Tavarez Pitches Gem in Loss, Matsuzaka Squeezed
It's true, folks. Julian Tavarez outpitched Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana tonight at the MetroDome, but still managed to take the loss, 2-1. The Sox stranded a discouraging twelve men on base, unable to push any across despite putting on a laser show on the warning track for the past two nights. Oh yea, and Tim Wakefield mananed seven innings of shutout ball last night when he should have been in quarantine.
Unfortunately, I don't want to talk about either of those performances. I'd rather talk about the guy everybody else is talking about: Matsuzaka. Specifically, Let's talk about how Matsuzaka is getting killed behind the plate.
When you watch a lot of Red Sox games, you tend to notice trends. Personally, I like to flatter myself and think I notice things that even the announcers don't always notice. Usually, I'm wrong, but in the case of Matsuzaka and the way he's been handled by umpires, I'm pretty sure I'm on to something. So, I mentioned it to a yesterday evening, and much to my surprise, he agreed with me (though in much more dire terms). Here's the conversation from last night:
Matsuzaka is getting squeezed. That, I am sure of. Despite the recent outcropping of command issues, there are repeated instances of him not getting knee-high or outside strikes that most run-of-the-mill major leaguers would get. So, either there's something fishy here or he's run into the worst luck on the planet.
One of the most repeated sentences from pundits and experts during the offseason was "How can a guy who's never pitched in the major leagues be worth $100 million?" They would then go on to explain the merits of paying somebody like Gil Meche or Ted Lilly way more than they're actually worth just because they're known commodities. The answer to their question is a little more complicated than the typical television or radio segment allows, and so it was rarely addressed for the general audience.
This feeling was repeated even by former players, who couldn't seem to comprehend rewarding a guy who hadn't put in any time on the way to the Show. In their eyes, Matsuzaka had to earn his new Red Sox uniform. At the beginning of the season, one of the analysts had something insightful and almost prescient to say prior to Matsuzaka's first start. What was that prediction? That when Matsuzaka shows up for his first big league game, he's not going to get the strike calls he'd used to getting. He's going to have to earn the favor of the umpires.
Upon hearing that, I though it was simple overstatement, but after witnessing his first couple starts, I'm beginning to think there may be something behind it. To be clear, there are a lot of things the Daisuke could do on his own to help his cause (not rushing, keeping the shoulder from flying open, not overthrowing from the stretch, etc), but it should certainly be noted somewhere getting screwed out of this many borderline pitches isn't common.
There's absolutely no way to prove this sort of thing, unless I somehow find a way to get my hands on the the strike zone charts from each of his starts. Even then, though, it would be impossible to say that there was some sort of informal hazing occuring, it would just be a series of coincidences. Matsuzaka has to respond by taking the higher road, by being the better pitcher and proving to his audience that he's not just a lot of hype. Do the little things, and eventually the calls will have to go his way.
Unfortunately, I don't want to talk about either of those performances. I'd rather talk about the guy everybody else is talking about: Matsuzaka. Specifically, Let's talk about how Matsuzaka is getting killed behind the plate.
When you watch a lot of Red Sox games, you tend to notice trends. Personally, I like to flatter myself and think I notice things that even the announcers don't always notice. Usually, I'm wrong, but in the case of Matsuzaka and the way he's been handled by umpires, I'm pretty sure I'm on to something. So, I mentioned it to a yesterday evening, and much to my surprise, he agreed with me (though in much more dire terms). Here's the conversation from last night:
CORNER: "Hey, is it just me, or is Daisuke getting squeezed by the home plate umpires?"So now I'm here to discuss this outlandish theory with you, my intrepid readers. The chances of Daisuke being the victim of racism on the part of home plate umpires is certainly within the realm of possibility, as not even the most idealistic among us can claim with any sort of legitimacy that racism is dead. However, I am here going to lean on the pride that major league umpires take in their profession and in their ability to call an absolutely neutral game. If he's the victim of discrimination, chances are it's less because of the color of his skin than it is because of his talent.
FRIEND: "He's absolutely getting squeezed. Carlos freaking Silva is getting more borderline calls than Daisuke is."
CORNER: "Wow, so it's not just me. Any thoughts as to why?"
FRIEND: "Racism."
CORNER: "Really?"
FRIEND: "Definitely."
CORNER: "Huh."
Matsuzaka is getting squeezed. That, I am sure of. Despite the recent outcropping of command issues, there are repeated instances of him not getting knee-high or outside strikes that most run-of-the-mill major leaguers would get. So, either there's something fishy here or he's run into the worst luck on the planet.
One of the most repeated sentences from pundits and experts during the offseason was "How can a guy who's never pitched in the major leagues be worth $100 million?" They would then go on to explain the merits of paying somebody like Gil Meche or Ted Lilly way more than they're actually worth just because they're known commodities. The answer to their question is a little more complicated than the typical television or radio segment allows, and so it was rarely addressed for the general audience.
This feeling was repeated even by former players, who couldn't seem to comprehend rewarding a guy who hadn't put in any time on the way to the Show. In their eyes, Matsuzaka had to earn his new Red Sox uniform. At the beginning of the season, one of the analysts had something insightful and almost prescient to say prior to Matsuzaka's first start. What was that prediction? That when Matsuzaka shows up for his first big league game, he's not going to get the strike calls he'd used to getting. He's going to have to earn the favor of the umpires.
Upon hearing that, I though it was simple overstatement, but after witnessing his first couple starts, I'm beginning to think there may be something behind it. To be clear, there are a lot of things the Daisuke could do on his own to help his cause (not rushing, keeping the shoulder from flying open, not overthrowing from the stretch, etc), but it should certainly be noted somewhere getting screwed out of this many borderline pitches isn't common.
There's absolutely no way to prove this sort of thing, unless I somehow find a way to get my hands on the the strike zone charts from each of his starts. Even then, though, it would be impossible to say that there was some sort of informal hazing occuring, it would just be a series of coincidences. Matsuzaka has to respond by taking the higher road, by being the better pitcher and proving to his audience that he's not just a lot of hype. Do the little things, and eventually the calls will have to go his way.
Labels: Commentary
Ryan Brodeur at 10:49 PM
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