a way today's pitchers simply can't.

In 2017, the American League batting average was .256 and the National League was .254. In 1973 (the first year with the designated hitter rule), the American League average was .259 and the National League was .254.

Doesn't look like that much of a difference to me.

Well, yeah, exactly.
Fresher pitchers at virtually all situations in the game aren't driving offense off a cliff
They're basically battling to a standstill, even pitching so much less
So either hitters are commensurately better, necessitating more effort-per-pitch from pitchers, or everyone's just getting weaker in general. Which do you think is more likely?
Before you answer, consider:
- is pitch velocity generally static, or up or down?
- are other, more telling, markers of batting ability (obp? slg?) higher or lower since then?
- how are pitchers batting these days (I ask because there's a persuasive argument that pitchers' hitting rates are a good proxy for overall difficulty. With very few exceptions, there's never been a lot of pressure on pitchers to improve their hitting ability, so if the gap between pitchers' hitting rates and the rest of the leagues increases, it probably means the overall difficulty is going up and vice versa)

[silverscreenselect]

everyone's just getting weaker in general. Which do you think is more likely?

People aren't getting weaker, but the game is being managed differently. Making pitching changes based on a pre-determined number of pitches or innings relieves the manager of any responsibility for making a bad judgment call as to whether to leave a starting pitcher in. Similarly, having a designated eighth and ninth inning reliever gives the manager a ready-made excuse if the "closer" doesn't have it one particular day.

Similarly, batters are being encouraged to swing for the fences at every opportunity and, with rare exceptions, small ball to play for a run at a time is out. Yes slugging is up, and so are strikeouts. That's why shifts are so successful; batters don't try to beat them by just getting base hits. Pete Rose would have had a field day with a shift, since he was perfectly capable of slapping the ball the other way for three or four hits a game.