But what are the hitters thinking?
Jon Lester just wrapped up the first no hitter of his career, and the 13th at Fenway Park. (Ellsbury’s no-hitter-saving play can be found here.) It’s a pretty fantastic achievement, but the question I found myself asking as I watched the top of the 9th is not what was going through Jon’s head, but what goes through the batters’ heads, specifically the potential last out? It’s a 7-0 game, you play for the Royals, it’s pretty clear you’re not going to stage a 2-out, 7-run rally. Are these guys still legitimately trying to get a hit? What are the incentives to do so? Do you want to pad your stats? Would your teammates even appreciate it? Do you want to be the villain? Is that a role some players aspire to fill? Congratulations, you just broke up a cancer survivor’s no-hitter. You’re a gigantic asshole, but you raised your batting average by .001 in a contract year, so was it worth it?
I was especially curious when Tony Peña (I think it was Tony Peña) was facing a 3-0 count in the 9th. Generally, hitters take the strike in this situation. Was there ever any thought given to swinging on this “gimme” pitch? And what kind of a dick move would that have been?
I’d like to believe that the guy that represents the last out in a no-hitter situation just acquiesces and goes down swinging (or pops out, whatever). Usually the noble thing to do is not in the best interest of the person doing it, but in this case I think it comes at very little detriment to the hitter. What’s the worst thing that happens to the hitter? Another strikeout on his stat sheet? Big deal. Don’t be a dick.
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