Trying to pull outside breaking balls

by wg on Apr 25, 2005 3:20 AM PDT Comment 17 comments

I was appalled by Eric Byrnes' at-bat in the 7th inning in Sunday night's game against the Angels. When he approached the plate with runners at first and third, one out, in a 0-0 game, I thought to myself, don't try to pull an outside, off-speed pitch!

Sure enough, the first pitch he saw was an outside breaking pitch, which he tried to pull, and which he grounded to third, eliminating the lead runner.

Troubling is that he didn't even try to attempt to do a "right" thing: either to lay off the outside breaking ball; or to hit the ball the other way. Immaterial is whether he actually brought the run home. He very well may have hit into a DP with a grounder to second. All I wanted to see was an indication that he's mindful of situational hitting, the opposition's probable approach to that situation and how he should react. To me, this further cements his reputation for poor baseball instincts.

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Runner on third, no outs, 1 run game

The batter needs to be looking for a pitch to fly out to the OF allowing the runner on third to tag and score. Neither Kielty or Byrnes seemed to approach their at-bats with this in mind. Granted Kielty smacked the ball hard only to be blocked by the human Shield, but thats a pitch probably could have got under. Byrnes, swings at a first pitch LOW. Ain't gonna get much loft on that one. Just bad hitting. When you have less than two strikes, you look for YOUR pitch and DON'T swing at a pitcher's.

Sometimes I think I'd be better off dead. No, wait, not me, you. - Jack Handy

by Captain on Apr 25, 2005 7:52 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Win

I made the same comment in the game thread. I echo your frustration. Funny thing is a slider is not difficult to recognize. You see a red dot when a slider is thrown, it'a very distinctive. That's why your suppose to go witht he pitch and hit it to right or right center. Not break your wrists and hit a one hopper to 3rd.

by oakwin2004 on Apr 25, 2005 8:49 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Red dot,

could also be a curve which comes at you a little slower and can throw off your timing. As long as its not purple - I hate knuckleballs.

Sometimes I think I'd be better off dead. No, wait, not me, you. - Jack Handy

by Captain on Apr 25, 2005 8:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Red dot

is a slider.

by oakwin2004 on Apr 25, 2005 9:19 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

If we are talking MVP 05,

which I am assuming, red simply shows a breaking pitch which can be a slider, curve, or slurve.

If you are talking about something else, it is beyond me.

Sometimes I think I'd be better off dead. No, wait, not me, you. - Jack Handy

by Captain on Apr 25, 2005 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

re: look for the red dot

What happens if the pitcher you're facing is an Indian woman?

Nico

by Nico on Apr 25, 2005 6:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh

my bad..yeah I was actually referring to a live pitch. It's crazy, but as a hitter, you can see this big ass red dot, so you know if it starts out going down the middle it will end up outside the zone and if it starts out right at u or on the inner half you can take it to right..

by oakwin2004 on Apr 25, 2005 9:36 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I didn't think it was that easy...

The red you are referring to is obviously the seems on the ball which, due to the spin on a slider make the ball look more red than white. However, if it were that easy to pick-up from the plate, the slider would have lost its effectiveness years ago. Likewise the fastball, which comes right at you. Obviously, pitchers are still able to fool hitters despite a hitters ability to pick up or guess correctly what pitch is being hurled at 'em.

But being that it is Byrnes, he probably didn't pick up or guess the pitch. He shouldn't have been swinging first pitch unless it was a mid-level fastball.

Sometimes I think I'd be better off dead. No, wait, not me, you. - Jack Handy

by Captain on Apr 25, 2005 10:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Recognizing pitch

Yes, but recognizing it is a slider, then deciding it is going to end up somewhere you can smash it in a fraction of a second, then being right about where it ends up is probably very difficult. Maybe it breaks a little extra, so you miss or top it into a weak grounder. Maybe you decide it won't break that much and will therefore be a ball, so don't swing yet it does break into the strike zone. Maybe you think that one is going to end up out of the strike zone and it doesn't. Maybe the slider hangs, but because you knew it was a slider you don't swing and get a striek on what would have been a sweet pitch.

It still works because it introduces another variable that the hitter has to try and account for in the fraction of a second he has to decide whether to swing or not.

by Donner on Apr 25, 2005 11:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure

were disagreeing on this. Some hitters recognize pitches better than others. I loved sliders hated change-ups. Also picking up pitches is easier when ur in the groove, and obviously many of the A's are not. Let's hope for the best tonight Captain.

by oakwin2004 on Apr 25, 2005 12:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Word.

I loved Fastballs and anything away. I'd either hit a screamer down the third baseline or a blooper in front of the RFer. Damn I miss playing.

Sometimes I think I'd be better off dead. No, wait, not me, you. - Jack Handy

by Captain on Apr 25, 2005 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

New A's Mantra

After watching Byrnes flail throughout his career on a two strike outside breaking ball, one must finally recognize that ByrnesBrain is too dumb to be a starter on any MLB team--let alone a hopeful contender. It is reasonable to conclude that Hudgens and others have been trying to break Brainless Byrnesey of this habit, but it is crystalline that he doesn't have the baseball smarts to overcome this liability.

I say trade or release this BUMBLING BUM before his obstinate idiocy infects the younger players. He is worthless in the field, vulnerable to right-handed hurlers, and now can't even hit southpaws.

The new A's mantra should be: "We need brains, not Byrnes."

by reztips on Apr 25, 2005 10:13 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

WRONG

if your gonna bitch and moan all the time about Byrnes, at LEAST get it right. He is still killing lefties.

by BootyBall05 on Apr 25, 2005 11:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Byrnes Killing No One But the A's

As his .190 BA and .244 OBA dramatically reveals, BynesBrain is killing nobody but the A's. And the Byrnes Butcher Shop in LF has already cost the A's two games this early in the campaign.

I repeat, Bumblin Byrnesy is a BUM and should be tossed from the team forthwith...

by reztips on Apr 25, 2005 1:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs