Baseball

[GoCubsGo]

So this guy is pretty good.

[Vrede too]

So this guy is pretty good.

https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/ ... 7947677696

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shohei_Ohtani
https://www.mlb.com/player/shohei-ohtan ... &year=2023

[GoCubsGo]

https://www.mlb.com/player/shohei-ohtan ... &year=2023

From the MLB link:

Shohei Ohtani #17
TWP B/T: L/R6' 4"/210Age: 28

I'm assuming Two Way Player.

Don't know if I've ever seen that.

[Vrede too]

https://www.mlb.com/player/shohei-ohtan ... &year=2023

From the MLB link:

Shohei Ohtani #17
TWP B/T: L/R6' 4"/210Age: 28

I'm assuming Two Way Player.

Don't know if I've ever seen that.

Good job, I never would have figured it out. MLB site:

Giants draft TWP Crawford No. 30

The San Francisco Giants select two-way player Reggie Crawford with the 30th pick of the 2022 Draft

July 17th, 2022

Wiki:

Two-way player

In sports that require a player to play on offense and defense (such as basketball and ice hockey), a two-way player refers to a player who excels at both. In sports where a player typically specializes on offense or defense (like American football), or on pitching or batting (like baseball), it refers to a player who chooses to do both.

Baseball

For the definition of the term, see Glossary of baseball (T) § two-way player.
Not to be confused with playing multiple defensive positions other than pitcher—see utility player (baseball).

Background

... Until Shohei Ohtani in 2021, Babe Ruth (in 1918 and 1919) was the last player to pitch 100 innings and have 200 plate appearances as a batter in the same season. (Bullet Rogan achieved the same feat in the Negro leagues, which were not considered major leagues at the time.) ...

Effective with the 2020 season, "two-way player" became an official MLB roster classification.

It used to be BiP, but they changed it.

A player qualifies once he reaches the following statistical milestones in either the current or the immediately previous season:

At least 20 MLB innings pitched.
Appearing in at least 20 MLB games as a position player or designated hitter, with at least 3 plate appearances in each of the 20 games....

Wiki Glossary of baseball:

two-way player

* A term borrowed from American football to describe either a player who can pitch and hit well, or a player who can pitch and play another defensive position well. The most famous Major League ballplayer who was truly a two-way player was Babe Ruth. He started his career as an outstanding pitcher and later played in the outfield—and was one of the greatest home run hitters of all time.
* The term is sometimes used to describe a player who is good at both offense and defense: "Manager Jim Leyland said during the season that he believes Inge has the potential to become one of the league's best two-way players."

[O Really]

I used to wonder why pitchers are traditionally bad hitters. I should have asked Occam. They only play every four games or so, and don't get much batting practice time. Let's say he gets two at-bats per game pitched, and has three games in between times, then gets up to bat and faces 95mph fast balls etc., he's not gonna be really up to speed so to speak even if his basic skills were decent. And some of them won't make two at-bats per game.

[Vrede too]

I used to wonder why pitchers are traditionally bad hitters. I should have asked Occam. They only play every four games or so, and don't get much batting practice time. Let's say he gets two at-bats per game pitched, and has three games in between times, then gets up to bat and faces 95mph fast balls etc., he's not gonna be really up to speed so to speak even if his basic skills were decent. And some of them won't make two at-bats per game.

Also, hitting in the MLB is hard, arguably harder than fielding. Players have been selected for their hitting ability from a young age and mostly only good to superior hitters have made it to the MLB and stay there. The exception to this is pitching, a unique and difficult skill. Having decent pitching is so critical for a team that a pitcher's hitting talent is largely ignored and crappy hitters make the teams as long as they can hurl those "95mph fast balls etc."

... Prior to 2021, pitchers in the National League still had to bat for themselves, but they are usually poor batters. In 2017, the average batting average for all of MLB was .255. The average batting average for pitchers was .124, significantly worse than the league average....

The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and by the National League in 2022, making it universal in MLB....

With the exception of the very rare phenom like Ohtani, we're not going to be seeing many pitchers hit at all.

[GoCubsGo]

With the exception of the very rare phenom like Ohtani, we're not going to be seeing many pitchers hit at all.

And it's a bit mystifying to me. Mostly those that make it to the bigs were the best athletes on their team starting at a young age. They were the shortstop that also pitched and were also the best hitter.

Somewhere along the line, either by talent limitations (can't hit the curve) or more likely by the needs of whatever college or low ball team coach desired they become specialists when so many are capable of excellence or being two-way if nurtured properly. Although I will say it seems like there are many more position players these days that play multiple positions.

There's probably a stat on that somewhere.

[GoCubsGo]

Never seen that.

[Vrede too]

Never seen that.
https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/ ... 3522817030

A runner is out when:

(1) He runs more than three feet away from his base path to avoid being tagged unless his action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted ball. A runner's base path is established when the tag attempt occurs

I don't know enough about the baseline rules to argue one way or the other on this, but he wasn't trying to avoid a collision. The catcher was not blocking the plate. The ball was caught more towards the first base side, and the catcher had to lunge to try to tag him.

I’ve literally seen this play a hundred times


ICHIRO IS A NINJA

[Vrede too]

Does it really still count as a perfect game if it's vs Oakland, or should it get an asterisk in the record books? 11-0

New York Yankees' Domingo Germán Throws 24th Perfect Game In MLB History
Germán's perfect game against the Oakland Athletics is the first in the MLB in over a decade.



How do they bounce in unison?

Coming off a pair of terrible starts, Germán (5-5) struck out nine of 27 hitters against the A’s, who have the worst record in the majors at 21-61.

The 30-year-old pitcher served a 10-game suspension last month after getting ejected from a game in Toronto for using an illegal sticky substance on the mound. His only previous complete game as a professional came with Double-A Trenton in April 2017.

Winless in six previous outings against Oakland, Germán threw 72 of 99 pitches for strikes. He mixed 51 curveballs and 30 fastballs that averaged 92.5 mph with 17 changeups and one sinker.

He went to three balls on a batter just twice, falling behind Ryan Noda 3-1 in the fourth and Jonah Bride by the same count in the eighth. Noda struck out on consecutive curveballs, and Germán followed with three straight curves to Bride: one for a called strike, the next resulting in a foul ball and the third in a groundout....

Six days after allowing a career-high 10 runs (eight earned) and four homers over 3 1/3 innings in a loss to the Mariners at home, Germán got his 500th career strikeout and was the definition of perfection.

“This has not been an easy week or time for him,” (Yankees manager Aaron) Boone said. “For him to go out there and paint that masterpiece was really just a lot of fun just to be able to watch.” ...



... But the night belonged to Germán, who was loudly cheered as the game unfolded. Many fans in Oakland were decked out in Yankees colors or jerseys....

[GoCubsGo]

It should go in the AA record books!

[Vrede too]

It should go in the AA record books!

Pitching against Oakland is a type of Affirmative Action?

[GoCubsGo]

It should go in the AA record books!

Pitching against Oakland is a type of Affirmative Action?

Sorta....

But don't tell Clarence Thomas.

[Vrede too]

It should go in the AA record books!

Pitching against Oakland is a type of Affirmative Action?

Sorta....

But don't tell Clarence Thomas.

Seriously though, what did you mean?

[GoCubsGo]

It should go in the AA record books!

Pitching against Oakland is a type of Affirmative Action?

Sorta....

But don't tell Clarence Thomas.

Seriously though, what did you mean?

He'd strike it down.

[Vrede too]

It should go in the AA record books!

Pitching against Oakland is a type of Affirmative Action?

Sorta....

But don't tell Clarence Thomas.

Seriously though, what did you mean?

He'd strike it down.

Sorry, I got that but I was asking what did you mean by "AA record books"?

[GoCubsGo]

Pitching against Oakland is a type of Affirmative Action?

Sorta....

But don't tell Clarence Thomas.

Seriously though, what did you mean?

He'd strike it down.

Sorry, I got that but I was asking what did you mean by "AA record books"?

The Oakland Athletics are a AA league baseball team.

[Vrede too]

Sorry, I got that but I was asking what did you mean by "AA record books"?

The Oakland Athletics are a AA league baseball team.

[GoCubsGo]

Sorry, I got that but I was asking what did you mean by "AA record books"?

The Oakland Athletics are a AA league baseball team.

Opps, yeah "The Baseball" thread. Who knew?

[GoCubsGo]

Steve Stone masterclass.

Always thought he is the best analyst in baseball.