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The unintentional prankster pitcher
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Author:  Matthew Grieco [ Fri Jun 23, 2006 4:42 pm ]
Post subject:  The unintentional prankster pitcher

In case you missed it, the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera got a game-winning RBI yesterday off the Orioles' Todd Williams -- on a pitch that was supposed to be the first ball of an intentional walk.

Craziest thing I've seen this year.

Author:  Oeditpus Rex [ Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:37 pm ]
Post subject: 

I've always thought swinging at an intentional ball was a pretty good bet, if the batter thought he could do more damage with a hit than by taking the walk.

I'd hate to be the guy who swung and popped it up, though. Mays said he did that once.

(Mays also said he had the idea to swing at a pitch in the dirt when there were two strikes on him, if the Giants needed a baserunner.)

Author:  Wayne Countryman [ Sat Jun 24, 2006 11:26 am ]
Post subject: 

Relief pitching is one of the Orioles' weaknesses this year. (Others include starting pitching, hitting, fielding and base running.)

Intentional-walk pranks can be pulled on the hitter, too:

In a 1972 World Series game between the A's and Reds, future Hall of Famer Johnny Bench came to the plate with runners on base. He had two strikes on him but was getting good swings. A's manager Dick Williams came to the mound. The catcher went back behind the plate, at first standing with his mitt out as if calling for an intentional walk. Instead, future Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers buzzed a fastball over the plate for a strikeout.

In the 1990s, one idea for speeding up the game was to allow a team to simply announce that it wanted an intentional walk; the batter would go to first without pitches being thrown. I don't know of any league that adopted this. A four-pitch intentional walk takes perhaps 30 seconds--little more than the time some batters take to adjust their batting gloves before any pitch.

Requiring that the pitches be thrown allows for the batter to take his swing and for the pitcher to screw up or trick the batter. There are plenty of better ways to speed up the game.

Author:  Connfused [ Sat Jun 24, 2006 3:18 pm ]
Post subject: 

Wayne Countryman wrote:
In the 1990s, one idea for speeding up the game was to allow a team to simply announce that it wanted an intentional walk; the batter would go to first without pitches being thrown. I don't know of any league that adopted this.


The high schools in my area do this. I don't like it either, because it also takes away the possibility of a pitcher firing the ball to the backstop, allowing the runners to take another base.

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