Friday, April 26, 2013
Yu Darvish’s Consistent Delivery
(kottke.org)
posted on April 26, 2013 at 08:22 AM by The Clarence Thomas of BBTF (scott) to awesome, gifs, rangers, yu darvish
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28 comment(s)
Read More...One of the most formidable tools in a pro baseball pitcher’s arsenal is the consistency of pitching motion when throwing different kinds of pitches. If your delivery looks the same to an opposing batter when throwing a 95-mph fastball, a 80-mph curve, and a 85-mph change-up, well, you’ve really got something there. Texas pitcher Yu Darvish is ripping up the AL this year with a 4-1 record, 1.65 ERA, and 49 strikeouts, which prompted Drew Sheppard to layer five of Darvish’s pitches on top ...
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< 1 2 3 4 5 >"To continue in English, press 1. Para continuar en español, presione 2."
[LaRussa presses 1]
"If you'd like to warm up a reliever, press 1."
[beep]
"If you know the name of the reliever you'd like to warm up, please enter the first three letters of his name now."
[LaRussa attempts to enter M-O-T but accidentally enters M-R-T. Unfortunately, this does not result in Mr. T entering the game.]
"I'm sorry. I don't recognize that extension. To select a reliever by question tree, press 1."
[LaRussa briefly reconsiders his bullpen usage that forces him to go through this system at least 7 times a game, but reminds himself that momentary platoon advantages must trump all, and presses 1.]
"For a white reliever, press 1. For a black reliever, press 2. For a Latino reliever, press 3. For an Asian reliever, direct more resources to Pacific Rim scouting."
[1]
"For a right-handed white reliever, press 1. For a left-handed white reliever, spell out as many consonants in a row as you can."
[1]
"For a right-handed white reliever with a beard, press 1-"
[Getting impatient, LaRussa presses 1 and hangs up, thinking that by now the system should damn well know which guy he wants. We know the rest. Sadly, had he known, he could have pressed 0 at any time to speak to a call-center worker in India pretending to be a bullpen coach.]
Ok, that's why you do 162 games of pre- and post-game interviews and down time together. You get to know 50-60 people in the organization, to a point where you can get an honest background answer from sources that are reliable, if you know what you are doing.
"What that crowd actually said was that demanding that a player "stand up and be accountable when he screws up" is silly. Not that it was silly to ask him what he was thinking on a particular play."
There were two different schools there. I questioned the "why do we need postgame convos" crowd.
Although yes, Pujols also blew it by not explaining himself after that previous game. Still, different issue.
I can't believe there's an argument about this. Maybe the bullpen catcher picked up the phone.
Against the left-hander Oliver, all he had available were two mediocre left-handed hitters -- Jay and Descalso -- and his emergency catcher (having already used Theriot). It's the price of carrying 8 relievers on the postseason roster.
A small price to pay for the luxury of a designated IBB Guy.
One thing's for sure: after last night's performance, neither of these managers deserves to win the series. Ugly, bad game on both sides.
55 comments and no mention of how Nick Punto tried to break a bat over his knee, and failed!
I have only vague memories of 85, most of them probably manufactured by recollection, but I remember 1996 and 2000 very well. At least we haven't had any pitchers starting on three days' rest for no discernible reason. Watching Ankiel fall apart and then Kile getting bombed while going on three days' rest was even worse. The way things were going for a while early in TLR's run, it's a feather in the cap we haven't seen any careers ruined this postseason, knock on wood.
You're right, though--2006 dulls the pain of games like this one or this one--http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT200807120.shtml--by half.
At first base too. I mean, if he's surprised Murphy caught it why was he carrying his bat all the way to first?
My thoughts exactly, and both those guys have HUGE egos IMO. (I used the word 'ugly' several times last night, along with a lot of unprintable stuff that caused my wife to run to another part of the house.) My heart has been with the Rangers since before they were the Rangers and I have never been so nervous watching since 1967, back when the Toronto Maple Leafs were an item. In spite of all the foolishness, the worst move was starting Wilson again! I would have picked Feldman or Ogando. OK RonWash knows his players better than we do but it goes without saying that we were very very fortunate that the Cards didn't take that game, and easily!
I don't understand why hitters would be allowed to do this. What is the thinking behind the manager allowing them that power? I can see, say, the manager giving a good base stealer the perpetual green light, but what is the comparison to a hitter being allowed to call hit-and-run? Why not have the first baseman make pitching changes, while he's at it?
If Pujols called it, there should be video. As for me, I do not believe he called it - or ever would call it. He's a great hitter, and he might suggest it leaving the dugout, but hitters do not call plays from the box. And, as others have said, if he called the first hit and run, he'd have swung, even knowing he'd miss, to protect the runner. It's a fundamental play. The play in the 9th was pretty classic. He chased ball four and that is the reason I don't like sending runners. I think adding up risk of getting thrown out, doubled off, avoiding the double play, getting a good jump on base hit, etc. all comes out to a wash. But the risk of having a hitter swing at ball four that they would normally take swings the balance.
I called this game boring in the other thread, but I misspoke. The game was frustrating to the point that I was resigned to a loss by the middle innings, a feeling that came early and often all season until September. TLR's disastrous night has been well chronicled by others, but the experience of watching what should have been a tense, exciting game was also ruined by Washington's incompetence--I have a hard time enjoying a close game when its decision-makers are making obvious, foolish mistakes at least once an inning. The first two games of the series were excellent, but I can't find much good to say about the last three. Maybe Game 4 if you're feeling charitable or forgetful re: inserting your worst pitcher to face their best hitter.
Dude, if you're not enjoying this World Series it might be time for a new hobby.
So the foolish thing was starting your ace? The guy with a sub 3 ERA? Okeedokee.
I think maybe some folks are getting a little to eager to criticize managers.
When you have a lefty pitching in this situation, it makes some sense to walk Pujols. Holliday isn't 100%, is more likely to hit the ball on the ground than is Pujols, and has a reverse platoon split anyway. Berkman is a much worse hitter right-handed than left-handed.
With Ogando pitching in a tie game (which was the case on the last IBB) it makes much less sense.
In either case, I'd be more inclined to try the "unintentional intentional walk" strategy. Pujols has been known to expand the strike zone on occasion.
-- MWE
I have to say I loved last night's game, with all the managerial lunacy included, and I really think those of the above opinion sit and stare at blank walls for fun, sorry.
(I watched Bobby V. IBB two guys to load the bases and lose a playoff series, still have actual nightmares about it, and I still think like that. Maybe because of that.)
That was the bottom of the 9th inning of the 1975 World Series Game 6, when the Red Sox had the bases loaded with nobody out. Don Zimmer was the coach, and Denny Doyle was the runner. George Foster caught a ball barely in foul ground down the left field line, and Doyle was easily thrown out. Proof on Wikipedia. I believe it is also mentioned in Joe Posnanski's book about the 1975 Reds and on the old 1975 World Series film, among other places.
By the way, I am absolutely appalled that nobody answered this question yet. Truly, the Baseball Gods are weeping.
No chance of this. None. Dislodging a meme from a sportswriter's head is like trying to force Jupiter to spin the other way.
2) I have never heard of a hitter having the authority to call a hit and run and I can't imagine a power hitter doing so.
3) McCarver thought that having Craig run in the 9th was good strategy until he was caught. What a douche bag.
That was unfathomable to me.
Down 2, with Pujols, Holliday and Berkman coming up, and you're running?
That said, I do wonder if the failure to communicate reflects his domineering style, which let's face it, seems to have worked pretty well for a very long time. While the manager needs to be the clear decision maker, you would think that when something odd is communicated to the bullpen coach, that he would insist on it being made very, very clear that they were on the same page. Not questioning the decision, but making sure that he has effectively executed the intended order. One reason that might have happened is that the bullpen coach was not even thinking about it. Or maybe this sort of error is an outcome of a military style command chain where no one dares to question in the slightest anything uttered by the general.
Almost positive that was when the comebacker to Scrabble went off his glove and away from Punto.
um, no - I don't think you care about one of these teams as much as I do, that's all.
So I guess there's something contagious on the field.
It was answered 7 hours ago in #48.
No mention yet of Carpenter mouthing off again? Supposedly he swore at Napoli after Napoli's long fly-out. Sounds like the Brewers are true American whistle-blower heroes.
I can't imagine why a hitter has that power. Can he call for a steal?
I subscribe to the TLR dictator theory. What part of TLR's history would give a bullpen coach the opinion that it would be a good idea to question TLR?
Having Lance Lynn pitch after saying he wasn't available strikes me as something TLR would absolutely do. After all the other stuff he does would that even seem odd to the bullpen coach? I don't think so. He probably just thought TLR do what TLR do to borrow a phrase.
Indeed. This was completely forgotten by the press. Even in the chatter it was barely noticed. The genius of TLR, with all the other bs going on, everybody forgot about Carpenter.
On FOX's shot of Carp's reaction, it didn't look like he was yelling AT Napoli, but he definitely said, "F___ yeah!" and had a CM-Punk-type reaction.
[1]
"For a right-handed white reliever with a beard, press 1-"
:-D
Is that really the reason? That can't be the reason. LaRussa would have acted strangely to seeing the wrong pitcher come trotting in from the bullpen. Maybe he did.
Don't blame LaRussa -- Lynn and Motte look exactly the same. From now on one of them has to dye his hillbilly beard Spiezio red.
The players deserve better than what we saw out of LaRussa and Washington last night.
The game deserves better.
This was one, but there was also one even more recently, like 5 years ago.
I like how McCarver, in justifying the move pre-CS, all but guaranteed us that Pujols wouldn't strike out.
As I said above, I don't like the hit and run, but if Craig were the _tying_ run and so might tie the game on a gapper, perhaps you run there. (I still wouldn't do it, but it's at least defensible. I guess.) But when his run means nothing? It's hard to believe.
Apparently, it's a rare privilege reserved for exceptional hitters (or exceptional hit & run hitters). I've heard of it before, but it's probably not talked about too much because managers don't want to explain why some hitters have the power and some don't, and also want to avoid tipping opponents to be especially vigilant for the batter's hit & run sign when certain hitters are up.
my lip reading indicated he said 'F yeah/you, you P.O.S.'
I half-expected Carpenter to be yapping at Beltre after his homer, straining himself to interpret the on his knee finish as showboating rather than the natural ending of that sort of swing.
So, Carpenter is worse than
HitlerJohn Lackey?Tim McCarver said Dick Groat had that privilege!
Yea, I want to say Dale Sveum was involved.
I think that was Murphy's comebacker to Rzep because I distinctly remember laughing at TLR after that
That quickly eclipsed TLR on the Unintentional Comedy Rating.
This has been an awesome World Series - best since 1991 IMO. Its been a close series. In a close series, there is going to be bad managing - its inevitable. And this series has delivered in SPADES.
Too bad he can't call for an override of dumb decisions made by his manager. He could have had the right reliever warming!
---
On the reliever issue, as I understand it, LaRussa's position is that there were TWO screw-ups by the pen:
1. LaRussa called for them to get Rzepczynski and Motte up, and they only got Rzepczynski up. Nobody in the pen, apparently, questioned (at least not to LaRussa) why another reliever wasn't warming behind Rzepczynski.
2. LaRussa noticed that Motte wasn't warming and called again, told them again to get Motte up. They got Lynn up instead, despite Lynn being previously deemed unavailable.
Are the people in the pen that stupid? But blaming it all on LaRussa doesn't really make sense either. For example, take item 1. Now assume that LaRussa is lying and he only called for them to get Rzepczynski up. Well, the pen should have questioned whether he wanted them to get someone up behind Rzepczynski.
Maybe there were errors on both sides? It's odd.
Having Scrabble face Napoli is definitely odd given their respective splits.
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