MLB No Hitters

[Lkristians]

Just watched Cincinnati Reds Wade Miley pitch a no-no, just 2 days after John Means from Baltimore throws one. 4 No hitters this season. Amazing!

[Fogducker]

The MLB is just not hitting this year! It has the lowest batting average among ALL the teams, and now they are wondering why that is!

Detroit's Cabrera, the former MVP, is hitting about 0.125. He had a hit, a single, the other day and they are making a big deal out of him tying "Babe" Ruth's hitting record. Detroit is resting comfortably in last place-------again. I think Cabrera, at $11 million/year, has about 3 more years to go on his guaranteed contract!

Fog

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Lkristians

Just watched Cincinnati Reds Wade Miley pitch a no-no, just 2 days after John Means from Baltimore throws one. 4 No hitters this season. Amazing!

Amazing. Last time there were 4 no hitters by this time was over 100 years ago. This may be the year of the pitcher again akin to 1968.

MLB has deadened the ball this year and it shows.

Originally Posted by Fogducker

The MLB is just not hitting this year! It has the lowest batting average among ALL the teams, and now they are wondering why that is!

Detroit's Cabrera, the former MVP, is hitting about 0.125. He had a hit, a single, the other day and they are making a big deal out of him tying "Babe" Ruth's hitting record. Detroit is resting comfortably in last place-------again. I think Cabrera, at $11 million/year, has about 3 more years to go on his guaranteed contract!

Fog

Francisco Lindor just signed a $341 M contract and after 25 games he's batting just .163, 1 HR, 3 RBI. I can't believe the Mets paid that much for a guy who never had 100 RBI in a season and is just a .280 career hitter.

[hairpuller]

Time to move the mound back 1.5 feet and make it an even 62 feet.

[buddyhu]

Originally Posted by hairpuller

Time to move the mound back 1.5 feet and make it an even 62 feet.

Agreed. Now that some pitchers are able to throw fastballs that average over 100 mph for the entire season (whereas Nolan Ryan’s fastest recorded pitch was just shy of 101 mph), something must be done to adjust the dynamics of the hitter-pitcher duel.

[Lkristians]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Francisco Lindor just signed a $341 M contract and after 25 games he's batting just .163, 1 HR, 3 RBI. I can't believe the Mets paid that much for a guy who never had 100 RBI in a season and is just a .280 career hitter.

New owner...wants to shake and bake! Let's Go Mets!

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by hairpuller

Time to move the mound back 1.5 feet and make it an even 62 feet.

MLB is using the Atlantic League to experiment with this. The mound was to be moved back 12" for this season.

[Jim Owen]

Amazing, yes. As Fog has pointed out, the MLB average has dipped drastically.

I think that many of the game’s recent changes might be key to this apparent phenomenon. First, analytics are employed by all the teams—infielders shift more often than I ever saw as a kid. Outfielders carry laminate cards in their pockets to see where they need to play any given hitter.

The current philosophy of hitting seems less about contact than it is about power. I think that fewer balls get put in play.

Years back, it was argued by some that expansion would ruin the game because there would not be enough quality pitchers for 26 teams. So it’s funny that we now are advocating moving the mound back. (It’s already been lowered since I was a kid—because of Kerbie’s teams ace, some dude named Gibson).

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Lkristians

New owner...wants to shake and bake! Let's Go Mets!

Larry, I know you're an Islanders fan but I forgot about the Mets... and here I am bashing one of your players!

BTW, I saw a Mets game at the old stadium in 2007 back when I was working in NYC (and commuting home on week-ends). I recall the new stadium being built on the other side of the parking lot.

[Caddy]

Originally Posted by hairpuller

Time to move the mound back 1.5 feet and make it an even 62 feet.

I have been thinking the same thing for the past few years. I am a traditionalist when it comes to baseball, but seems time for that with so many pitchers throwing 95-100+. Of course ending the launch angle swings would sure help.

[Lkristians]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Larry, I know you're an Islanders fan but I forgot about the Mets... and here I am bashing one of your players!

BTW, I saw a Mets game at the old stadium in 2007 back when I was working in NYC (and commuting home on week-ends). I recall the new stadium being built on the other side of the parking lot.

No worries, Dru. All in good fun! Yes the new(ish) Citi Field is near the footprint of Shea stadium...other side of the lot.

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by Lkristians

Just watched Cincinnati Reds Wade Miley pitch a no-no, just 2 days after John Means from Baltimore throws one. 4 No hitters this season. Amazing!

I watched the entire game as well and Miley was for the most part, just filthy. The bottom was dropping out of everything. He looked physically exhausted in the 7th but strong in the 8th. I was nervous in the 9th .

So curious in as much as I admire Wade Miley he is, by and large, a career journeymen. Solid when healthy but with him I'll take 6 solid innings, keep it close and be delighted. A no hitter never, never ever crossed my mind.

Happy for Wade Miley

[Jim Owen]

Originally Posted by Joseph Hanna

So curious in as much as I admire Wade Miley he is, by and large, a career journeymen. Solid when healthy but with him I'll take 6 solid innings, keep it close and be delighted. A no hitter never, never ever crossed my mind.

Happy for Wade Miley

Joseph,
That’s very true. I think a lot of no hitters have been thrown by surprise candidates who just happened to have one brilliant night when the stars aligned. Think of all the great pitchers who never threw one. Then think Bo Belinsky. .

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Jim Owen

Joseph,
That’s very true. I think a lot of no hitters have been thrown by surprise candidates who just happened to have one brilliant night when the stars aligned. Think of all the great pitchers who never threw one. Then think Bo Belinsky. .

Roger Clemens is another great who never threw a no hitter. He has two 20 strikeout games though. I still remember that night in April when he set the record... actually I didn't see the game but was excited when I read about it the next day. That was his breakout year.

[posternutbag]

There are several factors at play here (please pardon the pun).

1. The ball has been changed. It has been slightly deadened. This is reflected in the league wide decrease in BA on balls put into play, and in the decrease in home runs that have below average launch angle. Hard hit line drives that were driven out of the park in years past are ending up in the outfielders’ gloves. Also, the stitches have been raised. This is reflected in higher spin rates from pitchers.

2. This is the logical conclusion of major league analytics. Hitter’s salaries are based on OPS+, RBIs and home runs. Simultaneously, shifts are implemented on roughly 1/3 of all at bats. But hitters continue to try to hit the ball over the shift, and a lot of hard hit balls wide up in the gloves of the shifted infielder, who is playing something like a softball short fielder.

Some people will say that the answer is to ban the shift. The real answer is to hit the ball the other way. Admittedly this is made more difficult by pitchers who are taking advantage of a deadened ball and higher spin rates, pitching inside to force hitters to pull, but still, if you are a major league hitter, you should be able to hit the other way. The problem is, hitters aren’t paid for singles. It’s a viscous cycle.