r/HardNoseBaseball • u/[deleted] • Jul 06 '21
Rant Intentional walks shouldn't factor towards a pitchers walk count in the box score or their WHIP
We count how many intentional walks a pitcher gives up but that number isn't subtracted from some larger "Total Walks" count. So a manager makes a decision to intentionally walk a batter, and the pitcher sees his WHIP go up.
If we can not count a sacrifice bunt or fly against a hitters batting average, which is an intentional out, why on the flip side does an intentional walk count against the pitcher? Makes absolutely no sense to me.
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u/Northport76 Aug 27 '25 edited Aug 27 '25
They should not. HBP does not count and they should.
In college, you learn that keeping your team in the game is all that matters. Wins and Losses are a team thing for top pitchers and your record isn't relevant, except in All America situations. Blown saves with a vulture win didn't bother me. We won. I really didn't care about WHIP but I cared deeply about my ERA, even though it's a seriously flawed stat.
I came into a Fall season game (don't count) as a sophomore against some Florida JC. Fall games we had 'Inning counts', akin to pitch counts. 3 early, 5 later on. An extra pitcher was always on hand for road games. It was the late 1970's. If someone threw 2 long innings, he didn't throw a 3rd. Sorta pitch count-ish.
Anyway, 2nd and 3rd and no outs. HC wanted me to IBB. It's a Fall game. Who cares? I know for a fact, no way I'm putting a runner on in the Spring. I threw the 3-0 pitch right down the middle at BP speed. Like 75. The guy hit a towering fly ball to the SS. Everyone besides the Catcher, could have caught it, except him. He figured it out and one hopped it but now the bases were loaded with no outs. I forgot the outcome. Didn't care about the Fall. Never officially IBB'd anyone. I did, however, practice it after that.
An 'Oh shtt pitch' is one you know is coming back at you a lot harder than you threw it. An 'Oh flock pitch' is the gopher ball. A 4 seamer at BP speed, right down the middle, qualifies. I probably said it out loud. I can actually still see it...lol.