NakamuraPitching Inside and Hitting Batters
On Friday, August 28th, 2009, Marco Scutaro, shortstop of the Toronto Blue Jays fell victim to the infamous hit by pitch. Only this time, he was hit in the head and had to leave the game. So this got me thinking, what has the game evolved to over the last 100 years? Especially the inside half of the plate? Let's take a tour through time to find the answers.
100 years ago it was 1909. Ty Cobb won the triple crown, no players had million dollar contracts, and the famous "Honus Wagner vs. Cobb" world series took place, with Honus winning in seven. At the time, there were no steroids, people won 29 games in a year, and most of all, no helmets. 11 years later, Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians, was hit in the head and died. 51 years after that, Major League Baseball created a rule to make helmets mandatory.
So let's take a look at this. Envision yourself. In a major league uniform for your favorite team. Stepping into the batter's box. For the very first time of your life. You look up, and you see a fireballer. Whether it be Satchel Paige, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, Jonathan Papelbon or Tim Lincecum, you pick. You step in, and the first pitch is a blazing 98 mph fastball, inches from your head. How would you react? You might be breathless at what happened, you might be angry, or maybe your life would flash in front of your eyes. You might ask the ump for a warning, or just take a few deep breaths and tell yourself to concentrate on the next pitch.
Now what if that exact same scenario happened and you didn't have a helmet, like the people of 1909? Most, if not all of you, wouldn't be too keen on getting back in the batter's box. This is my point here. All the protective gear that MLB is offering these days is important. It can save lives. But it's takes away from the pitcher's ability to throw hard inside with confidence. Helmets are understandable and so are the shin guards, because they protect people from foul balls rather than the actual pitch. But what about the other unnecessary equipment?
A huge thing about pitching inside is the fear of getting hit. That's what brush back pitches are for, to back people up to create more room on the outside half. If it was a video game and the players had no fear of that pitch, they wouldn't back up from the plate. That safety equipment is having the same effect. The helmets today are enough to save a person's life, but not make the hitter feel secure in the box. This is perfect. But Rawlings is going to mess that up with their new helmet that can withstand 100mph fast balls. And what about elbow guards? Seriously? What's the purpose of that? Will you die if you get hit in the elbow? What will we wear next? An entire coating of plastic throughout our bodies? Will MLB players wear heart guards? On July 7th, 2009, Red Sox first basemen Kevin Youkilis was hit by a pitch, but was not granted first base for leaning into the pitch. Guess where it hit him? That's right, the elbow guard. There should only be three players who wear elbow guards. 1) Starting catchers. They get banged up behind the plate by foul tips and over 162 games, that can wear you down. But there are still many catchers who don't wear elbow guards. 2) Pitchers. These days, pitchers are being paid more and more, netting long term contracts that last from six to eight years. That is one very expensive elbow to be used to pitch, not to hit. 3) Players who are still recovering from injuries, for obvious reasons.
So to tell you the truth, I'm glad people are getting afraid of the inside pitch again. Am I glad that David Wright got hurt? No, I never like it when players get hurt. Do I like it when players fear getting hurt? Definitely. We can't have umpires ejecting pitcher's for throwing a pitch that got away from them. We can't have umpires giving warnings to take away the inside pitch. Safety should always come first for everybody, as long as it doesn't change the game of baseball.
-Written by: Nakamura. This article is copyrighted © by Nakamura and may not be reproduced, recopied, or used in any form without permission from Nakamura
100 years ago it was 1909. Ty Cobb won the triple crown, no players had million dollar contracts, and the famous "Honus Wagner vs. Cobb" world series took place, with Honus winning in seven. At the time, there were no steroids, people won 29 games in a year, and most of all, no helmets. 11 years later, Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians, was hit in the head and died. 51 years after that, Major League Baseball created a rule to make helmets mandatory.
So let's take a look at this. Envision yourself. In a major league uniform for your favorite team. Stepping into the batter's box. For the very first time of your life. You look up, and you see a fireballer. Whether it be Satchel Paige, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, Jonathan Papelbon or Tim Lincecum, you pick. You step in, and the first pitch is a blazing 98 mph fastball, inches from your head. How would you react? You might be breathless at what happened, you might be angry, or maybe your life would flash in front of your eyes. You might ask the ump for a warning, or just take a few deep breaths and tell yourself to concentrate on the next pitch.
Now what if that exact same scenario happened and you didn't have a helmet, like the people of 1909? Most, if not all of you, wouldn't be too keen on getting back in the batter's box. This is my point here. All the protective gear that MLB is offering these days is important. It can save lives. But it's takes away from the pitcher's ability to throw hard inside with confidence. Helmets are understandable and so are the shin guards, because they protect people from foul balls rather than the actual pitch. But what about the other unnecessary equipment?
A huge thing about pitching inside is the fear of getting hit. That's what brush back pitches are for, to back people up to create more room on the outside half. If it was a video game and the players had no fear of that pitch, they wouldn't back up from the plate. That safety equipment is having the same effect. The helmets today are enough to save a person's life, but not make the hitter feel secure in the box. This is perfect. But Rawlings is going to mess that up with their new helmet that can withstand 100mph fast balls. And what about elbow guards? Seriously? What's the purpose of that? Will you die if you get hit in the elbow? What will we wear next? An entire coating of plastic throughout our bodies? Will MLB players wear heart guards? On July 7th, 2009, Red Sox first basemen Kevin Youkilis was hit by a pitch, but was not granted first base for leaning into the pitch. Guess where it hit him? That's right, the elbow guard. There should only be three players who wear elbow guards. 1) Starting catchers. They get banged up behind the plate by foul tips and over 162 games, that can wear you down. But there are still many catchers who don't wear elbow guards. 2) Pitchers. These days, pitchers are being paid more and more, netting long term contracts that last from six to eight years. That is one very expensive elbow to be used to pitch, not to hit. 3) Players who are still recovering from injuries, for obvious reasons.
OUCH! And to the Disabled List we go!
So to tell you the truth, I'm glad people are getting afraid of the inside pitch again. Am I glad that David Wright got hurt? No, I never like it when players get hurt. Do I like it when players fear getting hurt? Definitely. We can't have umpires ejecting pitcher's for throwing a pitch that got away from them. We can't have umpires giving warnings to take away the inside pitch. Safety should always come first for everybody, as long as it doesn't change the game of baseball.
-Written by: Nakamura. This article is copyrighted © by Nakamura and may not be reproduced, recopied, or used in any form without permission from Nakamura
