Tag Archives: Jose Tabata

HBP

HBP. Hit by pitch. It gets the batter to first base.

In the The Bad News Bears (Walter Matthau version) on at least one occasion, Buttermaker asks Rudi Stein to allow himself to be hit by a pitch. It makes me cringe to remember it.

HBP. Hit by pitch. It gets the batter to first base.

Having runners on base leads to runs. A walk or being hit by a pitch can be as good as a hit. Crowding the plate may affect the pitcher in some situations. But the thought of intentionally letting a ball hit oneself … This could help explain why I played softball rather than baseball. Of course my speed that could only be tracked by a sundial may have played a role as well.

HBP. Hit by pitch. It gets the batter to first base.

When the bases are loaded, it also brings in a run.

My return to baseball continued tonight when I purchased the MLB.com Game Day Audio package and listened to tonight’s Pirates game. I started late and actually only heard the Pirates’ half of the final inning. A hit and two walks loaded the bases for Matt Hague with two outs. The fifth pitch from Rafael Dolis hit Hague and allowed Jose Tabata to score: a walk-off HBP.

HBP. Hit by pitch. It gets the batter to first base.

And when the bases are loaded and the score is tied and it is the bottom of the ninth, that run wins the game.

See you along the Trail.

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