Harold Kasselman's Blog - Posts Tagged "brett-oberholtzer"
A-Rod targeted
In Saturday's Astros game against the Yankees, Astros pitcher Brett Oberholtzer
gave up six runs in one and 1/3rd innings. He gave up two home runs including a grand slam to Brian McCann.
In the second inning, after serving up a home run to the leadoff batter, Oberholtzer threw at the mid-section of Alex Rodriguez. Umpire Rob Drake, promptly ejected the Astros starter on the grounds that it was a clear purpose pitch intended to hit Rodriguez because of the pounding Oberholtzer was taking.
After the game, to add insult to injury, the Astros pitcher was demoted and sent down to Triple A. In explaining the demotion, the Astros skipper A.J. Hinch said,
"We don't operate that way; we won't operate that way,". REALLY? managers don't expect pitchers to move batters back or even throw at them to make them uncomfortable at the plate? Ask Billy Martin, Dallas Green, Bob Gibson, Randy Johnson, Don Drysdale, Pedro Martinez,and scores of other players and managers who have regularly done so in similar situations. In fact, it's often expected by batters as well. So what's this all about? If he truly doesn't operate that way, he truly is an original. It seems to me the pitcher was demoted because he can't throw strikes and doesn't know how to pitch to big leaguers. If Hinch is serious, he may be breaking an unwritten rule of baseball. Let's see if he can live by his words.
If you would enjoy a novel about when a baseball custom such as a purpose pitch crosses the line to criminality, please check out my novel a Pitch For Justice on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Pitch-Justice-L...
gave up six runs in one and 1/3rd innings. He gave up two home runs including a grand slam to Brian McCann.
In the second inning, after serving up a home run to the leadoff batter, Oberholtzer threw at the mid-section of Alex Rodriguez. Umpire Rob Drake, promptly ejected the Astros starter on the grounds that it was a clear purpose pitch intended to hit Rodriguez because of the pounding Oberholtzer was taking.
After the game, to add insult to injury, the Astros pitcher was demoted and sent down to Triple A. In explaining the demotion, the Astros skipper A.J. Hinch said,
"We don't operate that way; we won't operate that way,". REALLY? managers don't expect pitchers to move batters back or even throw at them to make them uncomfortable at the plate? Ask Billy Martin, Dallas Green, Bob Gibson, Randy Johnson, Don Drysdale, Pedro Martinez,and scores of other players and managers who have regularly done so in similar situations. In fact, it's often expected by batters as well. So what's this all about? If he truly doesn't operate that way, he truly is an original. It seems to me the pitcher was demoted because he can't throw strikes and doesn't know how to pitch to big leaguers. If Hinch is serious, he may be breaking an unwritten rule of baseball. Let's see if he can live by his words.
If you would enjoy a novel about when a baseball custom such as a purpose pitch crosses the line to criminality, please check out my novel a Pitch For Justice on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Pitch-Justice-L...
