They’re pitching to Stanton, thankfully
Once it became evident that Barry Bonds was an unstoppable force — remember those days, when the Giants actually hit for power? — the opposition simply gave up. After posting the two highest intentional-walk totals in major-league history, he put the record out of reach forever.
All of which makes Giancarlo Stanton’s current season especially fun. Teams are pitching to him. They’re competing, not shrinking in terror. As it should be.
To refresh the memory, in the wake of Bonds’ recordsetting 73 homers in 2001, he was intentionally walked 68 times the following year and 61 times in 2003, each total well clear of Willie McCovey’s previous mark (45 in 1969). By 2004, the weak-minded word was gospel: Don’t pitch to Bonds. Astoundingly, he drew the free pass 120 times that year, to go with 112 conventional walks. That’s a record every bit as amazing as Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak or Cal Ripken’s 2,632 consecutive games played.
Imagine if Bonds had been treated like Stanton, who has drawn just 11 intentional walks in his pursuit of a 60-homer (at least) season. Even when Bonds was able to take his cuts, he generally got just one decent pitch to hit per at-bat. His knowledge of the strike zone was so acute, on top of his unwavering patience and discipline, that one pitch was all he needed. (Stanton, it should be mentioned, is much more of a free swinger.)
It’s one thing to be cautious about an opposing hitter, but quite another to surrender outright. “Walk Bonds,” the league said, collectively. “Walk him with the bases loaded. Walk him on the team bus. At the airport.” Far too many pitchers, lacking the fierce desire of a Madison Bumgarner, Max Scherzer or Clayton Kershaw, gladly bought into the deal.
With order restored against Stanton, let Dusty Baker explain the truth of the matter. “Nobody wants to run from anybody,” the Nationals manager told ESPN. “They will rise to every challenge there is. Don’t ask them to back down and say, ‘That guy’s so much better than me.’ ” Or as one of Dusty’s players, Jayson Werth, put it, “That’s why baseball is so great and so pure. From first pitch to last pitch, people want to compete.”
As the pressure turns up on Stanton, may that spirit last right through September.
There are no great days in Houston. It will take southeast Texas years to recover, and for countless flood victims, life will never be the same. But for those able to invest a bit of time into the game of baseball, Saturday brings a pleasant distraction. The Astros are home, after playing a vagabond’s series against the Rangers in St. Petersburg, Fla. They’ve been out of sorts, emotionally and on the field, but management has brought them Justin Verlander, perhaps the missing piece in their quest for a first World Series title. They are the clear favorite in this corner. A very likable team has entered an entirely new realm ... Giants fans remember Verlander for the night he gave up two of Pablo Sandoval’s three homers in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series. The A’s remember him crushing their postseason hopes in the 2012 and ’13 Division Series, going 3-0 in four starts and allowing just one run in 31 innings ... Lots of chatter about Renato Nuñez, the A’s 23-year-old prospect from Venezuela who will get a look during the September roster expansion. He’s hit 32 homers at Triple-A Nashville, ranking him second in the Pacific Coast League, and is said to have a future at third base or left field. Even with a productive crowd at those positions, “We need to find out about Nuñez,” manager Bob Melvin said ... No matter how the ballpark issue sorts out, there’s no denying the A’s bounty of young position players, with infielder Franklin Barreto and outfielders Austin Beck (this year’s firstround draft choice) and Lazaro Armenteros (Cuban import) looming in the minors. They are miles ahead of the Giants in this category ... Juan Marichal once pitched 10 shutouts in a season. Sandy Koufax peaked at 11, Bob Gibson at 13. This year’s coleaders in the National League: Jeff Samardzija and Ty Blach, with one each.
Fast-forward to January during the NBA season, and Isaiah Thomas still hasn’t returned (a distinct possibility) from his hip injury. The Cavaliers are struggling badly; they’ve already been blown out by the Warriors on Christmas. Thomas can depart as a free agent at season’s end. That’s when LeBron James really starts to think seriously about relocating to L.A . ... So it looks like another season with the Pac-12 Networks unable to connect with DirecTV. Something to remember about this maddening stalemate: Thanks to the Pac-12’s arrangement with Fox and ESPN, DirecTV carry most of the conference’s highprofile games, always looking to show USC, UCLA, Stanford, Oregon (in the past) and Washington (now). Its executives don’t have the same enthusiasm about Utah-Oregon State ... Kate Scott can’t worry about that. Her career in full ascent, on Saturday she’ll become the first woman to call football play-by-play (Arizona-Northern Arizona) on the Pac-12 Networks ... It was only a matter of time before Ros Gold-Onwude left the Warriors’ telecasts for a larger stage, and it became official on Friday when she joined the NBA crew for Turner Sports (TNT and TBS). With her glowing presence and player’s knowledge of the game, she’ll be extremely difficult to replace ... From the U.S. Open: Why is it that every single tennis player refers to playing “my best tennis”? Broadcasters say the same dumb thing. What else would it be, their best Parcheesi?