A stupid Brit baseball question

[Ed Miller]

Edit: I don't mean swing to try and hit it, just go around to make him throw another pitch.

If I saw someone do that, I would consider it unsportsmanlike. I assume that's why it never happens.

[tubbyspencer]

[ QUOTE ]
Edit: I don't mean swing to try and hit it, just go around to make him throw another pitch.

If I saw someone do that, I would consider it unsportsmanlike. I assume that's why it never happens.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's as silly as saying intentionally walking Bonds in the first place is "unsportsmanlike". It would just be a part of the game. (Still wouldn't mean it was good strategy - but no way would it be unsportsmanlike.)

[GuyOnTilt]

That's as silly as saying intentionally walking Bonds in the first place is "unsportsmanlike".

No, it's not. If a batter intentionally swung at an intentional ball four, there's be some serious beef. The next pitch would most likely be a bit high, a bit fast, and a bit inside. Benches would clear and players would be pissed, and rightly so. Nobody with any baseball experience would consider intentionally whiffing at one in that situation.

GoT

[tubbyspencer]

[quote Nobody with any baseball experience would consider intentionally whiffing at one in that situation.

GoT

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That might be true. But it's still not unsportsmanlike. Intentionally throwing at a hitter when you might lay a Dickie Thon on him(Yes - I'm an Astros fan from the 80's), now THAT could be considered unsportsmanlike. Just because it happens all the time doesn't make it "sportsmanlike".

What exactly is "unsportsmanlike" (not "goofy", not "bad strategy", not "unimaginable", but "unsportsmanlike") about the idea of swinging at the fourth intentional ball/

Would it be OK to swing at the second? (making the count 1-1)/

Tell me your definition of unsportsmanlike, and then how this fits into it. Maybe we have different defintions, and this all semantics. (Or maybe I'm right.)

[Philuva]

I remember Bo Jackson did swing at an intentional ball and almost hit it out. It was caught by the OF at the warning track. Bo's manager was not pleased.

[MicroBob]

In the current situation it strikes me as unlikely that they would throw a fastball at his ear.
I believe there was a runner at 3rd in the 9th inning afterall. you don't want one to get away.


this is an idea that had never occured to me before.
I have seen well over 1,000 live baseball games and after awhile you think you've pretty much seen it all.

to be honest though, I'm really not certain exactly what you gain by swinging and intentionally missing when it's 3-0. just doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me.


They throw the ball hard because there are runners on that they need to be cautious of....and it helps the pitcher stay more in rhythm. sometimes if they lob it up there they have a tendency to throw it away because that is not the way they were throwing it previously.

[mrbaseball]

[ QUOTE ]
If I saw someone do that, I would consider it unsportsmanlike. I assume that's why it never happens.

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Then how do you feel about the old Don Drysdale approach? Figuring it was stupid to throw the 4 pitches for an intentional walk he would just plunk the guy. Very efficient [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]