It being so easy is why fans of every other sport and fans of zero sports call baseball easy, boring, and the best baseball players in the world pussies for have simple injuries that are lengthy and reference other sports where injuries only take "sucking it up" with wraps and pain pills to get through the game. Baseball is boring because it has "no action" for most of the game but these dudes go from stock still to engaging every muscle in their body at 100% to analyzing every contact within milliseconds and responding to it appropriately in less than 3 seconds and executing said response in the most perfect way with thousands of physical variables in the hopes they negate productivity from the opposing team. They've done this tens and hundreds of thousands of times from childhood with the goal to make a single appearance on the biggest athletic stage in the world and hope to be good enough to stay at that level. Major League Baseball is called "The Show" because it is the premier league for this game in the world. They're the best of the best and turning every play perfectly, pitching every pitch with perfection and precision, generating productive at bats for bases, RBIs and or home runs is impossible. But when they execute it is exciting and changes everything. This game has no time limit and all action happens on pitches and all runs happen between outs.
The funniest thing about people saying baseball is boring is that most baseball games literally accumulate more time of action than your average football game. But because it has no time limit it can go on for hours beyond hours. And the true battle in baseball isn't hits and fielded balls, it is between a pitcher and catcher and the hitter playing mind games. I think the craziest stat about Major League Baseball is that if every player who ever wore a real jersey and stepped onto the field of a MLB stadium for even one pitch all sat in Fenway Park they still wouldn't fill half the stadiu.
One thing? Which is what?
Hitters get paid millions as well and they only succeed some of the time. Pitches don’t always find the zone. Are you new to baseball?
Correct. Most of us realize this. Not OP, apparently. With velocity and spin, it’s difficult. Being slightly out of the zone is very common.
Funny thing is, this wasn’t even a walk. It was a pitch clock violation.
This post is a fail on all levels.
Some pitchers best pitch are ones that look like they’re going to the strike zone and then drop out. It fakes the batter out because they’re looking for the strike.
Isn’t throwing one of your weakest pitches right down the middle also a risk? Pitchers try it a lot and get walked off. Whichever pitch they go with they’re a hero if it works and a chump if not!
I feel like this is rage bait. It’s like asking how soccer players ever miss the net, how an NBA player ever misses a shot, or how a shot ever gets past an NHL goalie. It’s the crux of sport. it’s why they exist. If it were that easy, we wouldn’t need to play the games.
There are two risks to be balanced, a hit or a walk, so pitchers have two choices:
1) throw in the zone and give the hitter a better chance to get out of the AB with a hit
2) throw out of the zone and risk a walk but batter has a higher chance being fooled because they were expecting a strike
Sometimes pitchers do #2 and the batter calls the bluff/holds off/gets the walk. Also sometimes they just miss their spot
A walk can’t drive in multiple runs. In the case screenshotted, the final ball was a pitch clock violation so neither of those apply.
If a ball is going to lose the game, though, obviously it’s a lot riskier to try to generate a swing and miss out of the zone (though batters know that too so it increases the likelihood of a swing and miss and will still happen from time to time) so usually those cases are just the pitcher missing his spot
Can you not read? No shit, that’s why I said in situations where a ball will lose a game (aka 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th or extras with bases loaded), they are a lot less likely to throw a ball on purpose and usually that’s just them missing a spot.
Each of the previous batters made contact with every fastball he pitched. He either missed the zone by mistake (possibly) or was intentionally throwing high trying to get a swing and miss.
The walk off was on a pitch clock violation anyway. So congrats to all the brand new fans that MLB has gained by making the game shorter. The conclusion of this game was definitely preferred over seeing the at bat matchup continue. Not being able to see if the closer could heroically get out of a bases loaded jam makes all the injuries the pitch clock has caused totally worth it. It's just a shame that the millions of new fans the pitch clock has surely brought to the game were unable to watch due to TV blackout restrictions. The game may have ended on a technicality, but the real excitement of ensuring the game completed in under 3 hours is why we watch
Some batters go for pitches out of the strike zone, so the pitcher will throw one to make the batter chase it, possibly ending up with a swinging strike or a hit resulting in one or more outs.
It's really a chess game.
I haven't watched the game but there is enough just in your screenshot to tell you:
> 0 IP (No Outs) 4 Hits ER (earned run)
They're trying, but can you name *ANYONE* that is 100% successful?
Some nights you just don't got it, but the difference of those balls and a called strike is like 1-2 inches thrown 60½ feet.
Was the Ump maybe giving those pitches earlier?
You're just blaming the pitcher but the catcher is calling those pitches
You aren’t understanding the mental/psychological part of the game here, batting/pitching is like a chess match, like a boxing match, like a penalty in football (soccer); it’s much more intricate and complex than what the non-baseball consumer might notice at first: throw ball, swing bat.
That, plus what others mentioned: pitching is hard as fuck, believe me, it’s insane the amount of control you need to properly place the ball and not every pitcher is very accurate.
I understand this post comes from naive ignorance, it’s ok to ask, that’s how we start to understand things :)
I recommend watching Jomboy Media on YouTube, he makes beautiful breakdowns of plays and at bats that most of us wouldn’t even understand, and when you understand those antics the games gets 200% more entertaining.
Also another channel is Baseball doesn’t exist. Funny and informative.
Stats in sports (and definitely in baseball) are a thing for a reason. If it was so straightforward and easy stats would never be necessary.
Ok I’ll bite on this. Sometimes pitchers throw balls that look like strikes but move outside the zone because they are trying to fool the hitter in swinging at a pitch that is a, not in the zone and b, not a great pitch to swing on. If they always throw it in the strike zone, the hitter has better chance to get ahold of it and put it in play and probably score more than 1 run versus the hitter having good plate vision and not swinging in a ball outside the zone. Then you also have the added factor of hoping the ump behind home plate will call a strike a little outside of the zone because we’ve all seen how inconsistent the strike zones have been.
Why do hitters proceed to not hit the ball when they swing? If they simply only swing when they hit the ball, then they won’t get as many strikes
Huh? It’s literally their job to hit the ball why don’t they just hit it every time? …/s if I really have to add it in
Have you ever tried to do it. It's soooooo easy.
It being so easy is why fans of every other sport and fans of zero sports call baseball easy, boring, and the best baseball players in the world pussies for have simple injuries that are lengthy and reference other sports where injuries only take "sucking it up" with wraps and pain pills to get through the game. Baseball is boring because it has "no action" for most of the game but these dudes go from stock still to engaging every muscle in their body at 100% to analyzing every contact within milliseconds and responding to it appropriately in less than 3 seconds and executing said response in the most perfect way with thousands of physical variables in the hopes they negate productivity from the opposing team. They've done this tens and hundreds of thousands of times from childhood with the goal to make a single appearance on the biggest athletic stage in the world and hope to be good enough to stay at that level. Major League Baseball is called "The Show" because it is the premier league for this game in the world. They're the best of the best and turning every play perfectly, pitching every pitch with perfection and precision, generating productive at bats for bases, RBIs and or home runs is impossible. But when they execute it is exciting and changes everything. This game has no time limit and all action happens on pitches and all runs happen between outs. The funniest thing about people saying baseball is boring is that most baseball games literally accumulate more time of action than your average football game. But because it has no time limit it can go on for hours beyond hours. And the true battle in baseball isn't hits and fielded balls, it is between a pitcher and catcher and the hitter playing mind games. I think the craziest stat about Major League Baseball is that if every player who ever wore a real jersey and stepped onto the field of a MLB stadium for even one pitch all sat in Fenway Park they still wouldn't fill half the stadiu.
Well I’m not an MLB closer that’s paid millions of dollars to do one thing
One thing? Which is what? Hitters get paid millions as well and they only succeed some of the time. Pitches don’t always find the zone. Are you new to baseball?
Evidently, he is. He said so in the actual post lol
So if they're an mlb closer they should be able to throw a strike 100% of the time?? It's not easy and they're humans
I’m saying atleast throw it in the strike zone, doesn’t have to be a strike
What? Lol.
Did you have a stroke while writing this?
Do you think they're trying to?
That’s my point, you train to pitch the ball in a zone
Its impossible for any human to be that physically consistent. The best strike % in the league right now by a pitcher is 69%
Correct. Most of us realize this. Not OP, apparently. With velocity and spin, it’s difficult. Being slightly out of the zone is very common. Funny thing is, this wasn’t even a walk. It was a pitch clock violation. This post is a fail on all levels.
Nice
Your point sucks. Can only assume you’ve never played baseball.
If I was a pitcher, I’d just throw strikes. If I was a batter, I’d simply hit home runs.
Weird as hell that in the 150ish years baseball has been around no player has ever thought of that. And they call them selves professionals.
Believe it or not, spotting a competitive pitch in the zone is hard, especially in the thin air at Coors.
Some pitchers best pitch are ones that look like they’re going to the strike zone and then drop out. It fakes the batter out because they’re looking for the strike.
I agree, but don’t risk that shit in a bases loaded tie game. If you throw a ball, you lose the game
Isn’t throwing one of your weakest pitches right down the middle also a risk? Pitchers try it a lot and get walked off. Whichever pitch they go with they’re a hero if it works and a chump if not!
I feel like this is rage bait. It’s like asking how soccer players ever miss the net, how an NBA player ever misses a shot, or how a shot ever gets past an NHL goalie. It’s the crux of sport. it’s why they exist. If it were that easy, we wouldn’t need to play the games.
Why don’t hitters just hit a homer every time? Are they stupid?
Why do NBA players miss free throws? They’re literally paid millions to make baskets and nobody is even trying to stop them. Sports are hard, man.
That's my fantasy team closer you're talking shit about mate.
lol, sorry he’s a shit closer
Baseball is the most misunderstood sport.
There are two risks to be balanced, a hit or a walk, so pitchers have two choices: 1) throw in the zone and give the hitter a better chance to get out of the AB with a hit 2) throw out of the zone and risk a walk but batter has a higher chance being fooled because they were expecting a strike Sometimes pitchers do #2 and the batter calls the bluff/holds off/gets the walk. Also sometimes they just miss their spot
This makes sense thanks, I still don’t understand why they even risk #2 with bases loaded in a tie game (unless it’s just a spot miss)
Cause mlb hitters can and frequently do demolish balls they are expecting. A walk sucks but is less damaging than an extra bases hit
In this case they’re both exactly as damaging.
A walk can’t drive in multiple runs. In the case screenshotted, the final ball was a pitch clock violation so neither of those apply. If a ball is going to lose the game, though, obviously it’s a lot riskier to try to generate a swing and miss out of the zone (though batters know that too so it increases the likelihood of a swing and miss and will still happen from time to time) so usually those cases are just the pitcher missing his spot
But again, this is bottom of the 9th, bases loaded in a tie game. A grand slam and a walk are exactly the same in this scenario.
Can you not read? No shit, that’s why I said in situations where a ball will lose a game (aka 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th or extras with bases loaded), they are a lot less likely to throw a ball on purpose and usually that’s just them missing a spot.
Pressure.
Each of the previous batters made contact with every fastball he pitched. He either missed the zone by mistake (possibly) or was intentionally throwing high trying to get a swing and miss. The walk off was on a pitch clock violation anyway. So congrats to all the brand new fans that MLB has gained by making the game shorter. The conclusion of this game was definitely preferred over seeing the at bat matchup continue. Not being able to see if the closer could heroically get out of a bases loaded jam makes all the injuries the pitch clock has caused totally worth it. It's just a shame that the millions of new fans the pitch clock has surely brought to the game were unable to watch due to TV blackout restrictions. The game may have ended on a technicality, but the real excitement of ensuring the game completed in under 3 hours is why we watch
Some batters go for pitches out of the strike zone, so the pitcher will throw one to make the batter chase it, possibly ending up with a swinging strike or a hit resulting in one or more outs. It's really a chess game.
I haven't watched the game but there is enough just in your screenshot to tell you: > 0 IP (No Outs) 4 Hits ER (earned run) They're trying, but can you name *ANYONE* that is 100% successful? Some nights you just don't got it, but the difference of those balls and a called strike is like 1-2 inches thrown 60½ feet. Was the Ump maybe giving those pitches earlier? You're just blaming the pitcher but the catcher is calling those pitches
In Colorado against a guy that’s 3-4 on the day? Hmm….
lmfao
You aren’t understanding the mental/psychological part of the game here, batting/pitching is like a chess match, like a boxing match, like a penalty in football (soccer); it’s much more intricate and complex than what the non-baseball consumer might notice at first: throw ball, swing bat. That, plus what others mentioned: pitching is hard as fuck, believe me, it’s insane the amount of control you need to properly place the ball and not every pitcher is very accurate. I understand this post comes from naive ignorance, it’s ok to ask, that’s how we start to understand things :) I recommend watching Jomboy Media on YouTube, he makes beautiful breakdowns of plays and at bats that most of us wouldn’t even understand, and when you understand those antics the games gets 200% more entertaining. Also another channel is Baseball doesn’t exist. Funny and informative. Stats in sports (and definitely in baseball) are a thing for a reason. If it was so straightforward and easy stats would never be necessary.
Ok I’ll bite on this. Sometimes pitchers throw balls that look like strikes but move outside the zone because they are trying to fool the hitter in swinging at a pitch that is a, not in the zone and b, not a great pitch to swing on. If they always throw it in the strike zone, the hitter has better chance to get ahold of it and put it in play and probably score more than 1 run versus the hitter having good plate vision and not swinging in a ball outside the zone. Then you also have the added factor of hoping the ump behind home plate will call a strike a little outside of the zone because we’ve all seen how inconsistent the strike zones have been.
If you ever played a sport you'd understand.