Posted By:
prewarsportsI Led my high level league in hitting with a .459 average in 1997 and was scouted by the Kansas City Royals but tore my rotator cuff before anything could be made of it, competed against many future major leaguers (including the guy who gave up Bonds' #660) and I am officially saying, on the record, that there are SOME situations when a single is better than a home run. Bases Loaded, no outs, middle of a game. Get 2 runs in, instead of four, but now 2 players are on base, force the pitcher to throw uncomfortably from the stretch, dont give him the chance to shake it off, keep a man in scoring position and keep the inning alive. You will also force the pitcher to make more cautious pitches to prevent the runner from advancing too far and also be on the watch for a wild pitch. This all spells better pitches to hit for the guys at the plate. I am speaking as a guy with only a handful of career home runs in any league, and yes they are more fun for the player, but there are some situations where a single is better than a home run. While I never played a game of professional baseball, I know I had the skill to easily do so, at least in the minors. I think that qualifies as playing the game