The New Ballgame: Understanding Baseball Statistics for the Casual Fan (14 page)

(25 years as manager)

Finally back to the action. Maddux might be able to get out of this jam.
He has to face the weak-hitting Treanor and the pitcher, Willis. A graphic
shows that Maddux has thrown 19 balls, 35 strikes, and 54 pitches. We're not
told anything more about this stat, but it could have been explained this way:
That's good command, but not extra special. Any pitch swung at is counted
as a strike, even if it was out of the strike zone and even if it is hit for a home
run. So the strikes should always be much higher than the balls.

Maddux, whose control usually is impeccable, walks Treanor to load
the bases with one out. Then he hits Willis with a pitch to force in a run
that puts the Marlins ahead, 2-1. A graphic shows us that Willis has just
moved into second place this season for runs batted in by a pitcher. It's
not explained, but yes, that's a run "batted" in when a walk or hit batsman
forces in a run.

The broadcast team-announcers, producer and stat-crunching support
staff-has struggled to wedge all the stats into relevant places so far, but they
are at their best in the top of the sixth inning.

With the game more than half over now, it's possible that Maddux' uncharacteristic control trouble last inning could be his undoing in an otherwise
well-pitched game. Hutton and Albert are all over that, and they've got the
numbers to drive home the irony.

Hutton notes that Maddux has hit two batters today, and both have figured in the Marlins' two runs. He also tells us that "Maddux had a stretch of
721/3 innings back in 2001 where he did not walk a batter." That remarkable
number received much attention then.

Albert: "Maddux has walked one Marlin today. He does not have a
strikeout. During his Major League career, he is 13r" on the all-time strikeout
list with 3,020; 1471' on the all-time walks list, with only 900 walks."

The Marlins' Cabrera then rakes Maddux for a double and the broadcast team alertly displays this graphic that showcases the NL's top hitters in
2005, two of whom are playing in this game:

Then, with Delgado at the plate, Hutton enhances the pregame stat:
"Eight straight years of 30 or more home runs. Only eight players have ever
done that for nine straight years."

Albert: `Barry Bonds is the record holder: He did it for 13 consecutive
seasons.

Delgado is out on a called third strike and Albert is quick to point out
that this is Maddux' first strikeout of the game.

With two out and Cabrera on second, Albert sets the stage for another
key moment by pointing out that the next batter, Encarnacion, has two of the
three Marlins hits off Maddux today. During this at-bat, the announcers observe that the velocity of Maddux' fast ball is in the mid-80s. Not impressive.
But in classic Maddux fashion, Encarnacion grounds out to end the Marlins'
threat.

Albert observes that Maddux' mere two strikeouts today is at odds with the
fact that Cubs pitchers have led the league in strikeouts the last four years.
On the other hand, one toss into the eighth inning, Maddux has thrown 88
pitches. None of the rest of this is explained to you: Apparently, if you are
watching TV baseball on a summer Saturday afternoon, you are supposed to
know that 100-110 pitches are the threshold for thinking about a relief pitcher.
You are supposed to understand that Maddux' current pitch count makes him
a candidate to complete this game. And if you remember his pregame stat grid
showing just one complete game all season, that would be noteworthy.

Pierre steals third base with two out and Cabrera, the team's most reliable RBI man, at the plate-questionable strategy made more suspect when Albert notes that "Juan Pierre has regained the NL lead with his 46th stolen
base." As he adds that the theft gave Pierre five steals in the last three games,
a timely graphic appears.

MOST STOLEN BASES / N.L. THIS SEASON

Hutton excuses what looks like stat-conscious selfishness by Pierre on
that last steal: "The Marlins have to manufacture runs, because over their
last 21 games, they've hit just six home runs, four by Carlos Delgado, two
by Miguel Cabrera." In fact, the Marlins' first run today was scored without
benefit of a hit in the inning and the second crossed the plate on a hit batter.