I love baseball. It is such an amazing sport in all of it’s peculiarities and quirks. It is a stat driven game, with all sorts of numbers and analytics to give some perspective of what is happening and what to expect. Which makes it even better when that doesn’t happen. It’s beauty is in the details, the drama, the spectacle. It is hard to describe what I love about the game so much, but I will try.
The chess match of the pitcher and batter is such a dynamic duel. The pitcher (and catcher) decide on a pitch to throw, whether a two seamer, a four seamer, a sinker, a slider, a curveball, or a change-up, and then they select where to throw it. The pitcher then winds up and throws it, daring the batter to try and hit it. The batter then needs to decide whether they want to hit it, if it is going to be a ball and to take it or if the pitcher messed up the placement and left it out over the plate. Does the batter want to watch a few pitches to get a feel for what is being thrown or jump on the aggressiveness of a pitcher trying to blow a fastball right by him on the first pitch. Ah, the back and forth, the guessing, the strategy. The pitcher can try to climb the ladder throwing faster and faster and slowly going up in the zone. The pitcher can try going in and out and mess with the perception of the batter. The batter can reach out of the strike zone and get a good swing on a wide ball. I could go on and on of all the peculiarities and strategy going on with every pitch.
Then there is the fielding. The 7 guys behind the pitcher (and the catcher in front) who try to keep a hit ball from getting the batter on base. The beauty of a diving catch or turning a double play. Chasing a foul ball into the stands or the cut off jumping a toss to catch someone getting greedy on the base paths. The cat and mouse game of a base runner and the pitcher, trying to get a strong lead off while not getting thrown out for straying too far. Intentionally walking a batter to get the force out. Stealing a homer from over the fence.
Then you get the base running, the guy who goes first to third on a single or the runner who goes in hard to second to try and break up the double play. The suicide squeeze or the double steal. Sending the runners on a full count because you trust the guy at the plate will walk or put the bat on the ball. The art of deciding whether to tag up on a borderline fly or advance in case it isn’t caught. Trying to beat the throw after a deep fly.
Finally there is the epic strategy of the two managers. Do you pull your pitcher who is having a great game because he is up to bat with two guys on or do you let him hit and keep him pitching? Do you keep the lefty in to face a right handed hitter because two lefties are behind him? Double switch? Put the pitcher in left so you can use him for the next batter? Do you go with the hot bat or the guy who is hitting good against righties? Is it time to switch the big bats in the field for the guys who are better with the glove?
In what other sport can a team always have a chance of winning? It doesn’t matter if you are down by 1 or 5, until you get the last out, you always have a chance of winning. And this fact, alone, creates some of the greatest drama in sports. The day to day struggles of each team who need to rest their stars because they haven’t had a day off for 2 weeks. Ah, I could go on and on about all these beautiful bits that make baseball such an amazing game to watch. sigh