TWiB Notes: May 3–8

[Edgy MD]

I won't make too much of which umpire blew this call, because he's not wrong that the LED display on the outfield wall is a visual impediment.



Special appearance by our own Vance Wilson.

[MFS62]

Edgy MD wrote: I won't make too much of which umpire blew this call, because he's not wrong that the LED display on the outfield wall is a visual impediment. https://youtu.be/PtDOrxvXgfQ?t=132https://youtu.be/PtDOrxvXgfQ?t=132

Yes, the lights are a problem.

It sounded like another ump (David Rackley ?? - couldn't distinguish the name)was named in the clip for making the wrong call, but this clip names Angel Hernandez.

https://sports.yahoo.com/umpire-angel-hernandez-admits-he-made-wrong-call-because-he-was-basically-blinded-by-the-outfield-scoreboard-123426919.htmlhttps://sports.yahoo.com/umpire-angel-hernandez-admits-he-made-wrong-call-because-he-was-basically-blinded-by-the-outfield-scoreboard-123426919.html



But at least, for the first time I can recall, he admitted he had made a mistake.



Later

[G-Fafif]

[Benjamin Grimm]

How did the runner get on base? Dropped third strike? Catcher's interference?

[Frayed Knot]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: How did the runner get on base? Dropped third strike? Catcher's interference?

Strike 3/WP (or PB, not sure which)

[Frayed Knot]

Other NL East teams not having trouble scoring early in games:

- Braves up 5-0 in the 4th (vs Nats)

- Marlins up on the DBacks 6-zip in the 5th

- Phils put a 5-spot on the Brewers in the 3rd

[Frayed Knot]

Frayed Knot wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: How did the runner get on base? Dropped third strike? Catcher's interference? Strike 3/WP (or PB, not sure which)

Wild Pitch, btw, was the official call and the runner was then caught stealing so Means wound up facing the minimum 27 batters with no hits, no walks, no errors.

[Frayed Knot]

Phils win, Marlins win, Braves win, Nats lose (to the Braves)

[bmfc1]

Have the Mets seen Angel Hernandez since Spring Training?

[Edgy MD]

I always kind of root for more attrition when the manager gets tossed — successive ejections just to see who is next in the line of succession.



Did Vance Wilson get to take over?

[DocTee]

I always thought a passed ball WAS an error-- not that it would have mattered here, as the official scorer charged a Wild Pitch.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Geez, damning indictment of the Chisox' 76-year-old skipper



Detroit Free Press: Chicago White Sox's Tony La Russa's managerial mistakes continue to mount.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/2021/05/06/tony-la-russa-managerial-mistakes-chicago-white-sox/4966423001/https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/2021/05/06/tony-la-russa-managerial-mistakes-chicago-white-sox/4966423001/

[bmfc1]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Geez, damning indictment of the Chisox' 76-year-old skipper Detroit Free Press: Chicago White Sox's Tony La Russa's managerial mistakes continue to mount. https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/2021/05/06/tony-la-russa-managerial-mistakes-chicago-white-sox/4966423001/https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/2021/05/06/tony-la-russa-managerial-mistakes-chicago-white-sox/4966423001/

Luis knew the rule and it helped the Mets. Why didn't TLR, an attorney, know it? And if he didn't then shouldn't someone else on the bench or even in the FO have read what Luis did and told the manager?

[Frayed Knot]

Gary mentioned that LaRussa goof during the mess in game 1 yesterday.




=DocTee post_id=63242 time=1620302665 user_id=85]
I always thought a passed ball WAS an error-- not that it would have mattered here, as the official scorer charged a Wild Pitch.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Fun fact (I guess)...



Three Mets have led the National League in Passed Balls. Jesse Gonder in 1964 with 21, Josh Thole in 2011 with 16, and Travis d'Arnaud (tied with Yasmani Grandal and Wilin Rosario) in 2014 with 12.



No Mets pitcher has ever led the league in Wild Pitches. (Should we add this to our bucket list?) But it was done by several once-or-future Mets: Shawn Estes, Hideo Nomo, Nolan Ryan, Mike Torrez. And in the American League, Victor Zambrano, Johan Santana, Kevin Appier, David Cone, Al Leiter, Tim Leary, Jack Fisher, and Nolan Ryan.

[Edgy MD]

I hope Thole bought a watch for R.A. Dickey to reward him for his part in gaining that 2011 passed ball crown.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I like where the wild-pitch leaders also index with good pitchers in their years. Obviously innings matter but stuff too

[G-Fafif]

Albert Pujols released. 41 years old, 667 home runs.



DFA'd, actually.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Having a better year than Francisco Lindor so far.

[LWFS]

=G-Fafif post_id=63276 time=1620324039 user_id=55]
Albert Pujols released. 41 years old, 667 home runs.



DFA'd, actually.

[Frayed Knot]

One more note on l'affaire de LaRussa: I hate that the rule exempts pitchers from having the serve as the designated runner. They're part of the team, take them out of bubble-wrap.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, that is a stupid caveat. But it's a stupid rule, so ... .

[Frayed Knot]

Phirst place Phils beat up the Braves



Marlins beat Brewers



Nats romp on the Yanx late -- was 3-3, then suddenly it was 11-4

[Frayed Knot]

Wade Miley, Cincinnati Reds, no-hitter vs Cleveland.

4th ML no-no of this young season and that does Not include the Bumgarner 7-inning version.

[dinosaur jesus]

Frayed Knot wrote: Wade Miley, Cincinnati Reds, no-hitter vs Cleveland. 4th ML no-no of this young season and that does Not include the Bumgarner 7-inning version.

Fourteen of the twenty complete games pitched this year have been shutouts. Four of the fourteen shutouts have been no-hitters. Last year, in about twice as many games as have been played this year, there were twelve complete game shutouts and two no-hitters. In 2019, in over five times as many games as have been played this year, there were twenty-six complete game shutouts and two complete game no-hitters. What is going on here?

[Edgy MD]

Any number of things, but I think a big one is an approach that has made contact hitting nearly extinct.

[dinosaur jesus]

Sure, but that's a hell of a difference in just one season.

[batmagadanleadoff]

dinosaur jesus wrote: What is going on here?

The analysts are saying that it's 1968 all over again in baseball this season The numbers, so far, seem to support that.







Stark: What we learned in April — offense is at 1968 levels (or worse), but must-watch performances are everywhere

Jayson Stark May 3, 2021



Excerpt:

It's 1968 again! True confession: I lied about that headline. It's not 1968 again. It's worse. Offenses are actually in much rougher shape than they were then. Um, is that good? The batting average of the entire sport in April — an average compiled by the best collection of athletes ever to play baseball — was .232. That's not just the worst it's been since the Bob Gibson 1.12 ERA/Nobody Can Hit days of 1968. That .232 mark would be the worst ever. Heck, the league average in 1968 was an action-packed .237. Here are other sport-wide offensive numbers from April. If you're squeamish, don't look. It might occur to you that baseball has somehow transformed into a whole sport full of Doug Mirabellis. And you wouldn't be wrong! On-base %: .309, lowest since 1968 Slugging %: .389, lowest since 2014 OPS: .698, lowest since 1989 Hits per game: 7.63, lowest since ever At least the league OPS is almost 60 points higher than it was in 1968, largely because the home run rate is almost double. So the average team is scoring about one more run per game. But even that's misleading because pretty much all of those additional runs come from home runs. Want to guess how often in baseball history we have seen a runs-per-game rate this low (4.25 per team) paired with home run rate this high (1.14 per team per game)? “I'm going to guess never,” said one NL exec who brought this up. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. “Never” would, in fact, be correct. You can feel free to blame launch-angle swing paths, pull-happy hitters and all the batters walking around saying, “Strikeouts are just like any other outs.” But the truth is, that ain't it! “It's the pitching,” said one GM. “Pitching is too good. It's simple. “Name me any innovation or any evolution of the game that's happening right now,” he went on. “Every single one favors the pitchers.”

https://theathletic.com/2562755/2021/05/03/stark-what-we-learned-in-april-offense-is-at-1968-levels-or-worse-but-must-watch-performances-are-everywhere/https://theathletic.com/2562755/2021/05/03/stark-what-we-learned-in-april-offense-is-at-1968-levels-or-worse-but-must-watch-performances-are-everywhere/

[Edgy MD]

I'm not sure I agree as to what qualifies as a "must-watch performance."

[Frayed Knot]

Nats waste a Scherzer gem by blowing 9th & 10th inning leads (both by Brad Hand) at YSIII and finally lose in the 11th on a Patrick Mazeika length bases-loaded hit.