tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post1917282270527595688..comments2024-03-28T12:08:24.125-05:00Comments on Althouse: "So, if we wanted to do something to decrease the number of strikeouts in a game, what could we do?"Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-30127102491144475292014-03-09T12:15:44.507-05:002014-03-09T12:15:44.507-05:00So, instead of getting pretty much a sure out, the...<br /><br />So, instead of getting pretty much a sure out, the pitcher will get hit and get on base. Except for Greinke last year, pitchers don't get hit; the best player on the club gets hit.azbadgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18110497064389817129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-26361093250050739452014-03-09T08:05:11.684-05:002014-03-09T08:05:11.684-05:00All of the above, plus make them throw underhand. ...All of the above, plus make them throw underhand. Then the transformation is complete.Michael Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14743374948688708232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-54900028123776692662014-03-09T04:17:56.626-05:002014-03-09T04:17:56.626-05:00There is no reason why a machine could not call ba...There is no reason why a machine could not call balls and strikes. Just get rid of the ump behind the plate. When there is a play at the plate one of the infield umpires could cover it. Also, eliminate the DH. Pitchers who know they are coming to bat will be less likely to intimidate the batter.MDIJimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06859384900140499140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-15575819273836475542014-03-08T22:26:36.537-06:002014-03-08T22:26:36.537-06:00We could call strikeouts something else, and then ...We could call strikeouts something else, and then there would be none. Ambrosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12186326715874648232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-68296434980702920852014-03-08T19:55:45.495-06:002014-03-08T19:55:45.495-06:00I read in one baseball book (I think it was Leo Du...I read in one baseball book (I think it was Leo Durocher's) about a ball player who suggested this: "They should move back first base a step to eliminate all those close plays." lgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16828669639861511780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-88809748986965077732014-03-08T17:07:29.661-06:002014-03-08T17:07:29.661-06:00The easy answer is to allow four strikes. But that...The easy answer is to allow four strikes. But that probably slows the game down rather than speeding it up, which I take it is the idea to begin with. Electronic B&S calls might work if the problem is umpires feeling more in the game if they call a lot of strikes.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05957553963422292205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-62254102318230336562014-03-08T16:49:35.682-06:002014-03-08T16:49:35.682-06:00Move pitcher's mound closer to plate; pitcher ...Move pitcher's mound closer to plate; pitcher seeing batter is only human just like himself would make pitcher be more compassionate towards hitter & encourage him to throw not as hard. Of course hitter might feel same and thus less likely to want to hit the ball. That's where keeping hitters housed in concentration camps run by pitchers (not same ones as in in majors) comes into play!zefalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14430979067004842975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-77292198083360915142014-03-08T16:35:31.757-06:002014-03-08T16:35:31.757-06:00* Lower the mound
* Enforce the strike-zone the wa...* Lower the mound<br />* Enforce the strike-zone the way the rule book calls it<br />* Allow sharpened spikes on the shoes<br />* Resurrect Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Grover Alexander and Joe JacksonAlexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11205752419540502278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-60988130129670120112014-03-08T16:28:54.194-06:002014-03-08T16:28:54.194-06:00Making the ball bigger would decrease a pitcher...Making the ball bigger would decrease a pitcher's ability to make the ball break, but it would also give a much greater advantage to pitchers with very large hands. Japanese pitcher's who come to MLB have to deal with this now, as the ball in Japanese professional leagues is smaller that in MLB. <br /><br />The best solution in my mind is enforcing the strike zone as described in the rulebook. If you make pitchers throw actual strikes to get strike-outs there will be fewer of them. All this of course assumes that it is desirable to have fewer strikeouts. augustushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07228311734387220340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-67156818423196357262014-03-08T14:46:42.051-06:002014-03-08T14:46:42.051-06:00Why do we need less strikeouts? Why do we need less strikeouts? Known Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15029003649395214104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-18948287880697502972014-03-08T14:21:38.127-06:002014-03-08T14:21:38.127-06:00For me the two biggest things wrong with baseball ...For me the two biggest things wrong with baseball are PEDs and lousy, arrogant and inconsistent umpiring.SteveRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12864387606863466980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-43265612297513872052014-03-08T13:45:40.684-06:002014-03-08T13:45:40.684-06:00What jdallen said at 9:43.
Make the strike zone th...What jdallen said at 9:43.<br />Make the strike zone the strike zone.<br />Lowering the mound would make a difference.<br />Moving the mound back would just result in more movement. <br />Back in the traditional days of baseball, which I remember, a pitcher went 8 innings and then a closer. He would pitch 9 innings many times during a season, and he would have more starts during the season than today. Gone are the 30 game winners, and there are fewer 20 game winners now. <br />Now you expect at least 3 and often 4 pitchers in a game. BrianEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15616649882871876100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-19874648637019601902014-03-08T13:23:33.041-06:002014-03-08T13:23:33.041-06:00More hits? Limit the number of pitching substitut...More hits? Limit the number of pitching substitutions in a game.<br /><br />Fewer strikouts? Mandate the DH for the National League.furious_ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11239113391394176670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-69478196916770828742014-03-08T12:22:01.910-06:002014-03-08T12:22:01.910-06:00You could decrease strike outs by making Yadier Mo...You could decrease strike outs by making Yadier Molina play DH on a junior league team....Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11737782583050947969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-74183980861409934702014-03-08T12:13:05.534-06:002014-03-08T12:13:05.534-06:00"Changes were made to the ball on the eve of ..."Changes were made to the ball on the eve of the '20s, and that's when the Dead-Ball Era turned into the Live-Ball Era..."<br /><br />Cleveland SS Ray Chapman died after being hit in the head with a pitch by the Yankees' Carl Mays in August, 1920. Prior to that incident, a ball could be - and was - dirtied up by the pitcher and the infielders and was not required to be removed from play. The Chapman beaning led MLB to institute a rule requiring umpires to take a ball out of play once it became dirty, and was also at least partially responsible for the spitball ban that was enacted after the 1920 season. <br /><br />It's no real surprise that a ball that is both easier to see and doesn't move as much would result in fewer strikeouts. Additionally, a ball that is "fresher" is likely to travel farther and faster off the bat.<br /><br />Chapman is still the only player to die from an injury received during a game.mikeskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08996838456430906822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-52505421284709400932014-03-08T12:11:10.137-06:002014-03-08T12:11:10.137-06:00The mound has been raised and lowered before. It c...The mound has been raised and lowered before. It could be again, like someone already said. I'd do that before I'd mess with the mass or shape of the ball.<br /><br />I'd rather not decrease strike outs. Juicing the offense in baseball is pandering to the short attention spans of low information fans. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11737782583050947969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-2395200334945756422014-03-08T11:24:44.605-06:002014-03-08T11:24:44.605-06:00Joe Sewell (HOF) had only 114 strikeouts in 7132 a...Joe Sewell (HOF) had only 114 strikeouts in 7132 at bats...Ronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08791314877257904422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-75818256886025041122014-03-08T10:55:47.692-06:002014-03-08T10:55:47.692-06:00Makes you appreciate the ball players of years pas...Makes you appreciate the ball players of years past--when the mound was higher and pitchers owned the inside part of the plate. In 8 of his 13 seasons, Joe DiMaggio had fewer strikeouts than home runs. In '41, he struck out just 13 times in over 600 plate appearances. Yogi did it 5 times. Mays hit 51 homers in 55 and struck out 60 times. Pujols has come close. In '06 he hit 49 homers and had 50 Ks. azbadgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18110497064389817129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-64875510049319181372014-03-08T10:49:05.397-06:002014-03-08T10:49:05.397-06:00Cavell on why the rules are the way they are in ba...<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=tTZoEbnTyoUC&pg=PA119&dq=%22In+baseball+it+is+merely+conventional+for+the+home+team%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=e0kbU8nUBaLE0gHru4DABw&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22In%20baseball%20it%20is%20merely%20conventional%20for%20the%20home%20team%22&f=false" rel="nofollow">Cavell</a> on why the rules are the way they are in baseball.<br /><br />Continues onto next page.<br /><br />Certain ranges of difficulty must be achieved, certain recurrant crises must happen, in a way that can be followed lucidly.<br /><br />rhhardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06901742898653890646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-37385879862020013142014-03-08T10:48:40.619-06:002014-03-08T10:48:40.619-06:00"RecChief said...
Or Gibson was jsut that goo..."RecChief said...<br />Or Gibson was jsut that good"<br /><br />He was great, a HOF, but he never came close to 1.12 era before or after. Curious Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14440726941494085334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-45257582490875149742014-03-08T10:25:22.829-06:002014-03-08T10:25:22.829-06:00I played some semi-pro ball back when. Emphasis on...I played some semi-pro ball back when. Emphasis on the "semi" as it was 10 bucks a game stuff. The coaches (and one scout) said I was at least a AA-level second baseman, but I never could figure out curve balls, and that's as far as my "career" ever went.<br /><br />What's been happening is that many pitchers are getting quite good and mixing up speed, break, and location. If their control is on they're gonna get a lot of strikeouts, regardless of what you do to the ball or the mound.<br /><br />Consider this: given the normal gravitational drop, the difference between 94 mph and 91 mph is just about the diameter of the baseball. That's without adding any spin or break. Hitting a baseball is just plain difficult, even when you know roughly what's coming.<br /><br />You can tell right away whether you're dealing with a pitch in the fastball family or the curveball family, but what's hard to determine is exact speed and/or break. Location's a bit easier except from the 3/4 or sidearm guys, but it still depends on the pitcher's control and the ump's personal strike-zone that day.<br /><br />Pitchers will adapt, and long-term statistics will prevail. If you use long-term average OBP (on-base-percentage) going back to 1876 when complete statistics began the numbers would predict exactly 22.7 perfect games. There have been 23.<br /><br />Attempting to decrease strike-outs will cause pitchers to adapt. Maybe more ground-outs or pop-ups, but an out is an out.Bart Hall (Kansas, USA)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02147750474452837414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-35371901622004549632014-03-08T10:18:57.504-06:002014-03-08T10:18:57.504-06:00Make all pitchers throw like girls, Obama style. ...Make all pitchers throw like girls, Obama style. Offensive bonanza!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-21902330511505607632014-03-08T10:13:20.586-06:002014-03-08T10:13:20.586-06:00Moving the mound back is the easiest, least disrup...Moving the mound back is the easiest, least disruptive option. Plus it gives the pitcher more time to react to a ball batted back at him. Of course this will probabaly just increase the number of ground outs.richlbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02301945204311918130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-37762355401428061732014-03-08T10:11:14.209-06:002014-03-08T10:11:14.209-06:00I'd say moving the mound back is the easiest, ...I'd say moving the mound back is the easiest, least disruptive idea. And it has the extra advantage of increasing reaction time for the pitcher on a ball batted back his way. Of course, this would probabaly just increase the number of ground outs.richlbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02301945204311918130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-36702556825588562262014-03-08T10:04:07.408-06:002014-03-08T10:04:07.408-06:00Give out diversity strikes:
White Straight Male -...Give out diversity strikes:<br /><br />White Straight Male - 2 strikes<br />Black/Latino Straight Male - 3 strikes<br />White Gay Male - 3 strikes<br />Black/Latino Gay Male - 4 strikes<br /><br />Just like affirmative action.Fenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16734571593963330215noreply@blogger.com