How to Hit a Batter: Zito vs. Fielder

Did Barry Zito send a message to Prince Fielder or to his Giants teammates?

What’s My Point?

Barry Zito did hit Prince Fielder because of the walk–off home run.  But I believe he is sending a message to the league that the Giants care about how the game is played. I also think that Zito is teaching his young pitching staff how to hit a batter.

Why does it matter?

1. The Giants have a team that can win the NL West and Zito knows it.  The pitching staff is young, but Zito knows that opposing players take notice if they know that a pitching staff is willing to protect their teammates or the game.
2. There is no better way for a pitcher to get position players on your side then to hit an opposing player.  Even though this was not retaliation because of a Giants batter being hit, it still proves that any perceived disrespectful action will be handled with a message pitch.  This is HUGE.

Reasons to Throw at a Batter:

1. A player looks, yells, or points at an opposing player clearly showing that the game is secondary to making his point.
2. A player slides hard into a base late or with their spikes high where the result is not to break up a play, but to hurt the opposing player.
3. Any action that a player makes that causes fans to look at them instead of the play.  This could include hitting a home run and standing there too long or throwing your bat high in the air while you are watching the ball go over the fence.
4. If the opposing pitcher throws around a player’s head more than once.  (Once can be assumed that the ball just got away)
5. If opposing team hits your 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th hitter, or best player with a fastball in the middle of the back with the 1^st pitch.

Timing

Most important!!!!!  2 outs! Your team is winning by 4 runs or more.  Why?  After you hit this guy, the opposing team is going to be mad and you just gave them a motivator to fight back.  Also, winning the game is the top priority.  We will not give the opposing team a legitimate statistical chance of winning because of it.  The reason it is 4 runs is because that is the most runs possible with one swing of the bat.

MATH:

In 2009 the MLB On Base Percentage Avg was .333.

In 2009 the chance of hitting a Home run was 0.03

So the probability of 3 men getting on base in a row are 1/3 x 1/3 x 1/3 = 1/27 or 0.037

We multiply 0.037 (chance of loading the bases) x 0.03 (chance a person hits a hr) = 0.001 or 0.1% (one tenth of a percent)

Now you have to understand that I am using overall 2009 Stats and this is not taking into consideration anything but the “absolute” numbers. Obviously a power hitter has a better chance of hitting a home run vs. a power hitter who is playing hurt.  You get my drift. This math problem is to give you a general understanding of probability.  All you SABR guys can cool off now.

Try and hit him in the RIBS not the back, butt, legs…with a 4 seemed fastball. This is the only real way to send a message. I have been hit countless times in the back by a 2-seamed fastball and never once am I sure I was hit on purpose.  Of course, I must have been, but since the ball was sinking into me I assumed he just missed.

Once you hit him, you don’t look at him, you don’t talk to him, you don’t walk towards the batter, you don’t look at the umpire and throw your hands up as if it got away, you don’t argue with the umpire.  If you get thrown out you walk off the field…message sent.   If you do any of the actions mentioned you have switched the focus from sending a message to saying you “didn’t mean it” which is opposite of your point.  You want the opposing team to know you did it on purpose.

MOST IMPORTANT!

You do not hit a batter because he “owns” you.  You don’t hit a batter because you don’t like him.

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