Is it considered ungentlemanly to foul off pitch after pitch purposely to tire a pitcher out?
I'll repost from my other thread:
I'm sure it would get annoying, but there's a certain level of skill in cuves to intentionally fouling off pitches, isn't there? In straight pitch we get very pissed off a player keeps fouling off (even though it unintentional 99% of the time), so if someone started doing it to me in curve, I might change my mind...
fouling off pitches to tire out a pitcher is part of the game....more like strategy... ask burnzky.. his pitchers never get past the 5th inning cause they throw too many pitches... it is part of the game.. and i think errors are as well...if they drop the ball oh well... if it happens with runners on base then by all means turn the double play... that is how it balances out...
the fouling off the pitches is a master skill that, if mastered, can turn the game in your favor early...the only situation where it is frowned upon and banned is when the pitcher is up, because we play that you have to throw down the middle to all pitchers....but otherwise, its all fair game
Glad to see the consensus agrees with me on this issue (unlike the bops thing). Clearly fouling pitches off is acceptable. If you don't like it then walk the guy.
To clarify Harlem World's position on this, we will usually foul off a couple pitches with the pitcher or a weak no. 8 batter to tire out the opposing pitcher, but never more than 3 or 4. If the pitcher is tired in the 5th or 6th and lost most of his curve, you can basically keep fouling off pitches indefinitely, which ruins the otherwise perfect pacing of RBI.
I'm also not sure how effective it is. Does the game actually keep track of pitch count for pitcher fatigue or is it done by hits allowed? A lot of times a pitcher will be pretty much cruising and then give up a couple of solid hits and suddenly be very tired, without having thrown many pitches. Anyone know how it works? Gantry, i'm looking confidently in your direction.
I agree- fouling pitches off indefinitely is annoying, but if for example clemens is throwing 95 in the 5th, i am going to try and foul some balls off.
I think pitcher fatigue is a blend of hits allowed and pitch count. But of course I will defer to Gantry for clarification.
I am a novice in all things pitching, so I have no clue as it concerns pitcher fatigue. I agree with Big_Apple, it has to be some combo of pitch count & hits. A good test would be to start a pitcher and give up 15 straight first-pitch hits and see what happens. More research needs to be done...
With my straight-pitch games I agree that 2-3 consecutive mid-innings homers will sometimes suddly drop a pitcher 10mph. It would be most interesting to know how it works...
once the pitcher is tired, i dont see the point in fouling pitches off... that would be annoying... if the pitcher is throwing gas, then fouling pitches off is good strategy... and part of the game.
im with gwynn....there is a certian point where the pitcher drops that 10 mph that he becomes hittable....you need to pounce on him then...when he starts throwing too slow, he gets the "knuckleball" effect going and becomes somewhat less hittable again...at least this is what ive found
I think Big Apple RBI Champ is a biiiyaaatch on this issue. It's not part of the game to foul off any more than 2 pitches after two strikes.
It's a paradox, you support the infield fly rule, and "gentleman's rules", but you intentionally foul pitches off, which clearly demonstartes no respect for RBI.
You can foul pitches off when you play RBI 2, but the at the next New York tournament, which will be hosted by myself next month, you can bet we'll be keeping an eye on that, and force you to bunt one foul on the third strike as a penalty.
I love how Byleven's No_No's quality posts all come at 4:20 AM. I agree with your take on the true gentleman rules of RBI.
In addition, you bring up something else that occurs on Tengen Field that is never seen anywhere else:
When a player bunts foul for the third strike in disgust, they quickly sprint off to their dugout.
What's up with that? Actually, now that I think of it--in the white cleats days of NCAA CWS's, some teams sprinted back to their dugout after a K.
I have lightened my stance on errors. I will accept accepting them as part of the game.
Clearly though, infield fly rule should be in effect. A gentleman would not drop an easy pop up and get a dp.
I still feel strongly about fouling pitches off, but I will respect the rules of Harlem when we play.
Are you planning on a weekend tourney or weekday night? It will be tough to get all the qulaity players there on a weekend, what with all the broads I travel around the coutnry to bang and shit.
I look forward to the announcement of the date and format of your tourney.
BTW, I developed a new pitch. That spells trouble for Harlem.