Quote:
Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall
You take pitches in a situation in which you are not sure that the first pitch will be right down the middle. If you know the pitcher is trying to achieve a strikeout goal and is absolutely throwing a fastball down the middle hoping you won't swing because your playoff hopes are over and you "play the game the right way," (whatever the fuck that means) the approach changes. This isn't difficult stuff to understand.
The question is, why is this asshole's strikeout goal more important than my batting average or us trying to win this game?
TM
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You're pretty much right on all of this stuff.
The only point I wanted to make earlier is that the Sox' view of looking at the first pitch is at the far end of the major league spectrum. It goes back to Wade Boggs, whose almost never swung at the first pitch, even a strike down the middle he knew was coming, because he was assessing what the pitcher had and wasn't worried about having a strike against him. Dude hit over .350 in four consecutive seasons and had like a .330 lifetime average. It's still kind of religion among the Red Sox, so it was strange to see, even if it makes perfect sense generally.
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