A comment by Bill James on his website (billjamesonline.com, $3 per month and well worth it) about tipping pitches and picking up on "tells" that I thought was really interesting:
"About 8 to 10 years ago, with the Red Sox in the playoffs, one of our coaches tripped to something that seems impossibly obscure, but which makes sense when you think it through. An opposing catcher (still in the game) would, when he settled himself behind home plate an instant before the pitch was on the way, would put his right foot down first, then his left foot down, then squat. But, WHEN THERE WAS A RUNNER ON FIRST, he would do the same when he called a fastball, but when there was a runner on first and he called for a breaking pitch, then he would settle himself by putting his left foot down first, then his right, then squat. It makes sense when you really think it through to the end. Somehow a coach picked this up, and the guys watched video and realized it was true and 100% reliable, so for the rest of that series, they knew when a fastball was coming or a breaking pitch was coming, with a runner on first base (and a right-handed pitcher on the mound.) We dominated that series because of that. It's actually one of the biggest issues with bringing a player to the majors: that in the minors, a player can get by with having a "tell", but in the majors he can't. So when a player first comes up, you have to vet every little thing that he does to make sure he's not giving anything away."
Great work by the unnamed Red Sox coach, and pretty interesting how the pitches were tipped by the catcher, not the pitcher. That made it easier for the Red Sox, as it didn't matter who was pitching, as long as he was right-handed and there was a runner on first.
Makes me wonder how often this sort of thing happens. It could impact games really significantly, and when it does happen, we almost never hear about it.
"About 8 to 10 years ago, with the Red Sox in the playoffs, one of our coaches tripped to something that seems impossibly obscure, but which makes sense when you think it through. An opposing catcher (still in the game) would, when he settled himself behind home plate an instant before the pitch was on the way, would put his right foot down first, then his left foot down, then squat. But, WHEN THERE WAS A RUNNER ON FIRST, he would do the same when he called a fastball, but when there was a runner on first and he called for a breaking pitch, then he would settle himself by putting his left foot down first, then his right, then squat. It makes sense when you really think it through to the end. Somehow a coach picked this up, and the guys watched video and realized it was true and 100% reliable, so for the rest of that series, they knew when a fastball was coming or a breaking pitch was coming, with a runner on first base (and a right-handed pitcher on the mound.) We dominated that series because of that. It's actually one of the biggest issues with bringing a player to the majors: that in the minors, a player can get by with having a "tell", but in the majors he can't. So when a player first comes up, you have to vet every little thing that he does to make sure he's not giving anything away."
Great work by the unnamed Red Sox coach, and pretty interesting how the pitches were tipped by the catcher, not the pitcher. That made it easier for the Red Sox, as it didn't matter who was pitching, as long as he was right-handed and there was a runner on first.
Makes me wonder how often this sort of thing happens. It could impact games really significantly, and when it does happen, we almost never hear about it.