Never EVER Walk the Lead Off Hitter.

The Baseball Gods are a very strict bunch. They have very defined guidelines that decide what constitutes quality baseball. They are also relentless. If a player crosses one of these guidelines, the vengeance is usually swift and severe. Case and Point. Last night, Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals was pitching a gem against the Washington Nationals. It was the 8th inning and the Nationals managed to scratch out a run to tie the game at 2 - 2. The momentum was swinging back to the Nationals as they took the field to start the 9th inning. Tyler Clippard took the mound for the Nationals to face the lead off hitter...

One of the most important rules held by the Baseball Gods is NEVER WALK THE LEAD OFF HITTER...especially when your team has just come back to tie or take the lead late in the game.
What did Tyler do? He walked the lead off hitter. Now, the Cardinals tried to bail him out. First, Felipe Lopez attempted to bunt him over to second. Instead, he popped the bunt up for the first out of the inning. Then, the runner at first was picked off by Tyler. (A another offense to the Baseball God's, but not as severe). So, the situation now looks pretty darn good for Clifford. He has two outs, nobody on base, and Ryan Ludwick is at the plate with a 1-1 count when the runner was picked off. All Tyler has to do is get this last out. But the Baseball God's wouldn't allow it. The very next pitch after pick-off, Clippard hangs a slider and Ludwick deposits it roughly 20 rows back over the left field wall. Cardinals win 3-2. Carpenter gets the win and Franklin gets a save. (This has nothing to do with my point except both Carpenter and Franklin are on my fantasy team...holler).

I'm not saying the Baseball Gods made him throw a bad slider. I am not even saying the Baseball Gods exist. What I am saying is that more often than not, walking the lead off hitter will come back to haunt a pitcher. Usually, it is the lead off hitter that scores. I believe the percentage is around 70% of the time. Granted, the example here has nothing to do with that. But isn't it interesting that some how things went foul for Tyler after walking the lead off hitter. If you're team has worked hard to gain the lead or tie the game, the best thing you can do is attack the hitter and prevent giving back that run. Late in the game, it becomes even more pertinent to hang a zero up after a great come back.

This story goes well with my over all philosophy on pitching. Always be on the offensive. Attack the hitter. Don't allow the hitter to ever be comfortable in the box. Throw strikes early and often and control the game!

Until Next Time!!


Image Source: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thearchnemesis.com/images/Baseball%2520Gods.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thearchnemesis.com/Baseball%2520Gods.html&usg=__O_mrdefMJlGnEnqQNE-5wDuWzmQ=&h=321&w=455&sz=45&hl=en&start=1&sig2=uzyOw_NIkboS8CeC-BmqCA&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=L2_Vd5up1Bq0qM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbaseball%2Bgods%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DWTG%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=l5n0S9OtI460tgPNvcmHBQ