Off topic: Pitching to Barry Bonds
I love baseball. I think about the game often.
If I was a major-league pitcher right now, I'd savor pitching to Barry Bonds. He's one of the five best hitters ever, the guy has no consistent holes, and I think it would be great to think along with him through an at-bat. Every swing is being carried live on ESPN. This is where stars are born.
Let's pretend for a second that I'm Joshua Beckett. I know he's in the AL. He's my favorite pitcher; I know his arsenal best.
Here's my attitude:
Nothing inside above the hands. Try to catch the low/outside corner with mid-90s fastballs. If I fall behind, throw outside curves and let him walk. If I get ahead, stay low/outside. 0-2, slider inside. 1-2, slider inside. 2-2, low fastball.
If a pitcher surrenders a homer, who cares? Hundreds of guys belong in that club.
If you make him look silly on a strikeout pitch, well, that club is more exclusive.
EDIT: Live cut-in on ESPN showed Carlos Zambrano (Cubs) working Bonds.
Sequence:
Outside FB, 93 mph, 1-0
Outside FB, 97, 2-0
Outside FB, 94, 3-0
Outside/low FB, 93, 3-1
Outside slider, 85, BB
Smart. With Alou out, what's the harm?
If I was a major-league pitcher right now, I'd savor pitching to Barry Bonds. He's one of the five best hitters ever, the guy has no consistent holes, and I think it would be great to think along with him through an at-bat. Every swing is being carried live on ESPN. This is where stars are born.
Let's pretend for a second that I'm Joshua Beckett. I know he's in the AL. He's my favorite pitcher; I know his arsenal best.
Here's my attitude:
Nothing inside above the hands. Try to catch the low/outside corner with mid-90s fastballs. If I fall behind, throw outside curves and let him walk. If I get ahead, stay low/outside. 0-2, slider inside. 1-2, slider inside. 2-2, low fastball.
If a pitcher surrenders a homer, who cares? Hundreds of guys belong in that club.
If you make him look silly on a strikeout pitch, well, that club is more exclusive.
EDIT: Live cut-in on ESPN showed Carlos Zambrano (Cubs) working Bonds.
Sequence:
Outside FB, 93 mph, 1-0
Outside FB, 97, 2-0
Outside FB, 94, 3-0
Outside/low FB, 93, 3-1
Outside slider, 85, BB
Smart. With Alou out, what's the harm?
posted by Jay G. Tate at
9:45 PM
1 Comments:
I'd throw the ol' HGH changeup at him, then follow it up with some anabolic heat over the inside corner where he won't be able to extend those pharmacologically enhanced arms.
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