(Montreal) In baseball, pitchers have always had the option of refusing a pitch made by the catcher. With new technology, the power is now completely in your hands.
In recent seasons, to combat signal stealing, pitches have been scored electronically between the catcher and pitcher. A small keyboard connected to a transmitter allows the two players to communicate well. Signals are only used in case of a technical failure.
New is that several pitchers this season have the keypad to call pitches directly instead of waiting for suggestions from their catcher.
“It didn’t surprise me to see that, but I’m glad they gave (that power) to the pitchers,” declared Éric Gagné as he received Canadian press at his home in Arizona. For killing downtime, there’s nothing better. When you have a solid plan and you want the game to flow better, no one is in a better position than the pitcher to do that. If you have to wait for signals from the receiver, you are wasting time. At first it was one-sided, but now it’s a dialogue and I think it’s great. »
BERNARD BRAULT PHOTO, PRESS ARCHIVES
Former pitcher Éric Gagné
Same story alongside Michel Laplante, who launched himself at the AAA level in the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos organizations.
I don’t have a lot of time to watch the games, but lately I’ve been doing it to figure it out. It’s interesting because most people think that the catcher is in charge and the pitcher doesn’t decide, whereas at the professional level they always make the final decision, except maybe in the last few years where some pitchers just said, ‘You have all the data, I got you on it’.
Eric Gagne
While technology makes things easier – and greatly accelerates the flow of encounters – it should not be thought that strategies for preventing signal theft are new.
“When I played, the pitcher had some control, adding or taking away tips by rubbing the mitt above or below the waist,” said Claude Raymond, who had a solid 12-season career with four major league organizations, including the Expos, between 1959 and 1959. and 1971.
“If your catcher showed a finger, for an instant, you could ‘increase’ or ‘subtract’ that code by rubbing your mitt against yourself. In the upper part of the range, to increase, in the lower part, to descend. Your fast can therefore become a curve if you rub your glove on your shirt once, or a change of speed if you rub your leg, to go down from 1 to 3.
always the last word
The fact that pitchers decide their pitches is nothing new. But Major League Baseball’s desire to increase the pace of games led to this “handoff” from catcher to pitcher.
“With pitchers who now have five or six different pitches, you can’t turn down signals two or three times,” notes Gagné, a Cy-Young Nationals winner with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2003. […] It’s very smart. You’re not changing the sport much by doing that. No one will take offense and it really picks up the pace. »
Raymond agrees… and shoots a small arrow at the batters, by the way!
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Former Pitcher Claude Raymond
Now they don’t have time to do this: as soon as the ball is returned to the pitcher, the timer slows down, he says about the new timer between pitches. Go faster. Everyone blamed the pitchers: we realized they weren’t the ones who delayed games. I always said that the hitters were most to blame: they were the ones who delayed games by leaving the area all the time!
Claude Raymond
If young pitchers continue to trust their catcher, more experienced pitchers will seize the opportunity to gain more control, our panel believes.
“The reason the pitcher decides is that it’s always better to make a bad call with determination than a good call without determination,” explains Laplante. The reason why you are playing, you should understand. If in an X situation, it would be better to send a fast, but I have a grip for the turn and I really feel, my shot with conviction (my turn) will have more bite than my throw with hesitation (the Fast).
“Because the pitcher is now the instigator, there’s no such hesitation. You weigh the piton and decide what you want. Pitchers who believe in them become even stronger because they have their plan in mind. »
Words that resonate with Gagné.
“If you, as a pitcher, intend to make a turn on the next shot and your receiver asks you something else, that puts a question mark in your head. If it’s the other way around, the receiver will understand that it’s a good idea! »
Laplante admits, however, that it takes a certain confidence, which he only acquired when he was 26 or 27 years old.
“It takes a good pig’s head to end your match as soon as you level up. Some do: guys who were the first choice all their lives, for example. The catcher adapts and the pitcher will learn the lessons he has to learn.
“Now where everything changes is when you go from one level to another, to AA, to AAA or to the Majors. You’ve never played these teams before, and your receiver knows them because he’s been there a few years. In that case, you will follow your receiver more. »
This can lead to some frustration.
“Sometimes you regret so much! You see your 108 shots on the bus or on the plane and you say to yourself, “Shit! That’s not what I wanted to play and I got hit! ”, admits Laplante, who would love to be in control of the keyboard.
Gagné also believes this new formula will be formative, a significant benefit to your eyes.
“It will also help with the learning of young receivers who know less about their pitchers. They will learn as they play. Communication between them will improve faster. »
Did Major League Baseball expect to accomplish so much with this keyboard? So far, it’s a circuit…
