How possible?
Zero walks, one sacrifice fly.
He has reached base 22 times, all on hits, in 77 plate appearances (a weak .286 OBP), but sac flies are not counted as at-bats, so he has 22 hits in 76 at-bats (a .289 BA – that’s high by today’s standards).
Because of a high slugging average, Chourio has overcome his low OBP to post a very respectable .878 OPS – far above the MLB average of .696.
Trivia:
The batting average this year for all MLB is .235. If it holds, it will be the lowest in major league history – and that’s with no pitchers batting in either league! The current record is .237 set in the notorious 1968 season. The average has dropped below .240 only twice since the modern rules (overhand pitching from 60 feet away) were adopted in 1893: in 1908 and 1968. In both of those seasons, pitchers batted in both leagues, so this season is actually far worse apples-to-apples.
The Pittsburgh Pirates currently have a team batting average of .199. The National League record at the modern pitching distance is .212, set by the Reds in 2020. Excluding that COVID year, the record is .213, set by the 1908 Dodgers. The saddest fact of all: the current Pirates, despite the lowest batting average in history, are only one point lower than the Reds!
Over in the American League, the White Sox are batting .201 as a team, barely below the Twins at .203. The all-time AL record is .211, set by the 1910 White Sox.
Six major league teams are currently below that all-time worst .211 mark set by the 1910 White Sox. In addition to the four mentioned above, the Rangers (.208) and Mariners (.210) are also in contention for the futility record.
On the other hand, batting average is only one component of a complex formula for winning ballgames. The Cincinnati Reds, despite batting a measly .200, have the same 8-8 record as the St. Louis Cardinals, who are leading the majors at .287.
That’s interesting, especially since MLB largely eliminated the defensive shift in 2023, which you’d think would increase batting averages overall. Not to mention the fact that relief pitchers are now required to face a minimum number of hitters before getting pulled. Of course, many argue that batting averages don’t really matter that much anymore, it’s better to get on base and hit for power. A player like Luis Arraez can win three batting titles in a row, but is not really considered a star like Tony Gwynn was.
Glad to see all that research and focus on launch angle is paying off. What a joke.
Run scoring is not down. There are more runs being scored now than in the era from 1963-1992. To make an extreme example, the MLB average was .265 in 1980 and they scored 4.29 runs per game. This year the average has dropped to .235, but they are scoring 4.33 runs per game.
Bottom line, batting averages are not closely correlated to run production. Today the teams concentrate on “true outcomes” (let’s face it, that means “don’t swing unless you think you can uppercut it out of the yard”). We fans are not thrilled with the modern game, but it is a more efficient offensive strategy. Old-timey strategists threw away lots of outs (and therefore lots of runs) with sacrifice bunting, moving the runner, getting caught stealing, etc.
Seems like many pitchers can approach 100 mph now and they have increased spin rates. That may have more to do with the hitters’ troubles than anything else.
I don’t miss 10 pickoff attempts but I do miss the small ball, hit-and-run, pitch outs, suicide squeeze days
Of all the changes baseball has adopted recently, beginning extra innings with a runner on second is the one I dislike the most. However, a close second is limiting the number of times a pitcher can throw to first. I don’t enjoy it when a pitcher throws over a dozen times, but 2 throws are too few.
On the subject of batting average and shift, Jeff McNeil won a batting title because of the shift. He just had a knack for hitting the ball through the hole to the left of the third baseman. He did that so often, both I and the Mets announcers would wonder why they shifted on McNeil. I guess the (new) book said over-shift left-handed hitters, so they over-shifted on McNeil. I guess it is like bringing in a left-handed pitcher to face a left-handed hitter who hits lefties better than right-handers. I’ve seen the opposite thing happen, too. John Franco was a left-handed pitcher who was significantly more effective against right-handed hitters because of his screwball, but time and time again, I saw managers pinch-hit right-handed hitters against him. Anyway, Jeff McNeil’s batting average fell 56 points when the over-shift was banned.
Opinions vary. I love the Manfred Man)n). Extra-innings games were generally unwatchable. Too many good hitters had been sat and the replacements were all trying to hit 5-run homers. And if it was the last game of a series, you were then bringing a toasted bullpen against an opponent not having the same problem. Plus, if they were on the West Coast, I often was asleep by the end.
it probably doesn’t do anything to elevate the game but I do enjoy the occasional 15 inning game where everyone is playing out of position and utility infielders are pitching
One of my favorite memories of being a Mets fan was staying up to 3:58 am watching the July 4th (& 5th) Mets v Braves games in Atlanta. That game was started by Doc Gooden in his Cy Young year, but he had been lifted because of a long rain delay. I didn’t even start watching the game until almost 11 because I had been at a cousin’s barbecue until late. If I had been told the game wouldn’t end till 4 am, I’d have probably just gone to bed, but I kept telling myself, “One more half-inning and I’ll go to bed.” I wanted to see if the Mets would score in the top of the inning, then I wanted to see if the Mets could make it to the next inning. The Mets scored. The Mets scored 2 runs in the 13th, only to have the Braves tie. Then, in the top of the 18th inning, the Mets scored again. With two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the 18th inning, the Braves were forced to let their pitcher, Rick Camp (a career .063 hitter), hit for himself because they had depleted their bench. Rick Camp hit a home run on an 0-2 pitch.
The Mets then scored 5 runs in the top of the 19th inning. However, the Mets had depleted their bullpen. By then, Davey Johnson had been ejected, and Bud Harrelson was managing, at least officially. When Johnson heard that Harrelson was planning to have outfielder Danny Heep pitch the bottom of the 19th, he told him to get Ron Darling up. Darling came in and quickly gave up 2 runs, but finally closed out the game. The Braves then went ahead with their fireworks show for the roughly 5,000 fans that stayed till the end of the game.
I wouldn’t want to make a marathon like that game a regular thing, but they didn’t happen all that often. However, one of the best things about baseball is that they are possible. When they do happen, they can create wonderful memories.
The 40th anniversary of that game is coming up in a couple of months. I am sure the Mets’ broadcasters will have some things to say about that game. Keith Hernadez and Darling played in that game. Gary Cohen wasn’t a Mets broadcaster yet, but he is a lifelong Mets fan. The Mets are playing the Yankees, which is a shame because they should have scheduled the Braves for that weekend.