Playoff baseball is great. Because
Playoff baseball is great. Because of the way the sport is played,
initiated by a one on one confrontation of pitcher and batter, it
provides the type of focused drama that is lacking in, say, a sport
like football.
I'm usually not a fan of letting starting pitchers throw 120, 130
pitches (it's a common precursor to season-ending arm injuries)
but in the playoffs there's something noble about it. Matt Morris
and Curt Schilling both stayed out there past 120 pitches, and
both went out firing with their best pitches. Morris with his knee
buckling curve to strike out Grace, and Schilling with his 98 mph
gas to blow away Matheny. That's baseball's equivalent of the
running back who's had about thirty carries plowing over one
linebacker and dragging another two yards for a first down in
the fourth quarter.
initiated by a one on one confrontation of pitcher and batter, it
provides the type of focused drama that is lacking in, say, a sport
like football.
I'm usually not a fan of letting starting pitchers throw 120, 130
pitches (it's a common precursor to season-ending arm injuries)
but in the playoffs there's something noble about it. Matt Morris
and Curt Schilling both stayed out there past 120 pitches, and
both went out firing with their best pitches. Morris with his knee
buckling curve to strike out Grace, and Schilling with his 98 mph
gas to blow away Matheny. That's baseball's equivalent of the
running back who's had about thirty carries plowing over one
linebacker and dragging another two yards for a first down in
the fourth quarter.