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SPORTS Friday 28 September 2018
Whiff of offense:

Ks top hits, lowest

average since '72

By RONALD BLUM an all-or-nothing approach
AP Baseball Writer at the plate. And the .244
NEW YORK (AP) — The average for left-handed
most-heard sound at major hitters is the lowest since
league ballparks this year .242 in 1968, according to
was "Strike three!" Elias, diminished by defen-
A whiff of offense would be sive shifts placing three in-
nice rather than all those fielders on the right side.
nights filled with nonstop No wonder batters swing
whiffs. for the fences.
Strikeouts will exceed hits "Years ago, if a player had
over a full season for the more strikeouts than hits,
first time in major league they didn't get out of Class
history. The overall batting A ball," said Dan Duquette,
average has dropped to the Baltimore Orioles' ex-
its lowest level since 1972, ecutive vice president of
the year before the des- baseball operations, who
ignated hitter. Lefty hitters went on to suggest his solu-
— facing smothering de- tion.
fensive shifts — have fared "Ted Williams had some
even worse, with their low- good ideas: three balls and
est average since 1968, you go to first base; make In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018 file photo, St. Louis Cardinals' Francisco Pena, left, reacts after being
called out on strikes, as Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes looks on during the seventh
before the pitcher's mound home plate smaller so you inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, in St. Louis.
was lowered. don't have to defend as Associated Press
Starters throw fewer pitch- much territory," Duquette
es and hard-throwing re- said. game is, where the game starter twice and then get and the disabled list to ex-
lievers are changed more "It's something to consider, appears to be going, if the a lot of matchups: lefties on pand pitching staffs from
frequently. The game has because, really, it's an en- current baseball fans find it lefties, righties on righties." 12-13 to what in effect is 17-
transformed at a dizzying tertainment business, right? appealing, if they are inter- Scoring at 4.45 runs per 18 for many clubs. The sides
pace. That's what the fans want ested in the way the game team per game is down had an agreement in the
"We need to thoughtfully to see. It's a good place to is being played." only slightly from last year's last round of bargaining to
review the trends," baseball start the discussion. Who am No big league team had 4.65 and up from its recent expand the active roster
Commissioner Rob Man- I to argue with the greatest fewer than 50 sacrifice low of 4.07 in 2014, with from 25 to 26 from the start
fred said Wednesday. hitter that ever lived?" bunts in 1972 and no club home runs averaging 1.15 of the season through Aug.
Manfred looks ahead to The analytics revolution dropped below double per club per game, a de- 31 and to lower it from 40 to
a postseason featuring has metamorphosed this digits until Texas had nine crease from last year's 1.26 28 from Sept. 1 on, but the
20-year-old Atlanta star most traditional of sports. in 2005. This year, Toronto record. players backed out. Most
Ronald Acuna Jr., Boston, Innings per starting pitcher has five, Oakland six, and The "Three True Outcomes" teams would have carried
the New York Yankees and dropped from 5.89 in 2012 Boston and the Los Angeles have become the talk of another reliever.
Chicago Cubs and possibly to 5.38 this year and pitches Angels seven each. dugouts, front offices and "I think it would have solved
Los Angeles Dodgers, too. per start from 95 to 88 over No pitcher has thrown more fans: walks, strikeouts and an even bigger problem,
But much of the offseason the same period, accord- than two complete games. home runs. which is playing games
will be spent analyzing his- ing to Sports Info Solutions. The previous low for a lead- "People get locked into differently in the month of
toric changes. Pitchers per game for both er was four. one type of swing, and September," Manfred said.
There were 40,196 strikeouts teams rose from 7.68 to 8.34 James Shields with 11 in they're going to stick with "It was a trade that I was
and 40,098 hits through over that span, according 2011 has been the only it no matter what you do prepared to make at the
Wednesday, and Ks ex- to Major League Baseball, pitcher to reach double on the defensive side," said time I was doing the Basic
ceeded hits over a full with average fastball ve- digits since Randy Johnson Minnesota manager Paul Agreement. It was a trade
month for the first time in locity increasing from 91.6 in 1999. The game was far Molitor, a Hall of Famer. "I I'm prepared to make now."
April, then again in June mph to 92.8 mph over the different when Fernando think that's why the effec- One trend players and
and September. Before past six years, according to Valenzuela had 20 in 1986; tiveness continues on the management like: the
this year, the previous low Sports Info. this year's major league to- shift." average time of a nine-
differential for a full month "The players have been tal is 41. Manfred says changes are inning game has dropped
was in April 2017, when forced to adapt a lot over "You see the bullpen ear- understandable. to 3:00:35 from a record
there were 138 more hits the last few years based on lier," said Colorado's Carlos "I am not one to wail about 3:05:11 last year, helped by
than strikeouts, according the changes that are being Gonzalez, the 2010 NL bat- the use of analytics," he new restrictions on mound
to the Elias Sports Bureau. recommended to them, ting champion. "Back in the said. "You can't stop really visits. Trips to the mound
Strikeouts have set a re- that are being guided by day, the biggest thing for a competitive, smart peo- without a pitching change
cord for the 11th consecu- those not on the field. So pitcher was going the dis- ple." have dropped from 7.41 to
tive season, surpassing last the game has changed tance. You don't see a lot MLB and the union already 4.00. "I don't know if that's
year's 40,104. quite a bit," said players' as- of complete games any- have been talking. Their necessarily the criteria as
The .248 big league bat- sociation head Tony Clark, more. I feel like as a hitter, challenge is to decide much as has it adversely
ting average is down seven a former All-Star first base- you have a better chance whether narrowly tailored affected the guys on the
percentage points from man. "The question that if you face a guy more than rules changes will counter mound?" Clark said. "And
last year and a Steroids Era I believe we all need to two or three times. Nowa- changes, such as the use the commentary that
high of .271 in 1999, part of ask is based on where the days, you might face a of minor league options we've heard is no."q