I’ve noticed that the home crowd always showers the pitcher with boos whenever they try to check a baserunner or actually throw to a base to try to get them out. While I get that its something you hope they don’t do to your team, everything the opposing teams does is against your team. Why single this move out for booing? This happens like every time! Why not boo strikeouts, or boo guys who are about the catch a pop fly?
Because the opponent’s pitcher is clearly stalling, or committing abalk. Just pitch, like Abner Doubleday intended!
Of course when YOUR team’s pitcher does it, it’s a brilliant strategy to keep the runner off balance.
As with nearly all things in baseball, the answer is “Tradition!”
Yeah, pretty much this. The booing intensifies on multiple throws to first or checks on a runner who is obviously not a threat to steal. The crowd wants you to get on with it already!
F.P. Santangelo, color commentator for the Nats, said that it seems like this booing has gotten more pronounced in the past few years. His theory is that fans are getting all set to cheer a hit and when the pitcher throws over, they boo to release the energy.
They’re saying “Boo-urns.”
Booing has replaced some traditional groaning. It’s a more directed form of complaint. This seems to be happening in many sports, football stadiums designed to magnify crowd noise, direct heckling and response in basketball. The players may not like it, but it’s making money for the owners.
What color are we wearing? Oh, booooooo, bad call!
Fans only do this on the second or third consecutive throw-over. The first, we let slide.
We do it because the pitcher is boring us. I remember being at a game and witnessing three pickoff attempts. The guy in front of me and I both yelled in unison, “The plate is that way!” So clearly we’re both thinking along the same lines - get on with it, already!