As this MLB season heads into its second week, certain trends are still apparent. The game is seeing more strikeouts, walks and Home Runs than ever before. Unfortunately, that doesn't make for exciting baseball. If baseball is concerned about attracting more fans, the game needs to do something about it. Otherwise, watching an MLB game could be like watching a soccer game.
Back in 1968...
In 1968 scoring was down in baseball. Carl Yastrzemski led the AL in hitting with a mark of .301. The great Bob Gibson went 22-9 with an ERA of 1.12 for the Cardinals.
It got to the point that baseball had to do something. What baseball did was lower the pitching mound. The mound went from 15 inches high to 10 inches. While the move didn't have an effect on offense that PEDs did, it did help. Other things could be done to help offense now.
Are unwritten rules hurting hitters?
It would help if hitters got smarter. Apparently, the idea of putting the ball in play has become passé. Few players shorten up with two strikes so as to make contact. The Reds' Joey Votto and the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo are a couple of hitters who do shorten up and it shows in their relatively low strikeout totals. Teams also will put on a severe infield shift on Rizzo. Rizzo sometimes combats that by trying to hit the ball through the left side of the infield, or even (gasp!) bunting.
Reflective of the backward thinking of some MLB players is a situation that occurred in Sunday's Twins-Orioles game. With the Twins leading 7-0 in the top of the ninth, and Twins pitcher Jose Berrios working on a one-hitter, the Orioles' Chance Sisco had the audacity to beat a defensive shift with a bunt. After the game, Berrios, when speaking about the bunt, said, “I just know it's not good for baseball in that situation.” I'm not sure what Jose's frame of reference was for that statement.
Then there's Ted Williams
Baseball's last .400 hitter, Ted Williams was able to beat a defensive shift by virtue of unbelievable hitting talent. There are no Ted Williams' in baseball now. Hitters need to adapt.
A modest proposal, or two
A couple of tweaks could also help. One thing that suppresses hitting and makes games longer is the matching up of relievers against individual hitters.
If a pitcher had to face at least two hitters instead of one, that could help the offense a little bit.
An adjustment in rosters could also help. Teams generally carry 12 or 13 pitchers on their 25-man roster now. By limiting that to 11 pitchers, managers would have to go with pitchers a little longer and pitchers might have to pace themselves a little bit more.
Similar, but different
In 1968, something else was different. Scoring was low, but at least balls were being put in play. Bob Gibson, the pitching poster boy of 1968, put up an ERA of 1.12, but struck out “only” 7.9 hitters per nine innings." It was a different type of offensive shortage back then.
