106 replies to this topic

[NewMarketSean]

Westburg day to day. Probably out for the remainder of this series, unfortunately.

[Mackus]

I don't know the stats but I doubt many pitchers today throw brush back pitches or try to own the inside part of the plate.  Most hitters stand so far from the plate that it's almost impossible to hit someone unless the pitcher is really wild or if it's intentional.  Chin music or knock down pitches just aren't a part of the game anymore.  Pitchers today already own the outside half of the plate so there's really no reason to get aggressive. 

 

Just to try and figure out what you're asserting here...do you think there are fewer HBP now since batters stand so far away from the plate than in some fabled bygone era?  Or an equal or greater amount of HBP, but they only happen because pitchers are really wild?

[jamesdean]

Just to try and figure out what you're asserting here...do you think there are fewer HBP now since batters stand so far away from the plate than in some fabled bygone era?  Or an equal or greater amount of HBP, but they only happen because pitchers are really wild?

Like I said smarty pants, I really don't know if that is statistically true or not. All I can tell you is hitters were farther up on the plate when I was a kid and because of that, pitchers often would throw inside to establish the outer half of the plate. They had to if they wanted to be good. All the great ones did, including Jim Palmer. Also, chin music/hitting someone today is going to get you a quick warning or being charged by the hitter. I just don't think its something pitchers today want to deal with nor do they have to resort to it. My initial thought before the post was I don't think Suarez was intentionally throwing at Judge, as much as people on here would love to think so. I just think it was a pitch that go away from him.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

[Mackus]

Like I said smarty pants, I really don't know if that is statistically true or not. All I can tell you is hitters were farther up on the plate when I was a kid and because of that, pitchers often would throw inside to establish the outer half of the plate. They had to if they wanted to be good. All the great ones did, including Jim Palmer. Also, chin music/hitting someone today is going to get you a quick warning or being charged by the hitter. I just don't think its something pitchers today want to deal with nor do they have to resort to it. My initial thought before the post was I don't think Suarez was intentionally throwing at Judge, as much as people on here would love to think so. I just think it was a pitch that go away from him.

 

 

When comparing eras, your memory is often wrong about the type of things that can be verified with records, like how often there are and were HBP.  Or how often hitters draw walks, to give another recent example of a repeated wrong claim you've made.  Certainly there are anecdotes of some guys who crowded the plate and of pitchers brushing them back.  I think you're letting those anecdotes mislead you about what the league as a whole was doing.  Certainly that's been shown to be true when you talk about things that can be measured.  Who knows on the unmeasurable things like how close to the plate hitters stood or how often pitchers threw brushback pitches.

[CantonJester]

Suarez wasn’t throwing at Judge, but Nestor was absolutely throwing high and tight to Gunnar. 

[russsnyder]

I don't know the stats but I doubt many pitchers today throw brush back pitches or try to own the inside part of the plate. Most hitters stand so far from the plate that it's almost impossible to hit someone unless the pitcher is really wild or if it's intentional. Chin music or knock down pitches just aren't a part of the game anymore. Pitchers today already own the outside half of the plate so there's really no reason to get aggressive.

I think brush back and knock down pitches are definitely not as much a part of the game as they once were. That said, Henderson was definitely knocked down by the Phillies. Also, I disagree that hitters are further off the plate than they used to be. Many players wear forearm protectors so that they can crowd the plate.