Aram Jahn <
rmj...@aol.com> wrote:
> On Wednesday, May 16, 2012 12:54:09 AM UTC-7, Awesome Lincecum
> wrote:
>> Aram Jahn <
rmj...@aol.com> wrote:
>>
>> >
>> > What killed me: with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, Nate
>> > shows a great eye and takes on two pitches...then looks at one
>> > right down the pipe to end the game.
>>
>> Doesn't that make you wonder, was it really "great eye" on those
>> 2 pitches, or was he just clueless?
>
> I don't know. Nate seems to have a pretty good eye. It's not like
> he never walks.
I don't know about that. Pablo, a well-known hacker who never saw a
pitch he didn't like, has a higher walk rate than Schierholtz.
> But I thought he froze on that pitch, and it
> looked like something he could've really gotten hold of. A lot of
> guys think, "In this count, this situation, I need to look for a a
> change-up," and he got a fastball low but right over the middle,
> and soooo hittable. Damn.
On the contrary, I believe more often than not, with a 3-2 count, a
pitcher will throw a fastball because he doesn't want to walk the
batter. And as a batter, with the game on the line and 2 strikes,
you're not supposed to guess. You're supposed to shorten your bat
and protect the plate.
> Ever notice how some really good hitters seem to look at the first
> pitch strike, right over the plate? They look stupid. "Holy crap!
> That was right in his wheelhouse and it looked like he was taking
> all the way!"
I guess that depends on how knowledgeable the fan is. To a
knowledgeable fan, taking a 1st pitch is rarely stupid, even if it's
right over the plate. In the long run, those are usually better
hitters than the ones who often swing at the 1st pitch.