13
votes
Accepted
What is a balk?
Balk
From MLB.com
A balk occurs when a pitcher makes an illegal motion on the mound that the umpire deems to be deceitful to the runner(s).
Exactly what constitutes a balk is summed up in section 8 ...
- 575
12
votes
Accepted
Is this a legal way to tag-up and run faster?
According to UmpiresMedia.com, getting a “head start” is considered illegal in professional baseball. Actually, it is listed in the rules you linked
Rule 5.09(c)(1) Comment (Rule 7.10(a) Comment): ...
- 742
11
votes
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New York Yankees logo
Both are.
The left logo is the official team logo since 1968.
The right one with the letters NY is the more famous one, because it's way older and they still use it on the caps and jerseys. This ...
- 5,247
8
votes
Is MLB Statcast data permanently archived somewhere?
The data are not generally publicly available, at least not yet. The stuff that is available can be found here:http://baseballsavant.com/pitchfx_search.php. I don't know how "permanent" it is. You ...
- 81
8
votes
Does a pitcher receive an earned run if he makes an error?
No he doesn't.
Pitcher errors are counted alongside other defensive errors and are treated the same for the purpose of determining ERA. If a run scores as the result of an error, it doesn't matter ...
- 9,136
8
votes
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Baseball and DWar
The basic formula for WAR is as follows:
WAR = (Batting Runs + Base Running Runs + Fielding Runs + Positional Adjustment + League Adjustment +Replacement Runs) / (Runs Per Win)
Different sources ...
- 228
8
votes
Intentionally being struck with batted ball to prevent a double play
Both the runner who interfered and his teammate (the batter) are out, and any other runners cannot advance.
6.01(a)(6):
If, in the judgment of the umpire, a base runner willfully
and ...
- 1,657
8
votes
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Do MLB players wear new uniforms every game?
The answer is basically No, though there is no official statement of teams many articles I have read so far points out teams does not provide new jerseys to the players for every game. Uniforms are ...
- 6,454
7
votes
Accepted
Do MLB starting pitchers get paid per start or per game they are on the roster?
All Major league baseball players are paid at a daily rate equivalent to their annual salary; that daily rate is calculated based on the Championship Season, which is defined as the time from Opening ...
Joe♦
- 12.7k
7
votes
What team has the shortest "longest losing streak" within a season in MLB history?
Going way, way, way, way back the record is held by the Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869 with their undefeated season; exactly how many matches they won depends on which matches you want to count, but ...
- 23.9k
7
votes
If two pitchers pitch to the same batter, who is credited with the result of the at-bat?
You needed to look in rule 9.16(h). Rule 9 deals with the official scoring of MLB games. So based on the official rules at mlb.com:
(h) A relief pitcher shall not be held accountable when the ...
7
votes
Accepted
Why are combined no hitters so rare?
The simple answer is that there are very few chances for such a feat. Pitchers are usually replaced when they're being ineffective, not when they're doing a good job.
I'd say you'd generally need ...
- 6,141
6
votes
Accepted
What is the fastest pitch ever recorded in MLB?
It all depends on how you measure stuff. It's generally accepted that MLB's current tracking system (PITCHf/x) is the most accurate system available, and Chapman holds the record for a PITCHf/x ...
- 23.9k
6
votes
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Shouldn't they call it a fair pole?
It is probably to just keep with the same terminology. The lines extending from home to first to right field and then third to left field, are both called foul lines. Anything outside of them are ...
- 5,119
6
votes
Why are there no left handed catchers in baseball?
Well, there are a few downsides for left handed catchers, such as throwing out a base stealer at 3B, which would probably happen more often with a left handed catcher, but probably the biggest reason ...
- 2,057
6
votes
Accepted
What criteria does each batter in baseball's batting order have?
Traditional
1 - High OBP/Speed
This guy should have a high chance of getting on base. You want to get your guys on base so the later hitters have a chance to drive in runs.
2 - Contact/Bunt
This ...
- 2,057
6
votes
Accepted
Number of baseballs used in a major league baseball game?
This question doesn't have an exact answer but there are many articles which suggest, for a particular (9 innings) game , on avergage 8 to 10 dozen baseballs are used.
From old.post-gazette.com ...
- 6,454
6
votes
Accepted
How does the runner placed at second base in extra innings affect Earned Run Average?
It doesn't. The scored run is considered unearned.
A news article on MLB's own website describes the effect on scoring:
For purposes of calculating earned runs, the runner who begins an inning on ...
Nij♦
- 7,920
5
votes
How do MLB Managers do the lineup card on Jackie Robinson Day?
According to multiple sources I've seen, they don't even put jersey numbers on the lineup card, so I don't believe they put anything even on Jackie Robinson day. Here is a picture of a game used card ...
- 2,057
5
votes
Why did Game 1 of the 2015 ALDS have a start time that depended on another game?
Likely, the Houston Texans game Thursday night was the reason. That game stated at 8:25 ET, and while baseball games usually take three hours or so, most likely they wanted a bit of extra time to ...
Joe♦
- 12.7k
5
votes
A False Out Call by an Umpire
The original ‘out’ call on the play is correct according to the “Abandoning the basepath” ruling. The out call is somewhat subjective in that the umpire must determine if the runner is “abandoning ...
- 742
5
votes
Accepted
Is a squeeze bunt with a runner on third and one out a good play?
According to Baseball Reference, in 2016 there were 127 plate appearances containing sacrifice Bunt Attempts at-bats with 3rd base occupied and 1 out (precisely).
Of those 127, 61 RBIs were recorded ...
Joe♦
- 12.7k
5
votes
Accepted
MLB closer with walk off hit
Yes, there actually has been a pitcher to hit a walk-off homerun. This took place on April 25, 1986. Craig Lefferts (a left-handed pitcher and batter) hit a walk off homerun in the 12th inning while ...
- 306
5
votes
Accepted
What are the odds of seeing a grand slam in baseball
Offensive statistics rise and fall over time. So to make things easier, I'm just going to look at figures since 2001. (2000 seems to be a bit of an outlier)
Baseball Almanac has grand slam totals ...
- 6,141
5
votes
Accepted
What is "baseball’s magic twelve-letter word"?
Without wanting to bowdlerise it too much... it starts with "mother" and the next letter is an "f".
- 23.9k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible