IGT #125: What's the Encore?

[Edgy MD]

Angry Frenchy was a scary sight though. He looks like he could do some damage if he goes into Fiery Phoenix mode.

[Guest themetfairy]

I could not find an e-mail address, but I just telephoned the Commissioner's office to complain that a manager should not be allowed to threaten a player of an opposing team.

Y'all should call too - 212-931-7800. We do NOT need Daniel getting injured (and the Phillies have nothing to play for so there can't even be the threat of any meaningful retaliation by the Mets if Daniel did get hit!).

[TransMonk]

Al Leiter was defending Robles on MLB Network later in the night...basically saying if the batter is in the box he better be ready to hit.

Bowa's a boob.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

TransMonk wrote: Al Leiter was defending Robles on MLB Network later in the night...basically saying if the batter is in the box he better be ready to hit. Bowa's a boob.

That's weird, man. Darling was admonishing Robles. The Phillies announcers barely knew what the dispute was about then seemed to feel the Phils overreacted.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, how am I supposed to know what side to take if my announcers are more sympathetic to the enemy than the enemy announcers?

Allowing myself the terrifying luxury of free thought:
1) Quick pitching is part of the game:
2) If the batter is the box, he has some obligation to be ready; David Wright usually has one foot out of the box as he does that booger-wiping thing;
3) That said, yeah, it seems gracious and within the spirit of the game to not pitch if the guy isn't looking up;
4) Rubble seemed to realize that as he was releasing the ball because the pitch came in at like 70 miles per hour;
5) The ump also seemed to realize it as he disallowed the pitch.

So the situation was dealt with: a pitcher struck with self-realization and moved to penitence, tossing a meatball, and an ump disallowing the pitch. Justice was served honorably and spontaneously. There was little reason for Frenchy to blow a gasket. Bowa, of course, doesn't really need a reason. As Homer Simpson said about Lee Marvin, "He's always drunk and violent."

[Guest d'Kong76]

Ron's usually Mr. Sensible but for some reason he went on an on.

[Edgy MD]

So what's going to happen today? The Phils got a rookie making his second big league start and a taxed bullpen. Is he expected to hit Murphy and possibly get tossed in the first inning?

[Frayed Knot]

I think Robles eased up when he saw the ump's hand up in a 'Time Out' situation (not because he saw the batter) even though there's still no indication that time was called at any point before that. I think the ump is to blame here as much as anyone as I don't see how it's his job to call time in mid-pitch because he thinks the batter isn't alert enough. Granted the Phils would have been even more pissed off if Robles got a strike out of his little quick-pitch but that's their problem.

[Ceetar]

pace of play, stay in the box, be ready to swing.

They got rid of the 'pitch to the bat' type stuff where the pitcher was supposed to make the hitter hit it to a fielder over a 100 years ago. maybe 150.

[nymr83]

sounds like the loser phillies just cant take all the losing

[TransMonk]

Edgy MD wrote: 2) If the batter is the box, he has some obligation to be ready; David Wright usually has one foot out of the box as he does that booger-wiping thing;

Yes...this is essentially what Leiter was saying on MLB Network.

Of course, he used Jeter as an example with his hand up toward the ump indicating time out so that he could dig in.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I don't know if this was discussed here, but two games ago when the Mets banged eight HR's, Murphy came to bat in the last inning and hit a ball in front of the centerfielder that was sort of misplayed, or played very aggressively. Either way, the ball got behind the centerfielder. I thought Murphy should have ended on third base easily -- a fast runner would've likely had an inside the parker on that play. But Murphy coasted -- practically walked -- into second base, apparently content to "just" double.

I thought that Murphy coasted on purpose instead of running hard all the way and that he did so to obey one of those stupid baseball codes because the game was a blowout by then. The announcers essentially shrugged the play off, not making the comments I expected them to make. Maybe I misinterpreted what I saw.

Edited August 26, 2015 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

No, it was discussed. Murphy pulled up at second on what would have been a triple in a more competitive game. There are obviously two reasons for not hustling for any base that you can't take standing up: (1) to show grace-in-victory to your opponent, (2) to avoid an injury in a play that is very unlikely to impact the outcome of the game.

Which it was, I don't know. I'd guess, 30% of the first, 60% of the second, and 10% Murphy feeling he'd do something stupid.

[Guest themetfairy]

I chalked that one up to Murphy being slow as shit and not wanting to chance being thrown out at third.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I thought Murphy could've crawled to third base for a triple. With both of his shoelaces tied together.

[Benjamin Grimm]

He should've tried that.

[Lefty Specialist]

I didn't have a problem with Murphy not taking third on that. You don't want to show up a team you already have a 7-run lead on in the 8th inning. Larry Bowa was trying to get the Phils riled up with the quick-pitch hoo-hah last night, and who knows, they may take it out on Bartolo tonight.

I prefer to let sleeping dogs lie. That's why I hate bat-flips and stolen bases when you're up big late in a game.

[batmagadanleadoff]

The play bothered me only because I believed that Murphy would have had an easy stand-up triple. To me, if the batter doesn't take third on a gimme triple, it's no different than if he were to purposely swing and miss at pitches. I don't get that attitude when it's baseball at its highest level and on top of that, when it concerns a team that now has realistic sights on the post-season.

It's not exactly like a football team running triple reverse flea flickers when it's up by 28 with four minutes left in the game. If no one's gonna tackle the running back because he found broad daylight, he's not supposed to fall down on purpose.

[Guest themetfairy]

I don't disagree with you conceptually. I disagree with the concept of Daniel Murphy ever having a gimme triple.

I love the guy, but he is SLOW!

[Guest d'Kong76]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: To me, if the batter doesn't take third on a gimme triple, it's no different than if he were to purposely swing and miss at pitches.

Swinging and missing pitches results in an out. Stopping at second
results in no out, and doesn't risk making an out at third.

[Edgy MD]

Batters, of course, take pitches.

And while running backs don't intentionally fall down in the open field, teams with big leads in football call interior run plays that have little chance of scoring or even advancing very far downfield, even as the defense is playing for the run.

[batmagadanleadoff]

d'Kong76 wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: To me, if the batter doesn't take third on a gimme triple, it's no different than if he were to purposely swing and miss at pitches. Swinging and missing pitches results in an out. Stopping at second results in no out, and doesn't risk making an out at third.

If it's a gimme triple, then there's no risk of an out. That was my whole point. The only risk was that he might trip over infield dirt on the way to third.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Guess I didn't focus on 'gimme triple', which are rare in a bandbox.
I focused on no different, and purposely making an out versus not
making (or risk making) an out.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: Batters, of course, take pitches. And while running backs don't intentionally fall down in the open field, teams with big leads in football call interior run plays that have little chance of scoring or even advancing very far downfield, even as the defense is playing for the run.

Of course they call "interior" plays. But thats' hardly what I was getting at. If a back finds a hole that you can drive an aircraft carrier through, he should take what's given.

And batters take many pitches. For many reasons. They shouldn't purposely take a 2-2 pitch that they know they can crush. But you're making this exchange so hyper-literal that it's obfuscating my real point.

Edited August 26, 2015 by Guest

[batmagadanleadoff]

d'Kong76 wrote: Guess I didn't focus on 'gimme triple', which are rare in a bandbox. I focused on no different, and purposely making an out versus not making (or risk making) an out.

Gimme triple? It was an inside the parker. Reyes the Met would've gotten five bases on that play. He would've scored and then ran to first for another single.

[Ceetar]

just watched the replay.

Murphy makes contact at 0:02 in the clip. By 0:11 the ball is already in the air towards the cut off man. We can be liberal and say picking that up and firing it to third would take..4? seconds and round it to 15? That's probably way too liberal for 'no doubt' but let's go with it.

The fastest ISTP home runs this season

1 Dee Gordon 13.95 seconds
2 Jarrod Dyson 14.56
3 Logan Forsythe 16.01
4 James McCann 16.26 seconds.

So Murphy, who's not Dee Gordon, would have had no shot at scoring on that. Could he have made third? Well, assuming even distribution, these fast guys ran third to home in about 4 seconds, meaning they got to third at about 11-12. So right around the time the cut off man had the ball on the Murphy play. Murphy is not that fast. Saying he's 20% slower is probably conservative. At the very least there's going to be a play, which is sorta the point. Additionally, it was a single off the bat, and he wasn't gunning it hoping to get two, it wasn't until it was misplayed that the option for second came in, and you can see Murphy running and then slow up where he judges that the center fielder can probably field the ball in time to make it a play.

[Edgy MD]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Batters, of course, take pitches. And while running backs don't intentionally fall down in the open field, teams with big leads in football call interior run plays that have little chance of scoring or even advancing very far downfield, even as the defense is playing for the run. Of course they call "interior" plays. But thats' hardly what I was getting at. If a back finds a hole that you can drive an aircraft carrier through, he should take what's given. And batters take many pitches. For many reasons. They shouldn't purposely take a 2-2 pitch that they know they can crush. But you're making this exchange so hyper-literal that it's obfuscating my real point.

Certainly don't mean to. There are reasons not to run, as noted above. I don't necessarily support them. But I think it would have been a sliding play.

And deliberately taking a 2-2 strike, like the examples noted above, would result in an out. I hope it's not hyper-literal to point out that distinction from the play at hand.

[Zvon]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: I don't know if this was discussed here, but two games ago when the Mets banged eight HR's, Murphy came to bat in the last inning and hit a ball in front of the centerfielder that was sort of misplayed, or played very aggressively. Either way, the ball got behind the centerfielder. I thought Murphy should have ended on third base easily -- a fast runner would've likely had an inside the parker on that play. But Murphy coasted -- practically walked -- into second base, apparently content to "just" double. I thought that Murphy coasted on purpose instead of running hard all the way and that he did so to obey one of those stupid baseball codes because the game was a blowout by then. The announcers essentially shrugged the play off, not making the comments I expected them to make. Maybe I misinterpreted what I saw.

I believe that Muffy decided right as he rounded first that he wasn't going to rub it in and purposely slowed down. I think he knew there was a chance for third and discarded it in old school fashion. Considering all the circumstances I have no problem with this. I'm surprised that Bowa didn't write him a letter of commendation.