
What it feels like to get hit by a pitch - DiabloD3
http://www.espn.co.uk/mlb/story/_/id/8195515
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eximius
The only major pitch hit I've experienced was in the side of the head, so I
was spared the immediate jolt and pain by simply having my next conscious
moment on the ground.

Also, it was probably going 50mph or something relatively low compared to what
this talks about.

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specializeded
You were knocked unconscious? That’s quite scary, I’ve always imagined the
helmets and low velocity prevent that :(

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Doxin
There's a difference between a lapse in memory and being knocked unconscious.
It's not at all uncommon to simply not remember the moment of impact and a
second or so after, whatever it is that's doing the impacting.

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analog31
Completely as an aside, I thought it was going to be about a sales pitch.

Something I'd note is that the major league pitchers are pretty amazing, but
I've gone to a few minor league games. In the minors (perhaps depending on the
league), a pitcher rarely lasts for an entire game, and their accuracy goes to
hell as their arm turns to rubber. Their last one or two pitches before being
relieved could go practically anywhere.

The hitters also seem aware of this, and become more wary as a pitcher gets
worn down.

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thatwebdude
There's still an idea of wearing the pitcher out in the majors. Of course, if
you're an ace throwing no-nos then you can routinely go 110+ pitches per game.
Most pitchers go about 60-70. The bullpen is stacked with varying arms and
pitch types to throw off hitters their 3rd+ time through.

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sharkweek
Someone more familiar with baseball than me - could you explain the "rules"
behind retributive "hitting the batter" with pitches? I've heard rumblings
that pitchers will intentionally return the favor when their own teammates get
hit. Anyone have any insight into this?

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trowawee
It broadly falls into two categories. The first, rarer case is trading
beanballs (pitches that hit the batter). Pitchers routinely pitch inside, or
close to the batter, to get him to back away from the plate (making it harder
to hit pitches that are on the side of the plate opposite the batter).
Sometimes, though, the pitcher's command isn't as good as he thinks it is, and
he hits the batter when he tries this. If this happens a few times (once or
twice can be an accident; more is seen as reckless/intentional), the other
team's pitcher might throw near or at a batter on the first pitcher's team.
Sometimes, in this case or the second version, the pitcher who throws at
someone is the person targeted for retaliation, but this is complicated by the
fact that, in one of the two divisions that compose Major League Baseball,
pitchers do not have to hit, which means you can't directly target the person
who is targeting your teammates.

The second, and more common, is a perceived violation of baseball's unwritten
rules. There are a lot of these, but they mostly boil down to "don't have too
much fun" and are exceedingly stupid. Things that are seen as violations of
these unwritten rules include:

\- Hitting a home run and watching it go over the wall

\- Taking too long to run around the bases after hitting a home run

\- Taking too long to go to first base after drawing a walk

\- Flipping your bat after a hit

\- Stealing a base while you're up by a lot or down by a lot

\- Bunting for a hit (trying to tap the ball with your bat rather than really
hit it) to break up a no-hitter (a game where a pitcher has not surrendered
any hits, a very rare occurrence)

Basically, pitchers are sensitive babies and they will throw a 95 MPH
projectile at you if you hurt their feelings by being better than them.
Sometimes breaking these rules will result in an exchange of hit-by-pitch
events (you hit my guy, whether arbitrarily "justified" or not, so I hit
you/your guy). Bizarrely, this is tolerated, but if the hitter decides he
wants retaliation in an equally violent way (say, by walking up to the pitcher
and punching him), this is considered completely unacceptable. I love
baseball, but it's a really dumb sport in some ways.

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fiatpandas
>Stealing a base while you're up by a lot or down by a lot

Never heard this one before. Up by a lot I can understand, but what's the
rational for not stealing when you're down by a lot?

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saghm
Not sure about unwritten rules, but it's usually not a very good idea anyways.
If you're down by a lot, you're going to need so many people to get on base
that you're going to have ended up scoring anyways, so it's generally not
worth the risk of an out unless you think that the risk of a double play is
higher than you getting thrown out.

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erik_landerholm
As someone that has been hit by a baseball hundreds of times...it's always
scary, rarely hurts that much, but when it does...it sucks!

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cafard
Years ago, a badly adjusted pitching machine put a batting-cage ball off my
left thumb. It was probably set for 60 mph, for I doubt I could have hit
anything faster. But batting-cage balls are made for durability, to hold up
under constant hitting by aluminum bats. In other words, they are damn hard. I
did not enjoy it.

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BrandoElFollito
> a courage that deserves our total admiration. It is what separates them from
> the rest of us.

I am not a native speaker and cannot find out whether this is a real statement
or sarcasm/humor.

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coolgeek
It's both - it is meant to be humorous, but it is a real statement

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BrandoElFollito
Thank you. In that case the authors need to seriously reconsider his
priorities.

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hourislate
Could the guy at bat who gets hit charge the pitcher and wack him with the
bat? If the pitcher can use the ball to try and kill you why would the league
punish you for trying to use the bat to hit the pitcher?

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gameshot911
Not using a bat as a weapon seems to be some unwritten rule of baseball. And
rightfully so IMO, a bat could end someone's career, and falls squarely into
'criminal assault' territory.

Consider it a MAD strategy if you will - if YOU use a bat, then that opens the
doors to someone using it against you(r team) someday.

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dafty4
Uhh, bad. It feels bad.

