Games » Detroit Tigers
Jun6Lee Judge
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We all know that Brian Bannister’s smart. In the seventh inning, he showed how smart. He retired Miguel Cabrera and Brennan Boesch on a total of three pitches. Remember when I talked about one-pitch leadoff at-bats and how they put the on-deck hitter in a hole he didn’t create?
Brian knew Carlos Guillen would have to take a couple of pitches just to extend the inning. Bannister poured a 91 mph four-seam fastball and an 89 mph four-seam fastball in for called strikes. Four-seamers are straight, two-seamers move. Four-seamers are used when the pitcher wants to hit a particular spot…or when the pitcher knows the hitter won’t swing.
Once Guillen was 0-2 and Brian knew he’d have to swing, he dropped a 79 mph curveball on him. That resulted in a groundball back to Bannister.
(Actually, I’ve got no clue if either of them was thinking any of this, but I bet they were. Reading the situation and anticipating what’s going to happen next is one of the chief pleasures of paying attention at a ballgame…not to mention irritating your buddies when you turn out to be right.)
Of course, if you’re a smart enough pitcher to know you can get away with a couple of straight fastballs down the gut (some pitchers continue to pitch fine), you have to believe the hitter is smart enough to know he has to take them.
Hitting it where it’s pitched…
Jose Guillen pulled a 93-mph inside fastball for a homer in the first inning. Presumably, the Tigers were trying to pitch him inside and didn’t get far enough in. In his next at-bat he lined out to center, which tells you the pitch once again got too much of the plate.
In the sixth they pitched him away. When that happens, a hitter is supposed to adjust and hit the ball the other way. When you pull, you hit the outside half of the ball; when you go the other way, you hit the inside half of the ball.
Jose was still in pull mode; he hit the outside half of an outside pitch (kind of like trying to punch someone who’s standing around a corner) and hit a weak grounder to third. When the pitcher can get you reaching for the ball, it’s hard to hit it with any authority (unless you’re named Vladimir Guerrero…so change your name immediately).
Steve Palermo…
I once again watched the game with Steve Palermo, about as good a baseball-watching companion as you can find (although I’m not sure what HE gets out of the deal). We talked about a lot of stuff including: how good a catcher Jason Kendall is and how there are fewer great defensive catchers since everyone is caught up in offensive numbers, and how getting steroids out of the game has made pitching and speed more important.
(Speed the talent, not speed the drug.)
Wood vs. Damon…
Blake Wood had a runner on first and two outs when Johnny Damon came to the plate. He walked him on five pitches. Steve pointed out that Blake needed to be aggressive with Damon since Ordonez was on deck and Cabrera was in the hole. It’s smart to go after the guy who might hit a single; the other two guys can put up runs in bunches.
You’re kidding me…
Saturday night, Jason Kendall and I discussed getting together Sunday morning to talk about catching. I asked what time and he said, “Well, I get here at 8:30.” That’s for a 1:10 start. That’s the kind of influence I hear he’s having in the clubhouse. If everyone else is getting there early to prepare and you waltz in at the last minute, it’s going to stand out like a sore thumb.
We ended up calling it off for now, because he had to go over the Minnesota hitters and put together a game plan for attacking their weaknesses. If you walk into a big league clubhouse at the right (or wrong) time (which I did), you can see the hitters watching videotape of the pitchers they’ll face and how they can be beaten.
Same for the pitchers: when you see a game, you’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg.
Bannister
Betancourt
Guillen
Good insight Lee. I am currently reading the book "Talent is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin, which you may have already read. The jist of the book is that what really seperates world class performers isn't so much talent as it is dedication and practice. Jason Kendall is one of those guys. What makes him a great catcher isn't so much his talent but his dedication to show up early and work late...doing the extras. It is paying off not only for him but for the entire team. I highly recommend the book!
Thanks. The book you mentioned sounds interesting. I think it helps to start with talent, but I've asked coaches over and over about this and they think talent without hard work is wasted.
Tony Gwynn talked about scrounging around to find guys that wanted to take extra bp with him. The winter I hit with George Brett only happened because everyone else was hitting two days a week and he wanted to hit three.
It's no accident that those guys worked that hard. The more I watch Jason Kendall, the higher my opinion goes.
I agree and it is good to see the Royals signing more players with that type of dedication...reminds me of the good ole days with Brett, White, McRae and others. You and I have a mutual friend with the Red Sox and when I hear what time he has to be at the ballpark to watch film and prepare I realize the dedication it takes to be a professional athlete you don't just show up and play or coach...particularly under the scrutiny of Boston. You are right it starts with talent but to truly be a top performer you have to go above the rest.
I am curious how the players have reacted to your evaluation system. Do they watch each day to see where they stand? Are they upset if they get a negative number? I like the system and it seems like an equitable way to evaluate. Any reactions from the coaches? Have they offered you a coaching slot!!? You have a heck of a coaching record!
Thanks. Like a lot of coaches before me, I realized the better my players, the smarter I coached. The credit for the team record belongs to them.
As for the Royals reaction: I'm not sure any of them have looked at the website. Several of them are aware I'm writing for the Star on-line and have agreed to help decipher some of the plays fans see, but a great many of them seem to feel there's not much to be gained and a great deal to be lost by obsessing over statistics, media coverage or fan reaction.
I'm not sure they're wrong.
I've only recently started going out to the stadium on a regular basis, so some of the players might become more aware of what I'm doing. If that happens I'll write about it.
The ex-players who have seen the website were more interested in the player profiles that were going to emerge than the scoring.
As a fan of baseball and in particular the Royals I like the articles. I live in Normal, IL so I don't get to see many games and reading your insight helps me better understand how the game played out. The paper only has room for the highlights and can't get into much of the strategy or an insider's view of the game...your article provides more of this which I like. Thanks.
Well, if you're from Normal I can figure out who our friend in common is. He's one of the guys who taught me to see more of the game.
I'll never be at his level, but the more I listen, the more I see. I'm wandering around the ballpark, asking questions and trying to bring whatever insight I've been given, back here.
I'm trying to pick a few interesting moments and describe them. The idea is that those moments will come up again and you'll recognize when they do.