Quick pitch?

[BigTex]

Why did it take a huddle and a pow-wow to figure out if a warning should be issued? Somebody needs to grow a set and stand up.

I personally don't think he got hit on purpose, but 3 times in 2 games desteves a warning. It should have been given right away.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by BigTex

I personally don't think he got hit on purpose.....

Oh, I don't know about this.

These pitchers have been pretty good at niblling at corners inside and out and just missing or hitting the strike zone....and then when A-Rod comes up they just happen to miss by a good six inches or a foot and plunk him three times? Hmm?

Some of these guys are going to be wearing a lot of kevlar in a few years - as the protection on their arms and elbows is certainly growing more and more already.

[TussAgee11]

1st base open, one out, slow hitter in the on deck circle, 3rd time in 2 games, key to pitching A-rod is making him respect the inside fastball... how anyone thinks its not intentional is beyond me.

And all this crap about how it takes away from the opposing pitcher is BS. That guy can still pitch inside. If he hits somebody, he's fine. Umpires are not idiots, they wouldn't toss him unless it was intentional. Open base, pitcher spot up next, throwing behind a head, etc. Furthermore, the warning assures the Yankee hitters that they won't be getting nailed all game, and can relax up there. Lastly, the warning kills the situation right then and there, so if CC had any thought about getting even, the decision not to do it was already made for him, allowing him to worry about his pitching.

Good job by crew on that I thought. Players and coaches were on board with that warning. Only the media wanted to make a big deal out of it.

Chances Burnett gives Utley a little love tonight?

[GA Umpire]

I don't think it was on purpose. And, I don't think a warning would have come if ARod would have just gone to his base instead of looking into his dugout. As if to say, CC you better return the favor. His actions alone brought on the warning, not the pitch hitting him. Notice when Lidge hit Texierra and he just went to 1B. Nothing came from it.

Even the pros have them get away from them. Especially, if they are trying to be so fine of where to put it and not try to make a mistake. Also, I doubt Blanton wanted to come so close to even getting to ARod's head. It hit pretty high on the arm/ribs after ARod stood straight up.

[Kevin Finnerty]

The way A-Roid's been turning on stuff inside and driving it out of sight in this postseason. In order to jam him, you need to miss well off the plate. The others may have had a touch of intent, but Blanton's appeared to be an attempt to get in off the plate and it tailed too much on him. He wasn't in command at all in the first inning, so it could have been a case of it getting away from him.

Plus, you don't see a lot of guys purposely putting a guy on first in the first inning of a huge game for any reason. It doesn't make a bit of sense from a baseball standpoint.

[TussAgee11]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Plus, you don't see a lot of guys purposely putting a guy on first in the first inning of a huge game for any reason. It doesn't make a bit of sense from a baseball standpoint.

1 out, first base open, slow runner on deck. The HBP was a de facto unintentional intentional walk IMO.

[dash_riprock]

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

1 out, first base open, slow runner on deck. The HBP was a de facto unintentional intentional walk IMO.

Don't forget R3. They needed a DP to get out of the inning, and with Posada on deck, well...as Drysdale once said, why waste 4 pitches when you can get the job done with 1? IMO it was an intentional plunk.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by dash_riprock

as Drysdale once said, why waste 4 pitches when you can get the job done with 1?

Ah yes, the golden age of baseball, when men were men and the batters were nervous. Bob Gibson said he would throw at his grandmother if she dug in at the plate. Nowadays all the multi-million dollar contracts make wusses out of all the hitters, with all the elbow guards and crowding the plate, then they whine about getting brushed back off the plate. They are forgetting that the pitcher owns the inside corner and the batters need to stay light on their feet when leaning out over it.

[JJ]

Originally Posted by GA Umpire

I don't think it was on purpose. And, I don't think a warning would have come if ARod would have just gone to his base instead of looking into his dugout. As if to say, CC you better return the favor. His actions alone brought on the warning, not the pitch hitting him. Notice when Lidge hit Texierra and he just went to 1B. Nothing came from it.

Even the pros have them get away from them. Especially, if they are trying to be so fine of where to put it and not try to make a mistake. Also, I doubt Blanton wanted to come so close to even getting to ARod's head. It hit pretty high on the arm/ribs after ARod stood straight up.

One of the first lessons I learned in D1 baseball was that when somebody got plunked in a "traditional" plunk situation, and it went through MY head that MAYBE they were sending that message pitch, that it was also going through a lot of OTHER heads (offense and defense), and that that might be a great time to issue a warning. Especially on the amateur levels where safety is paramount, that ounce of prevention, while not always 100% correct, was always 100% the smart thing to do. That's 30 years of my two cents worth.

JJ