Let’s say a batter is on the verge of breaking MLB’s record for most home runs in a season, or something like that.
Would an opposing pitcher be considered a jerk for deliberately walking such a batter every time he has an at-bat, to prevent him from having a chance to break the record? Is there some unspoken obligation that you must pitch legit strikes to him so that he can swing for the record?
Ditto question for all other sports where such record-breaking situations may come up as well.
I would say a player has an obligation NOT to let his opponent break a record.
Take a batter with long hitting streak on the line. The pitcher has gotten him out so far, and now it’s the bottom of the ninth and the score is 12-0 (either way). To my mind, that pitcher has an absolute obligation to throw every pitch out of the strike zone precisely because he knows that the batter has put himself in the position of needing to swing at any pitch that’s thrown. That’s just smart ball. That’s even generous. If the pitcher doesn’t mind playing the villain in that spot, it’s perfectly ethical to give him an intentional walk without even giving him a pitch to swing at. After all, the pitcher didn’t put himself in the spot of not caring if he walks, the batter did. It was the batter’s responsibility to get a hit while the game still required the pitcher to throw strikes.
when i asked this a year or two ago when a MLB hitting record was about broken the answer was " if your not trying like hell to not be the one that the record is broken the coach is benching your butt "
Intentionally manipulating the rules (like intentional walks) to prevent the opponent from having the opportunity to break a record is poor sportsmanship, IMO. But, as with all “unwritten rules,” there will be players and coaches who see it differently.
And, certainly, there’s a certain aspect of, “I don’t want to be the one who goes down in history for giving up the record play” – for example, pitcher Al Downing was an All-Star, a 20-game winner in 1971, and had a 17-year career in the majors. About the only thing he’s remembered for is giving up Henry Aaron’s 715th home run, which broke Babe Ruth’s record.
Conversely, there’s the example of Brett Favre, who likely gave up an intentional sack to the Giants’ Michael Strahan to allow Strahan to break the single-season record. That, too, is questionable sportsmanship.
How does it help the pitcher’s team to issue a pointless intentional walk?
If I were pitching in that case I would ignore that a record was at stake. I think this would apply across any sport. I would hope that is how it is usually handled.
If it’s a close game, especially if the game matters in terms of getting into the playoffs, you play to win regardless. If that calls for an intentional walk, so be it.
If there is a large lead in late innings, intentionally walking someone who is close to a record is off the charts being a fucking asshole and not fair play. No gimmes but you try to get them out.
On the other side is steals. You don’t try to steal if the game is well in hand. An exception is made if someone is going for a record. They are allowed to steal at will. Ohtani will be granted that exception as he tries for 50 this year.
It doesn’t, really, which is why I said “if he doesn’t mind being the villain.” With a ginormous lead, in the ninth inning a walk doesn’t really affect the chance of getting back into the game. Probably best to throw four pitches two feet off the plate in that spot.
So the pitcher should disadvantage his team to be a jerk?
I don’t get it. The best thing for him and his team is to pitch to contact. You’re suggesting a near-perfect example of bad sportsmanship.
hmm maybe i asked it in one of the monthly MLB threads but my question was basically
"ok you’re in a game at the end or near the of the year that doesn’t mean a thing Someone trying for a record do ya just let him have it and the answer was basically "hell no " You’re supposed to be playing full tilt until the end and could get benched or worse for it "
Even then, there’s a difference between “playing full tilt” (i.e., trying to get him out, and not throwing him lollipop pitches) and “issuing intentional walks, even when they’re not a situationally appropriate tactic, because you want to deny him even the opportunity to break the record.”
If the pitcher’s team is up 12-0 and is for some reason still in the game (going for a shutout, no-hitter, etc.), he’s going to pitch normally to him. It’s more likely that a garbage reliever’s in the game, and he’s also going to pitch normally. Mostly just because everyone wants to go home.
If the hitter’s team is up 12-0, it’s more likely that the bench utility guy with the funny Instagram page is pitching, and he’s going to throw a bunch of eephus pitches, and everyone laughs when the hitter cranks one over the Toyota Tundra in the outfield.
That seems terribly silly to me. Downing is no more to blame for Aaron’s record than any of the pitchers who gave up the other 714 homers before he did.
This thread does remind me a bit of a game in 2002. Mike Cameron of the Mariners had a four-home-run game against the White Sox in Chicago. He hit his fourth home run in the fifth inning to tie the major league record. In the seventh, he was hit by a pitch, and I think the crowd booed. He came up again in the ninth with a chance to break the record, and the Sox did pitch to him. With a huge lead, Cameron did not swing at a 3-0 pitch (another unwritten rule). He hit the 3-2 pitch to the warning track.
If someone’s so good at hitting home runs that they’re edging up against a record for it, intentionally walking them is likely a pretty good idea anyway.
In Ken Burns’ documentary about baseball there was an interview with Ted Williams in which he talked about going into the last game of the 1941 season with his average just decimal places below .400. One of the opposing players said there had been a team meeting - they were told to pitch to him, but not give him anything. That sounds like the right approach to me. Play normally and play hard so he has to earn it. Which he did, quite spectacularly.
But suppose the game had been important, with a post-season slot at stake. Then what? I could see not giving Ted Williams anything near the strike zone in that situation.
That taboo seems to be fading away, and good riddance. You’d have to be an idiot not to demolish a get-me-over meatball in a that count, especially considering that umpires often make ‘close enough’ calls when it’s 3-0.
Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds both set home run records during the steroids era. In 2001 Bonds hit 73 home runs, and averaged more than one walk per game in every month from May to October for a total of 177. In McGwire’s 1998 record year he had 162 walks in 155 games. Both players actually had more walks in those seasons than hits.
Compare that to Aaron Judge setting the American League record for home runs in 2022. Judge had 177 hits and a dangerous .311 batting average. He was walked only 111 times during the season.
Clearly pitchers were pitching around both Bonds and McGwire even more than the equally dangerous Judge.
Going into the last game of the season Williams was hitting .3995…rounds off to .400. His manager gave him the option of sitting out the game so he would finish the season hitting .400.
Williams said “heck no” (or something like that and went 3-for-4 and .402.
That is the ballsiest thing I’ve ever heard.
I’ve read a lot about Williams and this was exactly on brand for him. He was a very tenacious person for good and for bad. A stubborn perfectionist. Everything he did, he did it as well as he possibly could. Whether that was hitting, fishing or flying a fighter jet. Often, this was to the detriment of his personal relationships.
So I’m unable to imagine Williams not playing in that last game. I have no doubt whatsoever he would rather have failed to hit .400 than sit on the bench. And I think he ended up with .406 for the season, yes? Yes, I just checked.
I watched a video to refresh my memory of the game. Cameron said that he didn’t want to swing at a 3-0 pitch in a game that was already a blowout; it was something like 13-0 in the top of the ninth.
So, swinging at a 3-0 pitch in a close game may be gaining acceptance, but it may be different when you have a huge lead.