Here’s an item that pretty much flew under the radar recently. Last Thursday night as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated Oakland, their catcher John Buck, as his manager Cito Gaston said, “… had a night that you can only dream of as a kid: three home runs in a ballgame.”
For someone with Bucks’ career numbers, Gaston’s comment could easily be called a gross understatement. Buck is a prime example that catching, like a lot of other specialty assignments (i.e. left-handed relief pitching), is always looking for good help. He is 6’3, 210 playing in his seventh season in the big leagues, but has always been just a guy, nothing special—decent defensively, probably below average offensively.
Prior to joining Toronto this year Buck toiled in Kansas City. Over the course of six previous seasons his best home run output was 18 in 2007. For his career to this point he only averages one home run every 26.67 times at bat. A threat to any kind of home run record he is not.
When I first heard of this outstanding feat by Buck, three homers in one game, my first questions was, “How about a little chin music?” The oddity is that Buck hit his round-trippers off of three different pitchers! Maybe I am a little old-school in thinking, but if I am the third pitcher coming into the game and this career .234 avg. hitter, who only hits a home run every 27 at the plate has already hit two home runs, I’m thinking about buzzing the tower, providing a little chin music, or brushing him back off the plate (insert your favorite choice here). There’s no way John Buck gets to settle into the batter’s box and be so comfortable that he has even the slimmest of chances to smack his third home run in this game.
It’s 2010 and the game of baseball has not changed terribly much from how we all knew it was played decades ago. But, to some degree it is a kinder, gentler game—as evidenced by Oakland letting John Buck have a shot at his third home run in one game. Buck’s batting average after that game, by virtue of a 3-4 night, rose to a “lofty” .194 and his season’s HR total from 1 to 4.
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John Buck has more homers than A-Rod and Teixeira...go figure
ReplyDeleteThe situations today ARE different from years gone by.
ReplyDeletePoint One...Buck hit his homers off three different pitchers-- not like old days when the starter was going 4 times through a line-up. Buck would have never had that opportunity to hit #3 off the same guy. I could certainly see one in the ribs back then.
Point Two... Toronto vs. Oakland isn't a rivalry. Different divisions (heck, different countries!). If this had been a game that was important within a natural rivalry (think Yankees/Red Sox) and the story is completely different. The mental edge is important when you play a team 18 times during the regular season. No digging in when you see each other that much.
Point Three... Lastly, easy way to avoid getting drilled in today's game is by getting around the bases in a timely fashion and not "cadillacing". Based on Buck's carreer numbers, I don't think Buck would have had the "balls" to do that.
Hope this helps explain why beanballs have declined over the years.