D.J. LeMathieu wins batting title by sitting out final games instead of playing like a man.

Personally I believe the "batting title" should belong to the player with the most hits, not the highest batting average. We wouldn't be having this conversation if that were the case, not that it really matters. In my mind, Segura deserves such a title with his 203 hits, which is over 10 more than both D.J. or Murphy.

death2redemptions said:

Personally I believe the "batting title" should belong to the player with the most hits, not the highest batting average. We wouldn't be having this conversation if that were the case, not that it really matters. In my mind, Segura deserves such a title with his 203 hits, which is over 10 more than both D.J. or Murphy.

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WTF

death2redemptions said:

Personally I believe the "batting title" should belong to the player with the most hits, not the highest batting average. We wouldn't be having this conversation if that were the case, not that it really matters. In my mind, Segura deserves such a title with his 203 hits, which is over 10 more than both D.J. or Murphy.

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Stop being such a homer. If Segura wasn't a Diamondback, you wouldn't even have thought about or mentioned it.

And "batting title" is short for batting average title.
Segura won the hits title, just like players win the home run title.

D.J. LeMathieu wins batting title by sitting out final games instead of playi...

I feel like this happens relatively frequently? I know (because it impacted the Brewers) that Reyes sat out the last game a few years ago and I'm sure there are others. That doesn't make it "cool" in my book but I understand it. I have more respect for those that would play, sure. Also, Weiss did what the manager is supposed to do: say that it was his decision and protect his player. I'm too old to remember who won what individual award in any given year now anyway lol

I would have been more impressed if he had played. He JUST wanted to win the award, nothing more. Arenado was playing because he wanted to win the HR title (but Carter tied him). The Rockies were looking for something good to come out of this season, and I guess they settled on this.

Is this any different than a manager putting a guy first in the batting order to try and get a guy a few more ABs to win a complier award? I mean, baseball is actually being played (duh), but NOT playing a guy is part of the game too.

Still, gut reaction = weak sauce.

It's even more pathetic when you know the Ted Williams story. Arguably the greatest "cajones" story in the history of baseball.

From an article of the 1976 batting race from the royalsreview.com. I remember this and thought i'd share.

I'm teaching a course on the 1970s and the first assignment of the semester asked my students to analyze a magazine advertisement from the period. To make things a little easier, I picked up a box full of old magazines from a few Goodwills and a used bookstore. Probably ten yellowed copies of The Sporting News made it into the collection, and as such, I've been looking through them when I get bored. Thumbing through the 10/16/76 edition, I stumbled across a stunning story that I'd never heard before: the imbroglio surrounding the 1976 Batting Title.
The '76 batting average race was already noteworthy because two teammates, George Brett and Hal McRae were chasing one another for the title. Brett was 23, and was enjoying his second season as an elite player in the Big Leagues (he'd been ok, but not super in 1973-74). McRae was 30, and was in the middle of his peak. He'd post the best OBP of his career in 1976 (.406) and the next year he added power to his game, hitting 21 homers.
On September 26, McRae led Brett, .337 to .333. Brett was remarkably steady down the stretch however, and when the season ended, he was still at .333, thanks to a, you guessed it, .333 final week (8-24). McRae lagged however, going 5-23 (.217). McRae ended up officially at .332, decimal points (in many sense of the phrase) behind Brett.
But that's just the wide angle version.
As it happened, the title came down to Brett's final AB of the season. When Brett stepped to the plate in the 9th (McRae was on deck) if he got a hit he'd move ahead of McRae, if not, he'd stay in second. Brett flied to leftfield, and when the ball couldn't be caught by Steve Brye, Brett ended up recording an inside-the-park HR. Next up, McRae, who grounded out. Brett is the batting champion.
Now remember, this was 1976, so having the highest batting average was an incredibly big deal.
According to Joe McGuff's story in The Sporting News, titled, "Misplayed Fly Ball Clouds Brett's Title" (page 31)after McRae grounded out he "made two obscene gestures at the Twins' dugout and had to be restrained when Manager Gene Mauch came on the field".
After the game, McRae claimed that the Twins conspired to give Brett the title. Racism, McRae said, was the motivation.
McRae's claim centered on the argument that Brye was playing too deep (at Mauch's instruction) and that Brye likely hesitated on Brett's flyball, letting it fall.
Mauch called the accusations the "worst thing that's happened to me in 35 years in baseball" and the story includes a number of quotes from other players denying McRae's assertion. Cookie Rojas defended Mauch citing previous experience, but also said he "prays to God" that McRae's statement isn't true, which is somewhat ambiguous. According to the story, there was no enmity between Brett and McRae after the game. In fact, Brett also is quoted as saying, "I think maybe the Twins made me a present of the batting championship, and if they did, I feel just as bad about it as Hal does".
A few days later, on October 7th, Brett stated that he would like to share the title with McRae.
The story was further complicated by the fact that Rod Carew of the Twins finished third that year, finishing .331. Carew said after the game, "that's a bunch of crap when they talk about racial stuff."
I'm ashamed to admit I'd never heard this story and it appears that after a few years it went away. While researching this post, I noticed a few mentions of the game in late 1970s editions of Baseball Digest, but they touched only on the teammates and last game angles.
Here's what amazes me most: this story is buried on page 31 of The Sporting News. Just one more story in the stream of basic pieces that appeared in page after page. No cover tease. No editorial on page two. Nothing.
Can you imagine if this happened today? We'd be viewing replays of the flyball round the clock, with every baseball writer in America essentially required to weigh in on the issue. There'd be a pro-McRae party, to be sure, along with a vociferous party against him. There'd also be those simply arguing that the play might instead just be changed to an error. There'd be a really cool post someone analyzing the physics of the play, and comparing the fielder's position on that play as compared to similar situations. And, we'd also have quite a lot of "if McRae wanted to do something about, he woulda gotten a hit! Scoreboard!" And on and on and on. (For about three days.)
That crazy five minutes ended up being historically important, as it allowed Brett to win a batting title in three different decades (1976, 1980, 1990). Hal McRae, of course, would continue to burnish his reputation as one to fly off the handle. In 1993 a question involving George Brett produced one of the greatest meltdowns of all time.

*


LOL


I dont care either way, although its not something i would have done as a player or would ask my player to do if i were manager. it was a cheap move but im neutral about it.

This stuff happens every year. No biggy.

hive17 said:

I would have been more impressed if he had played. He JUST wanted to win the award, nothing more. Arenado was playing because he wanted to win the HR title (but Carter tied him). The Rockies were looking for something good to come out of this season, and I guess they settled on this.

Is this any different than a manager putting a guy first in the batting order to try and get a guy a few more ABs to win a complier award? I mean, baseball is actually being played (duh), but NOT playing a guy is part of the game too.

Still, gut reaction = weak sauce.

It's even more pathetic when you know the Ted Williams story. Arguably the greatest "cajones" story in the history of baseball.

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+1

Weak.

Hal McCrae video was hilarious. Obviously some underlying issues going on there.

DragonWagon said:

It's easy for us to judge him. But I know for a fact that if my employer told me to take a week off with pay to ensure that I would win the employee of the year and receive a huge bonus, I would gladly accept it. Plus, no one remembers second. Congrats DJ!

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Here here

The real question is this: who will win tonight's Giants-Mets game? MadBum vs Thor. Gonna be a game-for-the-ages.

I'm fine with it. If I'm playing someone in Progressive Rummy and I am winning by more than 55 points in the last hand then I can take a all 5 pointers and not worry about the hand and still win.

Hawk8 said:

I'm fine with it. If I'm playing someone in Progressive Rummy and I am winning by more than 55 points in the last hand then I can take a all 5 pointers and not worry about the hand and still win.

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But if you sat out before the game ended you would be forfitting...

Ryan

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Hawk8 said:

I'm fine with it. If I'm playing someone in Progressive Rummy and I am winning by more than 55 points in the last hand then I can take a all 5 pointers and not worry about the hand and still win.

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Please turn in you man card

RStadlerASU22 said:

But if you sat out before the game ended you would be forfitting...

Ryan

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That means I would have quit the game, good thing he didn't quit the game


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George_Calfas said:

Please turn in you man card

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You took that away from me a long time ago George


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Hawk8 said:

You took that away from me a long time ago George


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Fine, relinquish your Andre Dawson Lesiure suit

Hawk8 said:

That means I would have quit the game, good thing he didn't quit the game


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If you're not in the lineup you have stopped trying. We will differ like GC (but I agree with him, the man card is gone with the comparison you made) and I do. It's a bit$h move. Blame the team, the coach, the player, whoever. I don't like it.

Ryan

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George_Calfas said:

Fine, relinquish your Andre Dawson Lesiure suit

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Okay, you have changed my opinion, just don't take my Andre Dawson leisure suit


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