Now sometimes a pitcher may choose to “walk” a player by throwing 4 balls; pitchers may do this on purpose if they feel the batter could hit a home run)
Could you explain that bit? The rest I get. Is a pitcher “throwing” a ball basically them deliberately pitching poorly so the batter can’t hit it?
Yes. When the pitcher and catcher want to intentionally walk a batter, the catcher will extend their glove hand all the way to their side, which is outside of the batter’s reach, and the pitcher will throw it to the catcher’s glove.
Yes. Its part of the penalty system. If the batter fails to hit a ball that they could have hit, they get a strike, and they get three strikes before they have to go to the back of the line and let the next batter swing: if 3 batters strike out, the teams switch. If the pitcher throws so poorly that the batter would not have been able to hit the ball without lunging for it, the pitcher gets a “ball”. Four balls means the batter walks to first base (and everyone else walks to the next base). Unlike batting, pitchers do not rotate when they accumulate three balls, because pitching is so physically demanding that switching them out is already a regular process.
Could you explain that bit? The rest I get. Is a pitcher “throwing” a ball basically them deliberately pitching poorly so the batter can’t hit it?
Yes. When the pitcher and catcher want to intentionally walk a batter, the catcher will extend their glove hand all the way to their side, which is outside of the batter’s reach, and the pitcher will throw it to the catcher’s glove.
Not having a ball in the game, per se, that seems like it should be illegal.
Though there’s an infamous “underarm bowling incident” in Australian/New Zealand test cricket that’s similar, was legal, but scandalous.
Eh. It’s part of the game. I believe it’s always been this way.
Yes that’s exactly what’s happening
TY!
Yes. Its part of the penalty system. If the batter fails to hit a ball that they could have hit, they get a strike, and they get three strikes before they have to go to the back of the line and let the next batter swing: if 3 batters strike out, the teams switch. If the pitcher throws so poorly that the batter would not have been able to hit the ball without lunging for it, the pitcher gets a “ball”. Four balls means the batter walks to first base (and everyone else walks to the next base). Unlike batting, pitchers do not rotate when they accumulate three balls, because pitching is so physically demanding that switching them out is already a regular process.