quote:Originally posted by BobbleheadDoll:
My best guess is he is like most pitchers. Mad they gave up a freebie.
Bingo! Hitting a batter could be the difference between a W or L.
Experienced hitters know how to get out of the way, but sometimes the 92-94 mph FB with movement trying to go inside gets away from ya, not intentionally.
And sometimes experienced hitters WILL get in the way on purpose. You'll find this often in the college game, trying anything to get on base. I remember first time son my plunked a batter, I read his stats later he had been plunked 19 times halfway through the season he had been struggling.
My son never hit a batter until college. In HS, most batters facing a pitcher with 90+ velocity are more afraid to get hit than the pitcher being afraid of hitting one. Never should a pitcher want to hit a batter coming inside on purpose, the object is to move them back off of the inside of the plate to make your job easier. It's part of the battle that goes on between hitter and pitcher as to who owns the strike zone.
This year I saw a first, hate to say, first time he went after the batter intentionally, trying to plunk him on the back, not the hands, he missed, sending the message. This player had been bad mouthing our team, in our house. He was unfortunetly the pitcher designated by his teammates to make the statement. Everyone knew it was intentional but the umpire let it go, because I think he also felt the batter's attitude needed some adjusting.
I agree pia, posts tell a lot about a person. Who teaches a young player to hit someone on purpose?