MLB, red hot: high tension and pitched battles for dangerous pitches in the Major Leagues

The image has traveled much of the planet during these times and even attracted attention in the United States: a group of 40 people in sports uniforms fighting on a playing field and four judges watching the match. While the fight between the Saint Louis Cardinals and New York Mets players isn’t (far from here) the first of its kind in Major League Baseball (MLB), the image is one that one of the leagues refuses to show. . most ostenatious in the world (this year is expected to have revenues of 11,000 million dollars). All for a ball that doesn’t even hit a player, although there is a story behind it.

On Wednesday afternoon, when the eighth inning of the last game of series three on consecutive days between the Mets and Cardinals was played in Saint Louis, Cuban pitcher Yoan López threw the ball at a speed of 151.3 kilometers per hour. which exceeds centimeters from the head. of Nolan Arenado, designated hitter for the locals. Arenado got angry, pushed Puerto Rican Tomás Nido, catcher for the Mets, started yelling at López (“Do it again!”he told him) and approached him with the intention of settling the dispute by punches.

Players of both teams immediately joined as well as substitutes a mess where the blows don’t fly, although there’s no shortage of struggles, pushing and some martial arts keys. As a result of the clash, Arenado and Cardinals first base coach Stubby Clapp were fired. When calm returned to reign at Busch Stadium and López returned to the visiting bench, his teammates greeted him. The match could be completed and the local team won 10-5.

Hours later, MLB authorities acquitted Clapp, suspended Arenado for two games and his teammate Genesis Cabrera for one, knocking out Mets first baseman Pete Alonso during the season. of tole, though the Dominican received only one penalty game. In addition, the two were fined, as was López for his dangerous pitch.

Wednesday’s skirmish had a (less loud) prequel on Tuesday, during the eighth inning of the second game of the series and when the Mets were leading 2-0, a pitch from Kodi Whitley hit Pete Alonso’s helmet directly and tore it. The play caused New Yorkers coach Buck Showalter, and the players on the bench to ask for a penalty on the main umpire for Whitley, though it hasn’t been reached yet.

If Alonso did not suffer any injuries and was able to continue playing, it was due to the quality of the safety equipment. (in addition to the helmet, hitters often wear gloves and protectors on their arms, elbows, legs and ankles) and because the Cardinals pitcher’s ball is relatively slow, at 133 kilometers per hour, while the average speed of a straight pitch last season was 150.5 kilometers per hour. Anyway, The Mets ’first baseman has to undergo MLB’s concussion protocol.

In a league where advances in training techniques, increasingly meticulous analysis of statistics and detailed analysis of each play are moving to the limit of demand in duels with batters, pitchers are often forced their pitch toward the edge of (and beyond) the strike zone, an imaginary rectangle drawn over the home zone from mid-body to knee height. If a batter, despite trying to avoid contact, is hit by a pitch traveling out of the strike zone, he will become a runner and advance to first base.

The baseball, which is approximately 23 centimeters in circumference, weighs between 142 and 149 grams, consists of a cork or rubber core surrounded by coiled yarn and a leather cover with a seam. Slightly bent throwing that ball at 150 kilometers per hour from a distance of 18.44 meters (the distance between the pitching plate and home plate) can cause very strong hits.

The Mets are the second best team of 30 MLB participants in batting average this season (just behind the Chicago Cubs) and third in runs scored (behind the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies). That helped them become, so far, the team with the best record at the start of the season: 14 wins and 6 losses.

But it also led conflicting pitchers to maximize risk on their pitches. A) Yes, the New York team’s batters are the most hit this season: they’ve already received 19 hits. Six of those were in the series with the Cardinals, three came into the game on Wednesday and one, courtesy of Genesis Cabrera, caused third baseman JD Davis to leave the field with an injury to feet. It was all before the skirmish that López and Arenado had as protagonists.

Despite the impression that some of those who followed the series between the Mets and Cardinals were left behind, statistics indicate that the number of hits will be lower this season compared to 2021: as of Wednesday, the average of hit of batsmen per game is 1.14; while last season that coefficient reached 1.38.

Between May 16 and 19, these two teams will meet again in a series of four games to be played at Citi Field in New York. It is necessary to see if by that time the hatreds are already part of the past or if some dangerous ball will re -ignite the fuse.