Hitting in today's game

[lordstanley]

This video clip was posted 5 years ago but has popped onto my socials feed a couple of times this week.

 

[papalawrence]

3 hours ago, lordstanley said:

This video clip was posted 5 years ago but has popped onto my socials feed a couple of times this week.

 

That came into my feed this week as well. Seems strange to not have those swings called strikes. 

[chasfh]

4 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

I imagine that trying to get ball 4 would generally be considered unmanly

To 4hzglory's point, not if it's a 3-2 count.

[Tiger337]

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

To 4hzglory's point, not if it's a 3-2 count.

Right.  

[Shinzaki]

In the pre "launch angle" days of my long gone youth...Tony Gwynn, Rod Carew and George Brett were the guys...they're  probabaly the 3 guys who have come closest to batting .400 since Teddy Ballgame did it.

 

I will FIGHT anyone who says they'd be anything less than stellar today because you are pissing on my memories

[Tiger337]

45 minutes ago, Shinzaki said:

In the pre "launch angle" days of my long gone youth...Tony Gwynn, Rod Carew and George Brett were the guys...they're  probabaly the 3 guys who have come closest to batting .400 since Teddy Ballgame did it.

 

I will FIGHT anyone who says they'd be anything less than stellar today because you are pissing on my memories

They'd likely be stellar today too.  They probably would have somewhat lower batting averages and hit for a little more power.  

[Arlington]

8 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

I imagine that trying to get ball 4 would generally be considered unmanly

And the ensuing ridicule of losing that challenge.   

Wonder how many games will end with a challenge?  Why not, right?  They should make the last strike of a game an automatic challenge just to get things over with.  

Edited October 23 by Arlington

[4hzglory]

26 minutes ago, Arlington said:

And the ensuing ridicule of losing that challenge.   

Wonder how many games will end with a challenge?  Why not, right?  They should make the last strike of a game an automatic challenge just to get things over with.  

They have to have a challenge left.  You only get 2 incorrect ones per game.

[gehringer_2]

58 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

They'd likely be stellar today too.  They probably would have somewhat lower batting averages and hit for a little more power.  

yup. Hitting probably benefits less from the advances in strength and training than the rest of the game. Not saying it doesn't benefit at all - but the best hitters are still good because of visual acuity and reflex speed, and so far they haven't come up with much that changes that, In fact with pitch velo up, pure reflex speed is an even bigger component for hitters than ever.

[Screwball]

Interesting conversation. I haven't paid attention very close for quite a few years, but when I did over the last two, I can see things are different than the old days I was used to.

Pitchers today don't throw as many innings/pitches as they did years ago. Money might have something to do with that, but maybe the way some throw the ball takes it's toll on the arm as well. Seems so times they are overthrowing to the point they lose all command. Hoping for a strike, no plan. Just bust it.

Some days as a pitcher, you will not have your best stuff. Some days you will lose it as you progress through the game. There is a difference between a thrower and a pitcher. They need to learn how to get people out when they don't have their best stuff. All the good ones did. That's how they threw so many innings.

These guys are gassed by six, bring on more guys who will be gassed in a couple. Makes sense when you think about it.

A new curveball or high four seamer is much livelier from a fresh arm. People get out. After a 100 they have a noodle.

[gehringer_2]

8 minutes ago, Screwball said:

A new curveball or high four seamer is much livelier from a fresh arm. People get out. After a 100 they have a noodle.

The other one I wonder about is that after Brock and Henderson and Coleman pitchers all started cutting back on their deliveries and I wonder how much of that more compact delivery style results in even more arm stress. I think it's actually great to see a guy like Skubal go back to the big leg kick. I can't make any kind of kinesiological argument, but it sure seems that extra energy stored in the keg kick kick should somehow be convertible into into added pitch energy. I guess we'll see how well Skubal lasts. And of course a sample of one wouldn't mean much anyway. 

[Screwball]

1 minute ago, gehringer_2 said:

The other one I wonder about is that after Brock and Henderson and Coleman pitchers all started cutting back on their deliveries and I wonder how much of that more compact delivery style results in even more arm stress. I think it's actually great to see a guy like Skubal go back to the big leg kick. I can't make any kind of kinesiological argument, but it sure seems that extra energy stored in the keg kick kick should somehow be convertible into into added pitch energy. I guess we'll see how well Skubal lasts. And of course a sample of one wouldn't mean much anyway. 

I think Skubal is an accident waiting to happen. I love to watch him work. Incredible talent. Won't last.

I don't remember the year, but I was at Comerica on the right field side between home plate and the dugout about 30 rows up. Kenny Rogers was on the hill. He was an absolute master of his craft. He threw a beauty that night. It was so cool. 

Give me 5 of him.

[Screwball]

Speaking of 5, in this case only 4.

1971 Orioles. I remember this. It was one of the coolest things ever.

The Baltimore Orioles had four 20-game winners in 1971: Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, and Pat Dobson. This was a historic achievement, as they were the first team to have four pitchers reach the 20-win mark in a single season since 1920.  

 

• Jim Palmer: 20 wins
• Dave McNally: 21 wins
• Mike Cuellar: 20 wins
• Pat Dobson: 20 wins

[papalawrence]

12 hours ago, Screwball said:

Speaking of 5, in this case only 4.

1971 Orioles. I remember this. It was one of the coolest things ever.

The Baltimore Orioles had four 20-game winners in 1971: Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, and Pat Dobson. This was a historic achievement, as they were the first team to have four pitchers reach the 20-win mark in a single season since 1920.  

 

• Jim Palmer: 20 wins
• Dave McNally: 21 wins
• Mike Cuellar: 20 wins
• Pat Dobson: 20 wins

Makes me feel old. It's been a longer period of time from 1971 to today than it was from 1920 to 1971

[CMRivdogs]

12 hours ago, Screwball said:

Speaking of 5, in this case only 4.

1971 Orioles. I remember this. It was one of the coolest things ever.

The Baltimore Orioles had four 20-game winners in 1971: Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, and Pat Dobson. This was a historic achievement, as they were the first team to have four pitchers reach the 20-win mark in a single season since 1920.  

 

• Jim Palmer: 20 wins
• Dave McNally: 21 wins
• Mike Cuellar: 20 wins
• Pat Dobson: 20 wins

Yet they still lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games. Thanks to some brilliant pitching from Steve Blass and timely hitting from Roberto Clemente.

[Screwball]

36 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

Yet they still lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games. Thanks to some brilliant pitching from Steve Blass and timely hitting from Roberto Clemente.

Yea, but they got them there. The season is a grind. Anything can happen in a short series.

[Arlington]

4 hours ago, papalawrence said:

Makes me feel old. It's been a longer period of time from 1971 to today than it was from 1920 to 1971

I hate those time span comparisons mainly because they make me feel so damn old.  One that kills me is how long ago the Tigers won the World Series.  This year the time span takes us back to 1943 and next year 1942.  BTW the Tigers won in ;45 and '68, so this has really been a drought.  

[chasfh]

6 hours ago, papalawrence said:

Makes me feel old. It's been a longer period of time from 1971 to today than it was from 1920 to 1971

I do this kind of thing all the time.

There was less time between World War I and 1971 than there is between 1971 and today.

[lordstanley]

1 hour ago, Arlington said:

I hate those time span comparisons mainly because they make me feel so damn old.  One that kills me is how long ago the Tigers won the World Series.  This year the time span takes us back to 1943 and next year 1942.  BTW the Tigers won in ;45 and '68, so this has really been a drought.  

When the Wings won their first Cup of what I call the modern, post-Original Six era, it felt like they hadn't won the Cup in forever. It was 1955-1997, 42 years. It now has been 41 years for the Tigers. One difference is that the Tigers have won two American League pennants in the past 18 years, and I do give value to that, whereas the Wings had gone 29 years (1966-1995) between Stanley Cup Final appearances.

When the ground ball went between Buckner's legs in Game 6 in 1986, the Red Sox had gone 68 years without winning the World Series. It has now been 68 years since the Lions last won the NFL championship, in 1957.

Edited October 24 by lordstanley

[lordstanley]

11 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I do this kind of thing all the time.

There was less time between World War I and 1971 than there is between 1971 and today.

The 1994 death of Kurt Cobain is halfway between the JFK assassination and today.

The 1976 year of Mark the Bird Fidrych is halfway between the '27 Yankees and today.

Edited October 24 by lordstanley

[Screwball]

I remember the 68 world series. I had a small transistor radio hidden in my pocket with a chord to an earpiece I could keep my hand over to hide it while in school. One day they actually brought a black and white TV in the room. No sound, but cool! I also got deathly sick one day and had to stay home. You had to do what you had to do.

It was magical and I will never forget it. I actually was at a game that year when McLain one of his 31.

Edited October 24 by Screwball

[Arlington]

3 hours ago, lordstanley said:

The 1994 death of Kurt Cobain is halfway between the JFK assassination and today.

The 1976 year of Mark the Bird Fidrych is halfway between the '27 Yankees and today.

I feel that time seems to speed away from deaths.  It's hard to believe that it's been over 8 years since my parents passed, for example.   Time also speeds away from projects too.  Like it was how many years ago I started the kitchen cabinets.  Good thing I didn't finish right away cause they would probably need to be redone again by now.