Yes, believe it or not, people: for 150 years, nobody knew how to play baseball, our national pastime! From roughly 1860-2010, NOBODY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING!
Don't believe it? Why just look at these amazing examples, things that people actually believed about baseball before our modern age of enlightenment:
Don't just swing for the fences on every pitch. Nonsense! As we know now, EVERY swing can lead to a home run! Swing from the heels no matter what!
Cut down your swing when there are two strikes on you. Why? so you can miss out on that possible home run?? Remember: close your eyes and swat away!
Protect the strike zone when there are two strikes. Don't be silly! DARE to take a called third strike! Or...swing from the heels!
Go with the pitch and try to hit what you're given. And how will you ever hit a home run THAT way?
Learn to hit to the opposite field and even bunt, to keep the other team from putting a shift on you. Why worry about a shift? Just hit the ball OVER everybody. Into the seats!!
Starting pitchers should learn to pitch to contact, so they can last more innings, and get guys out with fewer pitches. Tommy rot! Just throw every pitch as hard as you can until you're exhausted. There are always plenty of equally mediocre pitchers to relieve you!
Your best power hitters should hit in the 3-4 slots. Don't be absurd! Your best power hitters are also probably best at getting on base. Therefore: don't worry about using your power hitters to drive in runs. Bat them first, so they can work walks and...lesser hitters can drive them in. Right?
Put your top power hitters together in the lineup, so they'll be all the more certain to get a pitch to hit. Sure, in the past teams put guys like Ruth and Gehrig, DiMaggio and Gehrig, Simmons and Foxx, Aaron and Mathews, Mantle and Maris, and Ortiz and Ramirez together in their lineups. What'd THOSE guys ever do? Be sure to separate your power hitters at all times, with lots of lesser hitters in between.
Don't work out too much, and get overmuscled. What kind of old wives tale is this??? Overtrain until you pop or strain every muscle, ligament, tendon, and joint in your body! So you won't be able to stay on the field. So what??? As long as you can you'll still hit a home run! Maybe!
Posts
9 comments:
I remember a quote from Mark Teixeira when asked about beating the shift. He said something like "the Yankees didn't bring me in to hit balls through holes".
That's right; they brought him in to do whatever it takes to win, not to constantly hit ground balls into the shift while trying to launch home runs.
Today's game has degenerated into a glorified version of home run derby. At least for the Yankees. Tampa just took 3 out of 4 from us, while emphasizing more contact hitting. (I know they hit back to back homers in the last game, but for the most part, they had a better approach than us.) Just another example of contact/situational hitting outlasting the moneyball approach.
The 2019 WS was a good example of situational hitting winning over moneyball. Washington hit balls through holes, made more contact, hit the other way. Even some of their biggest home runs went to the opposite field. Hitting slightly late in order to go the other way shows an ability to protect the strike zone and maximize the chances of getting a hit on an off-speed pitch, and to think along with the opposing pitcher. Not enough Yankees do any of this to beat Tampa. If we can't even beat Tampa, what chance would we have against Washington in a World Series matchup?
The Hammer of God
Oh, but what about choking up with two strikes? Just wanted to add to something to a fantastic post and response. My head head has been buzzing with the same thoughts for years. Yesterday, Judge tried to pull a pitch that was far outside, rolled over it straight to the shortstop. I don't recall him EVER trying that approach. Analytics and metrics my ass.
I thought of that as included under, "Cut down your swing when there are two strikes on you," Kevin, but you are absolutely right.
We're not even talking about the ancient past. The whole, "Pass it along" approach of the last Yankees dynasty was predicated on just these old-fashioned tactics.
"Don't try to do too much. Get what you can get—a single, a walk—and have enough trust in the next guy that he'll do his part, too.
The 2019 Yankees hit 306 home runs, the second highest total in major-league history, and the highest in Yankees history, 39 more than the next-highest total (reached in 2018). The team scored 943 runs—only the 12th highest in franchise history.
Going all the way back to 1921, the Yankees in one era after another were able to score MORE runs while hitting fewer—often MANY FEWER home runs.
When the Yankees had Ichiro, I often thought that he could have been used as a weapon in later innings as a pinch-hitter deluxe with men in scoring position. Hell, even to bunt a man over wherever the runner was. Maybe one of you guys saw it happen, but I never did. With some of those lineups, it just seemed to be obvious that Joe G would have gone to the Old Book. Comments?
I may be a little slow, but.... what were you trying to say?
When you a bat control artist like (even an aging one) like Ichiro, use him to pinch-hit late in games with a man in scoring position. Many games I watched when a runner was in scoring position, late in the game, and Ichiro just sat. The time that the Yankees had Ichiro the lineup was putrid. Why let a free swinging, all or nothing hitter Chase air when a game tying/ winning single is what is needed? My intuition says that the odds are greater with Ichiro than with an all or nothing "slugger.
I agree, Kevin. Baseball is situational. There are many different ways to win a game, and many different ways to play.
The best Yankees teams I've seen in my day, at least, could beat you in a lot of different ways: hitting singles, hitting homers, playing small ball, stealing a bag here or there, good starting pitching, deep relief pitching.
Why throw out what worked?
On a different blog once, (in a galaxy far, far away) when the Yankees were having a particularly bad playoff series with the bats, not sure what year it was, maybe 2010 or 2012 (the years all run together now, I only remember the years we won), I wrote that the Yankee hitters were not taking professional at-bats. Somebody responded with "what exactly is a professional at-bat?" and commented that "the Yankee hitters should all swing for the fences more, because they get so few hits anyway, might as well make it count with a home run". What a gloriously ingenious piece of reasoning ... high octane brainpower ... Rene Descartes would be proud. Year later, I still remember that simple question "what exactly is a professional at-bat"? Enough said, ha ha.
The Hammer of God
I really want the world to know about this great man who brought back happiness into my life again after my husband left me and the kids 3 years ago for another women online when i contacted Dr Believe he cast a love spell for me within 48 hours my ex husband start calling me and begging for forgiveness for everything that have happened between us. I was so happy to have my family back together with love again here is the email of Dr Believe via believelovespelltemple@gmail.com a man with the great powers you can also call him or add him on Whats-app: +2348156148821
God bless you
I am very grateful for your help in my marriage.
Post a Comment