Your 1 At-Bat

[SmokyBurgess]

Fantasy Time. You get 1 (and only 1) At-Bat in a Major League game. Describe how it goes.


Mine:

1967 in Busch stadium with Bob Gibson on the mound. I saunter up to the plate and take a few practice swings. Step in the box...and right before the windup I step out for a few more practice swings. Back in the box.......

Fast ball in my ribs. Screams (mine). Carted off the field. Immediately retire and become a CPA.

[Cardboard Junkie]

It would be bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, full count, and I hit a towering ball deep into center field as Crawford, McIntyre, and Cobb collide underneath, crumbling unconscious to to ground. An inside the park grand slam...wins the game and cinches the World Series!! Oh did I mention that through a strange quirk of fate and physics, I hit the homer off "The Big Train". Wajo!! Well if your gonna dream....dream big. Dave.:D

[EvilKing00]

1916 - batting vs babe ruth - take as many pitches as possable to make the moment last

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Against Daryl Kile. I want to see if that curve was as nasty as it looked on TV.

[steve B]

I can choose the pitcher? :D

Wakefield, or maybe any other knuckleball pitcher.

I'd most likely go down swinging on 3 pitches, but I'd only have a chance on a pitch under about 70MPH so a knuckleballer would be about it.

I took a few rounds in a 90+ batting cage once. 40 pitches and finally just barely touched one. Enough to hear but not enough to even deflect the ball.
All I could see was the ball leaving the machine, a white flash about halfway then heard the thump as it hit the pads.

That gave me a whole different outlook on the guys batting .125 or whatever. And an even different outlook on the better hitters.

Steve B

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Hitting at that speed is more reactionary. In college I had at bats against guys that threw gas. When I would talk about it with my family later they would ask you knew when to swing and when to take. I couldn't really explain it. You just do.

As to your point about guys hitting .125 - any guy in the majors is a beast. Even the guys who hit under 200 are usually the best player to come out of wherever they are from.

I can choose the pitcher? :D

Wakefield, or maybe any other knuckleball pitcher.

I'd most likely go down swinging on 3 pitches, but I'd only have a chance on a pitch under about 70MPH so a knuckleballer would be about it.

I took a few rounds in a 90+ batting cage once. 40 pitches and finally just barely touched one. Enough to hear but not enough to even deflect the ball.
All I could see was the ball leaving the machine, a white flash about halfway then heard the thump as it hit the pads.

That gave me a whole different outlook on the guys batting .125 or whatever. And an even different outlook on the better hitters.

Steve B

[steve B]

Hitting at that speed is more reactionary. In college I had at bats against guys that threw gas. When I would talk about it with my family later they would ask you knew when to swing and when to take. I couldn't really explain it. You just do.

As to your point about guys hitting .125 - any guy in the majors is a beast. Even the guys who hit under 200 are usually the best player to come out of wherever they are from.

That was the biggest thing I realized. That the guys batting under.200 could talk about seeing the ball, and the better ones talk about seeing the rotation. Mostly as I understand it a red dot for one rotation, and none for another. Red dot is the curve? It hardly matters since I know for sure I can't see either.
One of the hitting coaches has a reaction time test on his site........I think I have the high score.:o

Steve B

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Espn the magazine has a great article about seeing the spin of the ball in the current issue (bodies).