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Zooky
I make chunk plays.
Olney: The stupidity of retaliation
A very logical and informative read.
I thought this on Earl Weaver and the O's was very enlightening.
Orioles Manager Earl Weaver discouraged his pitchers -- OK, knowing Earl, he probably barked at them with biting sarcasm -- with logic. If you retaliate, he told them, one of our guys might wind up getting hurt, and our guys are better than their guys. As a result, Orioles pitchers hit relatively few batters.
Here are the Orioles' American League Rankings in HBPs in Weaver’s first 11 years as manager:
1969 Second fewest
1970 Fewest
1971 Fewest
1972 Fewest
1973 Fewest
1974 Tied for fewest
1975 Fewest (the Orioles hit just 12 batters)
1976 Second fewest
1977 Seventh
1978 Fewest
1979 Tied for fewest
Sarah Langs of ESPN Research dug this out: In Weaver’s first 14 years as the Orioles’ manager, Baltimore pitchers hit by far the fewest hitters of any staff in the AL (the expansion Jays and Mariners, who played their first seasons in 1977, are not included on this list).
1. Angels 537
2. White Sox 502
3. Rangers 492
4. Red Sox 478
5. Tigers 475
6. Indians 458
7. Brewers 455
8. Twins 437
9. Athletics 435
10. Royals 412
11. Yankees 316
12. Orioles 274
And Baltimore was pretty good in this time, playing in the World Series four times. It won more games than any team in those 14 years, with a 1,306-885 record, a winning percentage of .596. The Reds were second, at .571 (1,258-946).
This is not to suggest the Orioles won because Weaver was a conscientious objector in the American League’s HBP wars. But what is evident is Baltimore was not hurt because the pitchers wouldn’t participate, and it is possible Weaver’s strategy helped to keep Hall of Famers like Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken and Jim Palmer on the field. The fact that the Orioles were not engaged in the retaliation meant there were almost certainly fewer situations in which some pitcher purposefully targeted a Baltimore hitter. (Although Orioles batters were hit their fair share in Weaver’s tenure: 469 times, or fifth most.)
A very logical and informative read.
I thought this on Earl Weaver and the O's was very enlightening.
Orioles Manager Earl Weaver discouraged his pitchers -- OK, knowing Earl, he probably barked at them with biting sarcasm -- with logic. If you retaliate, he told them, one of our guys might wind up getting hurt, and our guys are better than their guys. As a result, Orioles pitchers hit relatively few batters.
Here are the Orioles' American League Rankings in HBPs in Weaver’s first 11 years as manager:
1969 Second fewest
1970 Fewest
1971 Fewest
1972 Fewest
1973 Fewest
1974 Tied for fewest
1975 Fewest (the Orioles hit just 12 batters)
1976 Second fewest
1977 Seventh
1978 Fewest
1979 Tied for fewest
Sarah Langs of ESPN Research dug this out: In Weaver’s first 14 years as the Orioles’ manager, Baltimore pitchers hit by far the fewest hitters of any staff in the AL (the expansion Jays and Mariners, who played their first seasons in 1977, are not included on this list).
1. Angels 537
2. White Sox 502
3. Rangers 492
4. Red Sox 478
5. Tigers 475
6. Indians 458
7. Brewers 455
8. Twins 437
9. Athletics 435
10. Royals 412
11. Yankees 316
12. Orioles 274
And Baltimore was pretty good in this time, playing in the World Series four times. It won more games than any team in those 14 years, with a 1,306-885 record, a winning percentage of .596. The Reds were second, at .571 (1,258-946).
This is not to suggest the Orioles won because Weaver was a conscientious objector in the American League’s HBP wars. But what is evident is Baltimore was not hurt because the pitchers wouldn’t participate, and it is possible Weaver’s strategy helped to keep Hall of Famers like Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken and Jim Palmer on the field. The fact that the Orioles were not engaged in the retaliation meant there were almost certainly fewer situations in which some pitcher purposefully targeted a Baltimore hitter. (Although Orioles batters were hit their fair share in Weaver’s tenure: 469 times, or fifth most.)