On Sunday Josh Beckett of the Los Angeles dodgers became the first MLB pitcher to throw a no hitter striking out 6 and walking 2 while tallying 128 pitches. Over the past several years we have seen an increase in no hitters and perfect games in the MLB. Also overall batting average and on base have dropped. It’s tough to say whether an increase in the quality of pitchers or a decrease in the quality of hitters is the cause. However no hitters and perfect games are kind of flukes. Think about Phillip Humber had a perfect game a couple years ago.
I’m most likely the only one that remembers him because I picked him up in my fantasy league and started him in that game. 101 fantasy points and a win in my matchup that week he just became another name on a list that you look up every time another no hitter or perfect game happens. I mean how many perfect games were that memorable. Sure Larsson perfect game in the World Series and Yogi jumping into his arms after was and is one of the greatest moments in sports history. The thing is any baseball fan will tell you that they would rather take Felix Hernandez over Josh Beckett any game even though Beckett has a no hitter and Hernandez doesn’t. Consistency is more important when it comes to being a good pitcher in the show than being a name on a list that adds two names every year. I would take Tom Seaver over Nolan Ryan in any game because I would feel more confident in Seaver to get the win even the Ryan has 7 no hitters to his name. There have been plenty of great pitchers to have no hitters and perfect games, but there have been plenty of mediocre guys too. Congratulations to Josh Beckett for his personal accomplishment, but really he just won one game in 162 game season which might be the difference for a playoff berth for the Dodgers when it’s all over, but won’t really be a major win that will go down in history just like 95% of these games it’s a win just win. Sure it happened in a special way, but a no hitter win or a win 6 to 3 is the same in the only team stat that matters wins and losses.
by Jason Phillips
Of course May 31, 2012 18:23It’s not a metatr of hitting better with RISP.It’s the ability to hit the same with RISP.Meaning some players have the ability to stay calm and cool, and they do not change their approach to hitting as a result of the additional pressure. Things like expanding the strike zone or swinging harder than usual can make a rather big difference in a hitter’s results.This is pretty much true in all walks of life. Some people handle pressure filled situations better than others because they remain calm and level headed. On the contrary, some people get more nervous and things seem to speed up .Not something you can really teach either. People are pretty much preprogrammed the way they are. 2 0
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