Bean Balls
October 13, 2008I’ve been getting a lot of questions about brush back pitches, beaning guys, the unwritten codes of baseball, protecting your teammates, moving hitters off the plate, etc. First off, didn’t I tell you that it made for good TV? I just had the series mixed up. I thought the brush back action was going to occur in the Tampa/Boston series, not the Dodger/Philly one. Anyway, TBS and Fox are playing it up because it’s great for the Neilsen ratings, and as a fan you can’t deny the fact that it adds a very interesting dimension to the game.
So here is what I know about this part of the game. The first thing I know is that every player from the past will tell you that they knocked people down and drilled guys at will and that it was more a part of the game then than it is now. They make it sound like baseball was similar to the Wild West in that if you so much as looked at the pitcher wrong or took an overly aggressive hack you could plan on the next one buzzing by your ear. A real show down. This may or may not be true and it may or may not be true that those guys were tougher. I really don’t know, nor do I care. The reality today is that it’s part of the game and used as a tool for a number of different reasons. It’s also true that nobody will admit to anything because nobody wants to get fined or suspended. To preface all of this, I need to clarify the difference between a “bean ball” and a “brush back pitch”. Even though they’re closely related, these two terms don’t describe the same thing (even though they both basically accomplish the same thing). The brush back pitch is used more as a tool for pitching and getting someone out – as in straightening out a guy and then coming back with a slider down and away. The pitcher is using his command of the strike zone to brush him back, change the hitter’s eye and comfort level by straightening him, and ultimately coming back with an out pitch in a different quadrant of the strike zone. Got all that? A bean ball is a pitch below specifically meant to hit the hitter (preferably below the shoulders). It’s really quite simple. Here are the reasons guys get thrown at:
1. The hitter (or the whole team) is smoking hot and you haven’t been able to stop them. Whether its true or not, it’s kind of baseball knowledge that as a pitcher, you’ve got to move the hitter’s feet and get them from feeling too comfortable in the box by adding in the fear element. If you hit someone, you hit someone, but the goal of this pitch in this situation is to cool off the other team’s bats. Coaches love to preach this especially if they’re old and especially if they don’t know what else to say. There’s definitely is a kernel of truth in this thinking though. There’s something to be said about not feeling to comfortable in the box; however, pitchers get hit because they’re getting the ball up or not locating, period. This is precisely what you saw with Manny in Philly. He was (is) smoking hot and some coach got the wise idea that he was looking too comfortable in the box and the best way to cool him off was to knock him down or hit him. We shall see, but this thought process may have backfired and may well have been the momentum shift that the Dodgers need.
2. The other team is cheating and you’ve caught em. They might be relaying signs to each other from the bases, dugout, or on-deck circle. They may be peeking back for location as a hitter. Whatever the case, unwritten baseball code calls for a bean ball.
3. One of your teammates received a brush back pitch that may or may not have hit him. Retaliation. An eye for an eye. This is the latest development in the Dodger/Philly game and the cause for all of the hoopla. Oftentimes a brush back pitch will lead to a bean ball. Maybe even a bean ball war.
4. The other team is piling on the runs or acting inappropriately offensively. For example, they might be bunting or stealing with a ten run lead. In rare circumstances you might see a bean ball for an overly aggressive slide or bowling a catcher over. Again, baseball etiquette calls for a ball in the ribs.
That’s about all the reasons I can think of right now. The other thing to mention is that the decision to use this weapon can come from a few different sources. One, the pitcher is smart enough to realize what’s going on- the situation of the game, the past circumstances, protecting his hitters, the game plan- and act on his own. This is the legend of Don Drysdale. Baseball loves a pitcher who plays this way. The second way it might happen is if a veteran player tells the pitcher or the catcher that it’s time for this action. Finally the most common source for this decision is directly from the manager.
From a standpoint of actually hurting someone or trying to hurt someone, the bean ball is mostly hoopla. Most of the time its just boys being boys. It’s absolutely part of the game though – most often used as a kind of last resort weapon. The biggest problem with the bean ball and brush back pitch is that they’re volatile – nobody can predict what the end result will be. It may accomplish what you wanted or it may bring the other team together and backfire. There is one thing for sure about all the drama surrounding a bean ball….people love em. They light up the Neilsen ratings, increase the interest in the series, and add a fun element to the game. I’ll leave you with a Neil Leifer photo of what not to do if a bean ball war happens and a brawl ensues…happy viewing.
That is your most insightful post yet. Nice job. Keep up the great work.
Great post, Brent. Omar Vizquel would remind you, however, that writing anything bad about Jose Mesa in a book will result in several quality drillings in the rib cage…great blog, keep ‘em coming. Scott
Love the blog and everything that you are doing. I talked to Uncle Chris about Friday’s book signing, Jen and I are going to be in Paso so we cannot make it. Say hi to Dan for me, known him for awhile played against him in high school and college. Love the photography and I want to get into it, so the big question is canon or nikon?
Since you played the game as a catcher and were involved in MANY such instances can you please provide some personal experiences???? Names, dates????
In reply to Matt Shafer, look at the comment by sstoerck…I will at a later date share some of my personal stories about a bean ball incident: however, there is the unwritten rule that we don’t name names and all that!
jsaenz…I’ll say hello to Dan for you and buy a Canon…talk to Uncle Chris for more info on that.
sstoerck…good point, that’s a reason for getting drilled that I failed to mention. I’m sure messing around with the pitcher’s wife/girlfriend would be another reason for a ball in the ribs.
Thank you all for the comments…someone is actually reading this thing??!!! Keep em coming, and if you have any suggestions or things you’d like me to blog about, let me know. Brent
Brent, great insight. I agree very much with the old timers embellishment of their toughness. I listen to Mike Shannon talk about the old days as if there was a knock down pitch thrown every inning. It makes for great talk radio, and I love the stories, but I didn’t remember it as such. I am a Cubs fan ( no jokes please ), and I was an avid fan of Billy Williams from the mid 60’s to his retirement. I don’t remember inside pitching ( bean balls, brush backs, etc ) as being any more prevalent then as it is now. But, Shannon’s stories are hilarious!!
PS Tell Jim Corrington Hi.
I would love to have a dollar for everytime I heard a 70’s era pitcher say ” I’d rare back,turn one loose and run 12 thousand volts through that guy’s neck”
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Jose Mesa…
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about brush back pitches beaning guys the unwritten codes [...]…