For those saying baseball, could you explain to me why you prefer it over cricket? I watched the Toronto Blue Jays play the Cleveland Indians earlier this year, and I fail to see what all the fuss is about. Taking away the spectical side of things (which admittedly is enjoyable) and judging it purely on the game itself, it appears to me to be completely bowler orientated: good shots often go unrewarded due to being hit outside the zone, runs are rarely scored and getting someone out is so common it's hardly celebrated. Contrast this with cricket: runs are constant, the conditions, wicket and weather differ from ground to ground and thus each match is very different, and a wicket is a genuine cause for celebration. Not having a pop in anyway, just interested to hear from baseball lovers what they believe baseball's merits are.
Spot on. I'm not a fan of the designated hitter though, even though my team is an American League team.Baseball is every bit as tactical as cricket. I LOVE cricket BTW.
In the same way as KP struggles against left arm spinners, in baseball they try and match the hitters against the pitchers, or vice versa. In cricket you have the slower ball or bouner, or swing, or reverse swing. All have their equivalents in baseball.
Fielding Managers move the fielding positions to suit the pitcher, the batter they are facing or even the particular pitch that they make. Or they change the pitcher depending on the upcoming hitting.
Meanwhile the manager of the batting team is signalling his runners and hitters with what plays to put on, to a far greater extent than the cricket team's manager or captain can do. Or maybe he'll bring in a pinch hitter or runner in a certain situation.
Cricket fans make natural baseball fans. Its a different game, but with very similar nuances and tactics. I strongly recommend watching a game with someone who appreciates it, same as an American ought to watch cricket with a proper cricket fan.
Baseball is every bit as tactical as cricket. I LOVE cricket BTW.
In the same way as KP struggles against left arm spinners, in baseball they try and match the hitters against the pitchers, or vice versa. In cricket you have the slower ball or bouner, or swing, or reverse swing. All have their equivalents in baseball.
Fielding Managers move the fielding positions to suit the pitcher, the batter they are facing or even the particular pitch that they make. Or they change the pitcher depending on the upcoming hitting.
Meanwhile the manager of the batting team is signalling his runners and hitters with what plays to put on, to a far greater extent than the cricket team's manager or captain can do. Or maybe he'll bring in a pinch hitter or runner in a certain situation.
Cricket fans make natural baseball fans. Its a different game, but with very similar nuances and tactics. I strongly recommend watching a game with someone who appreciates it, same as an American ought to watch cricket with a proper cricket fan.
They are called the "closing pitcher" and yes, they do. It's very much a tactical move, because baseball is played every other day and a pitcher's arm can't last for the whole 9 innings over a sustained series of matches.Yeh that all makes sense to be honest. I went with 5 other novices (none of whom had ever been to a game before), and none of us had a clue what was going on most of the time, despite being right behind the pitchers arm. Interesting to hear about the tactical side of things, that must have completely passed me by: do all teams have pitchers who come on and bowl just one innings? Because the game I went to involved one guy bowling 7 and another bloke only 1!
Yeh that all makes sense to be honest. I went with 5 other novices (none of whom had ever been to a game before), and none of us had a clue what was going on most of the time, despite being right behind the pitchers arm. Interesting to hear about the tactical side of things, that must have completely passed me by: do all teams have pitchers who come on and bowl just one innings? Because the game I went to involved one guy bowling 7 and another bloke only 1!