intentional walks
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haverhill308
- Waterboy
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2009 6:49 am
intentional walks
In high school, is it required to throw 4 balls to intentinally walk a batter or does the ump just send him to first?
Re: intentional walks
Good question - and I have no idea.
I have watched the Hamilton, OH team in the Little League World Series [I really hate baseball, and normally don't ever watch it] both last year and this. I know they're 11-12 yr-olds - not high-school age - but they keep a strict "pitch count" in LL play, and have very specific rules about how many pitches a kid can throw before being relieved and how much mandatory rest he must get before he pitches again. Very good rules to protect those young, and still growing/developing, shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints from potential "overuse" damage.
If "pitch count" is considered as important at the HS age level, I can't imagine they'd make a pitcher "waste" 4 of those uses of his arm on a strategically "intentional" walk of an opposing batter.
I have watched the Hamilton, OH team in the Little League World Series [I really hate baseball, and normally don't ever watch it] both last year and this. I know they're 11-12 yr-olds - not high-school age - but they keep a strict "pitch count" in LL play, and have very specific rules about how many pitches a kid can throw before being relieved and how much mandatory rest he must get before he pitches again. Very good rules to protect those young, and still growing/developing, shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints from potential "overuse" damage.
If "pitch count" is considered as important at the HS age level, I can't imagine they'd make a pitcher "waste" 4 of those uses of his arm on a strategically "intentional" walk of an opposing batter.
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RHMS Baseball
- Waterboy
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:44 pm
Re: intentional walks
First of all, HS does not have pitch count rules.
Pitch counts are kept for safety reasons and to calculate effectiveness.
Every pitcher is different regarding how far they can effectively go.
Secondly, the automatic walk is just not baseball. LL has put the 4 pitch walk back into the rules so coaches will not resort to walking 10,11,12 year old kids intentionally. What kind of fun is that kid having. Being sent to first base every time he steps to the plate without any penalty to the opposing pitcher. The rule now forces a coach to use 4 valuable pitches to do the dirty work. I say dirty work, but actually I do think in the right spots, the intentional walk is a great strategy. Especially, when first base is open and less that two outs. It creates a possible double play and/or the force out at home plate.
I think HS has went back to the 4 pitch walk also. When I played HS, the point to first base rule was still used. I saw more than my fair share of those. A few times with the base loaded.
I am not a big fan of the intentional walk, however, I have used it upon occasion to keep my team in the game.
But, if an intentional walks is the best option at the time, then I do like the 4 pitch option. I have seen hitters hit an intentional walk pitch that got too close.
Another strategy I have seen LL coaches use is the have hitters swing a intentional walk pitches and take the count to 3-2. This makes the intentional walk a 6 pitch event and thus using 6 of the 75/85 pitches allotted.
Another counter strategy is to plunk or hit the batter on the first pitch and avoid using all those 4 pitches altogether. Save 3 pitchees.
Hope this helps.
Pitch counts are kept for safety reasons and to calculate effectiveness.
Every pitcher is different regarding how far they can effectively go.
Secondly, the automatic walk is just not baseball. LL has put the 4 pitch walk back into the rules so coaches will not resort to walking 10,11,12 year old kids intentionally. What kind of fun is that kid having. Being sent to first base every time he steps to the plate without any penalty to the opposing pitcher. The rule now forces a coach to use 4 valuable pitches to do the dirty work. I say dirty work, but actually I do think in the right spots, the intentional walk is a great strategy. Especially, when first base is open and less that two outs. It creates a possible double play and/or the force out at home plate.
I think HS has went back to the 4 pitch walk also. When I played HS, the point to first base rule was still used. I saw more than my fair share of those. A few times with the base loaded.
I am not a big fan of the intentional walk, however, I have used it upon occasion to keep my team in the game.
But, if an intentional walks is the best option at the time, then I do like the 4 pitch option. I have seen hitters hit an intentional walk pitch that got too close.
Another strategy I have seen LL coaches use is the have hitters swing a intentional walk pitches and take the count to 3-2. This makes the intentional walk a 6 pitch event and thus using 6 of the 75/85 pitches allotted.
Another counter strategy is to plunk or hit the batter on the first pitch and avoid using all those 4 pitches altogether. Save 3 pitchees.
Hope this helps.
Re: intentional walks
Thanks for the helpful info - but it mostly serves to illustrate and reinforce why I hate baseball!
Paper statistics always seem to count more than the actual playing [?] of an inherently boring game!
Paper statistics always seem to count more than the actual playing [?] of an inherently boring game!
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haverhill308
- Waterboy
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2009 6:49 am
Re: intentional walks
RHMS Baseball,
I intentionally walked a kid on Saturday. You would know the kid. It didn't go over too well with the kid. It got ugly for a little while.
I intentionally walked a kid on Saturday. You would know the kid. It didn't go over too well with the kid. It got ugly for a little while.
Re: intentional walks
Good caglewis. Stay off the baseball forum then.
Keep sending us score reports of boring sports like football and basketball.
Keep sending us score reports of boring sports like football and basketball.
Re: intentional walks
The Hamilton, OH Liitle League Team [the only reason I was ever on the Baseball Forum or even watched a baseball game on TV] was just defeated for the 2nd time and so are eliminated.Bozo wrote:Good caglewis. Stay off the baseball forum then.
Keep sending us score reports of boring sports like football and basketball.
I always forbade my children to use the word "boring" about anything [then just DO IT as required, or make or find something else interesting]; and I apologize for using that word. I will indeed stay off the baseball forum in the future. But are you being serious or sarcastic about my posting "score reports" for other sports? Should I, in your judgement, "stay off" sending those, too?
Re: intentional walks
You do a good job posting scores for the sports that you like. Stick to that.
Just stay off the baseball forum.
I don't like soccer, NASCAR or watching golf, but I don't get on forums and make fun of what people follow.
It is just whatever floats your boat.
Just stay off the baseball forum.
I don't like soccer, NASCAR or watching golf, but I don't get on forums and make fun of what people follow.
It is just whatever floats your boat.
Re: intentional walks
"I don't like soccer, NASCAR or watching golf"
So you do like softball! lol
Have a good school year coach.
So you do like softball! lol
Have a good school year coach.