MLB 2023 Season

[MathBandit]

2-game suspension for Bryan Abreu. Seems wild.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by MathBandit

2-game suspension for Bryan Abreu. Seems wild.

Yeah. Not sure I agree w/a suspension. Cause I'm still not sure he meant to hit him. I agreed w/the ejection cause it seemed so obvious in the heat of the moment.

[MathBandit]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

I agreed w/the ejection cause it seemed so obvious in the heat of the moment.

I'm open to the idea that his intent was to buzz him, but in my mind if you throw a pitch with intent to buzz then you live and die by the result of the pitch.

Just like if I intend to push someone in the shoulder to shove them but then they fall back awkwardly and hit their head on a curb, I intentionally pushed them so I have liability for their injury (or worse).

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by thehef

Garcia's the one who set it all in motion... He's suck a jerk that he belongs on the BlackStros... That absolute knucklehead reaction after his homer. I just don't get it how/why - across sports - so many players display anger rather than joy at doing something really big on the field or court. As pilight put it in another thread, "... the WWE-ification of sports." IMO, along with Harden-like immature lashouts and holdouts, it's pretty much the ugliest part of the current era of sports, IMO.

Back to the game, the Rangers had a big chance to add to their lead after play resumed following the HBP incident & ejections, but then had two of the worst at-bats I've ever seen. Then, after LeClerq's implosion in the top of the ninth, the Rangers wasted a two-on, nobody out opportuntiy... Granted, two of the outs were quality: Semien crushed a bad-luck liner right to the SS, and Seager gave it a long ride. But Carter then had a feeble AB to end it.

Finally, as much as I dislike & have zero respect for CheatStros aplogist Dusty Baker, I 100% understand his anger at the lunacy of the umps tossing Abreu, given the evidence that would suggest that even though Garcia deserved to be drilled, there's no way Abreu was trying to hit him in that situation... The umps (not sure if with help from NY or what) totally mishandled that situation.

30.5 seconds to round the bases.

Scott Rolen used to take about half of that. Put his head down, and motored.

Not sure if I would have thrown at Garcia or not. I pitched a fair amount, 50+ years ago, and only threw at one player, ever.

[kq76]

Originally Posted by MathBandit

Possibly relevant to this discussion: MLB just uploaded a YT Short highlighting that Ryne Stanek threw one pitch yesterday (in the 3rd inning) and recorded the win for Houston.

Hunter Brown threw three scoreless, Phil Maton threw two scoreless.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/R2jgp4D5g18

Thanks. I'm saving that for whenever someone says pitcher Wins matter.

If anyone really wants to judge pitchers by a simple counting stat, I don't know why they don't use IP. The whole point of a pitcher is to get outs, is it not? Yeah, some pitchers are a lot better at what they do between outs, but their job is still to get outs. Doesn't the statement, "pitcher X pitched 200 innings this year" tell us more than, "pitcher X got 10 wins this year"? 10 wins could be a good year, it could be a bad year, I have no idea. 200 IP, however, at least tells us something concrete, that the team was able to rely on him for 200 IP, about 14% of their total innings. That's pretty good.

Originally Posted by MathBandit

I'm open to the idea that his intent was to buzz him, but in my mind if you throw a pitch with intent to buzz then you live and die by the result of the pitch.

Just like if I intend to push someone in the shoulder to shove them but then they fall back awkwardly and hit their head on a curb, I intentionally pushed them so I have liability for their injury (or worse).

Oh, come on. By that logic, any time a pitcher hits a batter he should be suspended 2 games. "You only meant to pitch him in, it got away from you? Oh well, live with the consequences."

Nah, the umps admitted they judged it as intent and MLB backed them up. It's lunacy. It's the postseason, you're tied 2 games each, you're down 2 runs in the 8th, you don't put another guy on just cuz you feel like he over-celebrated. It's not 2015, players are well past being upset by home run celebrations. Nearly everybody does it to some degree now. Verlander himself said no one on the Astros (he gave it up) had a problem with Garcia pimping the home run and I didn't see anything obvious to the contrary.

The only way you intentionally throw at him, the only way, is if the manager figures you're better off walking him and instead someone thinks, "we might as well hit him instead then". And I just don't see that as what happened. No one on the Astros looked pissed at him at the plunking moment and, if they intentionally threw at him, certainly someone would have looked angry.

I'm just glad the baseball gods intervened.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by MathBandit

I'm open to the idea that his intent was to buzz him, but in my mind if you throw a pitch with intent to buzz then you live and die by the result of the pitch.

Just like if I intend to push someone in the shoulder to shove them but then they fall back awkwardly and hit their head on a curb, I intentionally pushed them so I have liability for their injury (or worse).

Sounds fair

[MathBandit]

Originally Posted by kq76

Oh, come on. By that logic, any time a pitcher hits a batter he should be suspended 2 games. "You only meant to pitch him in, it got away from you? Oh well, live with the consequences."

...literally none of that is what I said? Like, no parts of that. At all.

I said the suspension was odd and surprising, not that I agreed with it. I also said that *if his intent was to buzz him*, not just "any time a pitcher hits a batter" or that he "only meant to pitch him in". Yes, if your intent is to throw a non-competitive pitch aimed at where the batter is instead of where the strike zone is, then it seems pretty clear to me that if you miss and hit the batter that's on you for aiming at the batter's location- and you are at risk of being ejected for intentionally throwing at someone

[Westheim]

It's time for the semi-regular "Ugh! I hate Kyle Schwarber!!" post.

The type of player, that is. I'm sure he's a lovely bloke and a real charm cookie and all.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by Westheim

It's time for the semi-regular "Ugh! I hate Kyle Schwarber!!" post.

The type of player, that is. I'm sure he's a lovely bloke and a real charm cookie and all.

See, I'm not a Nick Castellanos fan. Started back in his Tiger days when he would only button his jersey up to just above the belly button. Then he whined about the Comerica park dimension. Now he wears one of the Bryce Harper things on his head. But, the topper is his annoying kid.....He's probably a cool kid, but I can be irrational if I choose

[Cobra Mgr]

That HR by Garcia reminded my of Gary Sheffield. Where the ball took longer to get from the mound to the plate than it did to get from the plate to the wall.

[Cobra Mgr]

What do the Astros have on the MLB front office?

Tell me how penalizing playoff infractions the next season prevents players from breaking the rules in the playoffs? Break out the corked bats, spitballs, I-watches etc. Get a few days off next year. Well worth it to get a ring.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

What do the Astros have on the MLB front office?

Tell me how penalizing playoff infractions the next season prevents players from breaking the rules in the playoffs? Break out the corked bats, spitballs, I-watches etc. Get a few days off next year. Well worth it to get a ring.

Stupid ruling by a stupid league.

He shouldn't have been suspended in the first place.

He shouldn't have been ejected in the first place.

[Westheim]

Snakes force Game 7!

...and my eyes are forcing themselves shut now so-... (snore!)

[Le Grande Orange]

Not MLB, but for anyone wondering what's going on over in Asia:

The CPBL is playing its last few makeup games before heading to the post-season; in Korea, 4th place NC defeated 5th place Doosan, moving on to play 3rd place SSG and currently leads the best-of-five series 2 games to 0. In Japan, in the first round, Hiroshima defeated Yokohama in the CL and Chiba Lotte defeated Fukuoka in the PL. In the league championships, Hanshin beat Hiroshima to win the CL title while in the PL Orix bested Chiba Lotte.

[Cobra Mgr]

Does Dusty know it is game 7?

[Westheim]

...and the 2000 Stinkees remain the most recent team to successfully defend a World Series championship.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Stupid ruling by a stupid league.

He shouldn't have been suspended in the first place.

He shouldn't have been ejected in the first place.

Plus, they allowed the Rangers to get payback last night with the score ll-3, with zero mention of any type of penalty for Chapman. Kind of surprised Chapman had the guts to hit someone without a vagina. Then again, drilling a guy with a pitch on purpose is probably as gutless as hitting a woman, so maybe my being surprise is silly.

[Cobra Mgr]

What's the maximum you can fine a player from admiring a HR into a single?

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

What's the maximum you can fine a player from admiring a HR into a single?

Imagine that game ending something like 4-3 'stros after that.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Imagine that game ending something like 4-3 'stros after that.

He made up for it by stealing 2nd. So it wound up not mattering. But still......If you don't run, that ball better get over the wall, or as your manager you will get the highest fine I can levy.