I find my self oddly invested in a weird Orioles statistic:

[Capt. Tuttle]

the Orioles have not been swept in a series since May 21, 2022, which spans 215 games, by my count.
What’s the significance of that date? Adley Rutschman made his MLB debut.
He may be the most important player in baseball.

 

[CA Monk]

Love weird, but essentially meaningless baseball stats. I wonder with the bases expanded from 18 to 21 inches if fewer people are being called out at first base? Is that 3 inch making a difference or maybe it’s only one and a half inches on center line. I always found it strange that Ballparks didn’t have identical Outfield fence measurements. Is there a level playing field? Yes, it’s just that the fences are of different heights snd distances.
I think major-league baseball has made a real long-term beneficial decision to use a pitch clock and keep the game moving. It was positively funereal before.

 

[Day2]

the Orioles have not been swept in a series since May 21, 2022, which spans 215 games, by my count.
What’s the significance of that date? Adley Rutschman made his MLB debut.
He may be the most important player in baseball.

It’s Ohtani.

 

[JustPherU]

It’s Ohtani.

It’s not Donaldson?

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

It’s Ohtani.

He’s the best, but his team doesn’t win.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Love weird, but essentially meaningless baseball stats. I wonder with the bases expanded from 18 to 21 inches if fewer people are being called out at first base? Is that 3 inch making a difference or maybe it’s only one and a half inches on center line. I always found it strange that Ballparks didn’t have identical Outfield fence measurements. Is there a level playing field? Yes, it’s just that the fences are of different heights snd distances.
I think major-league baseball has made a real long-term beneficial decision to use a pitch clock and keep the game moving. It was positively funereal before.

I used to win beers with this one: what are the six ways a batter can reach first base without recording a hit.

 

[samspann1]

I used to win beers with this one: what are the six ways a batter can reach first base without recording a hit.

Fielding error
Fielder’s choice
Walk
HBP
catcher’s interference
Strikeout + WP/PB

 

[DoubleDee]

It's a great time to be an O's fan. Adley, Gunnar, Felix... Just went to two against the Marlins last weekend. Feels a little different down there right now. Turn on the Sprinklers!

 

[donniesyracuse]

He’s the best, but his team doesn’t win.

They win more because of him

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

They win more because of him

As do the Orioles with Adley. In fact, they have never been swept with him on the roster.
I am not arguing that Otahni is the better player. Might go down as the greatest ever. Two different measurements.

 

[donniesyracuse]

As do the Orioles with Adley. In fact, they have never been swept with him on the roster.
I am not arguing that Otahni is the better player. Might go down as the greatest ever. Two different measurements.

Giving one guy credit for a team not being swept is stupid.

 

[DoubleDee]

Giving one guy credit for a team not being swept is stupid.

I get that. But perhaps they have not been swept because of how good they've gotten since AR has been called up. Followed by Gunnar last year as well. They are playing great ball.

 

[JustPherU]

Fielding error
Fielder’s choice
Walk
HBP
catcher’s interference
Strikeout + WP/PB

Wouldn’t catchers interference and fielding error be
the same thing? Catchers are charged an error on catchers interference.

 

[donniesyracuse]

I get that. But perhaps they have not been swept because of how good they've gotten since AR has been called up. Followed by Gunnar last year as well. They are playing great ball.

There are a bunch of other players contributing to them being better as well. Is the last penny that enables you to buy something for a dollar more valuable than the other 99 cents? Also, have there been no other changes to the roster since he joined the team?

 

[samspann1]

Wouldn’t catchers interference and fielding error be
the same thing? Catchers are charged an error on catchers interference.

That’s a good question - I can’t say that I know the answer

 

[CA Monk]

Fielding error
Fielder’s choice
Walk
HBP
catcher’s interference
Strikeout + WP/PB

As a pinch runner?

 

[JustPherU]

As a pinch runner?

Question is worded as how a batter can reach first base.

 

[Day2]

I get that. But perhaps they have not been swept because of how good they've gotten since AR has been called up. Followed by Gunnar last year as well. They are playing great ball.

I trust that everyone who thinks Rutschman is the most important player in baseball today agrees that Yadier Molina is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

 

[jncuse]

He’s the best, but his team doesn’t win.

That has a lot to do with the Angels second best starter (Griffin Canning) having a measly WAR of 1.0. Or their third and fourth best position players being Zach Neto and Mickey Moniak. Ohtani can't make ****ty players or GM's much better.

The Angels are 4 games out of the playoffs.. so they are still in mild contention. And that is solely due to Ohtani.

In fact Ohtani playing so well may hurt the franchise long term, because they may feel compelled to stick with him past the deadline due to the team hanging around the edges of the race.

 

[Day2]

Do you not think that has anything to do with the Angels second best starter (Griffin Canning) having a measly WAR of 1.0? Or their third and fourth best position players being Zach Neto and Mickey Moniak. Ohtani can't make ****ty players or GM's much better.

The Angels are 4 games out of the playoffs.. so they are still in mild contention. And that is solely due to Ohtani. If not for Ohtani, they would be at least 10 games out of the playoffs.

In fact Ohtani playing so well may hurt the franchise long term, because they may feel compelled to stick with him past the deadline due to the team hanging around the edges of the race.

Plus, the Orioles were only a fourth-place team last year. The lack of sweeps didn’t get them into the playoffs.

 

[jncuse]

Wouldn’t catchers interference and fielding error be
the same thing? Catchers are charged an error on catchers interference.

I see them as quite different, even though they are both errors.
In one situation you are putting the ball into play forcing the opposition to field the ball properly.
The other situation is an immediate dead ball.

While they are both errors, they are treated differently statistically.
If you reach base on an error, you are considered to be 0-1.
If you reach base on catcher's interference, you are considered to be 0-0.

 

[JustPherU]

I see them as quite different, even though they are both errors.
In one situation you are putting the ball into play forcing the opposition to field the ball properly.
The other situation is an immediate dead ball.

While they are both errors, they are treated differently statistically.
If you reach base on an error, you are considered to be 0-1.
If you reach base on catcher's interference, you are considered to be 0-0.

Catcher’s interference is not an immediate dead ball, you can elect to take the play if you wish. I do see your point in one being 0-0 as compared to 0-1 though.

 

[jncuse]

Catcher’s interference is not an immediate dead ball, you can elect to take the play if you wish. I do see your point in one being 0-0 as compared to 0-1 though.

I always thought catcher's interference was a dead ball. I learned something new.

 

[JustPherU]

I always thought catcher's interference was a dead ball. I learned something new.

Don’t remember ever seeing it, but yeah if it worked out where you ended up getting a double or even just putting the ball in play and the defenders threw it away and you got to 2nd you could take that result over the catcher interference.

 

[jncuse]

Fielding error
Fielder’s choice
Walk
HBP
catcher’s interference
Strikeout + WP/PB

This is the standard answer I have seen (and also used myself in trivia in the past), but I think it has to be altered.

Since we are discussing interference, it got me thinking that fielder's interference is perhaps not the same as catcher's interference.

So if the first base or pitcher blocked or grabbed the runner on the way to first base, that would be fielder's interference. .

So we keep 6 and change it to "Fielders Interference" rather than "Catchers Interference", or we create a seventh one.