Long Intentional Walks
Posted by Raphy on July 13, 2011
The term "intentional walk" invokes images of 4 consecutive pitches purposefully thrown out of the strike-zone with the intent of putting a batter on first rather than allowing him to hit. In reality, however, an intentional walk only requires 1 intentional pitch out of the strike zone; namely the last one. The sequence of pitches prior to ball four are irrelevant and in fact an intentional walk can occur on any 3-ball count. Since 1998 (which is as far back as we can go and include the pitch counts for every IBB), 16,212 IBBs have been on 3-0 counts, 955 on 3-1 counts and 69 on a 3-2 count.
While 3-2 intentional walks sounds bizarre, it can get weirder than that. The have been 3-2 intentional walks involving lengthy plate appearances with many pitches. In fact, of the 163 3-2 IBBs since 1950 for which we have pitch counts, 18 involve at least 8 pitches.
| Date | Batter | Tm | Opp | Pitcher | Score | Inn | RoB | Out | Pit(cnt) ▾ | RBI | WPA | RE24 | Play Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-08-11 | Mark Grace | CHC | MON | John Wetteland | tied 2-2 | b11 | -2- | 0 | 11 (3-2) | 0 | 0.00 | 0.36 | 2.68 | Intentional Walk |
| 1963-05-06 | Bill Mazeroski | PIT | LAD | Don Drysdale | tied 4-4 | b6 | -23 | 1 | 10 (3-2) | 0 | 0.01 | 0.16 | 2.45 | Intentional Walk |
| 1990-09-18 | Tony Pena | BOS | @BAL | Jose Mesa | ahead 0-1 | t7 | -2- | 2 | 10 (3-2) | 0 | 0.01 | 0.11 | 1.35 | Intentional Walk |
| 2001-06-17 | Vladimir Guerrero | MON | TOR | Paul Quantrill | tied 1-1 | b9 | -2- | 0 | 10 (3-2) | 0 | 0.00 | 0.38 | 2.54 | Intentional Walk |
| 2002-07-16 | Tomas Perez | PHI | @MON | Tony Armas | down 1-0 | t4 | -23 | 2 | 10 (3-2) | 0 | 0.02 | 0.17 | 2.55 | Intentional Walk |
| 2006-06-03 (1) | Johnny Estrada | ARI | @ATL | Macay McBride | ahead 2-4 | t8 | -23 | 2 | 10 (3-2) | 0 | 0.01 | 0.17 | 1.17 | Intentional Walk |
| 1994-05-03 | Eric Anthony | SEA | @BOS | Paul Quantrill | ahead 1-3 | t3 | -23 | 2 | 9 (3-2) | 0 | 0.01 | 0.17 | 1.60 | Intentional Walk |
| 2002-08-23 | Adrian Beltre | LAD | ATL | Darren Holmes | tied 3-3 | b9 | -23 | 1 | 9 (3-2) | 0 | -0.01 | 0.16 | 4.22 | Intentional Walk |
| 2006-10-01 | Jason Giambi | NYY | TOR | Dustin McGowan | tied 0-0 | b1 | -23 | 2 | 9 (3-2) | 0 | 0.01 | 0.17 | 1.89 | Intentional Walk |
| 1989-09-10 | Von Hayes | PHI | @MON | Pascual Perez | tied 1-1 | t5 | -2- | 2 | 8 (3-2) | 0 | 0.01 | 0.11 | 1.65 | Intentional Walk |
| 1991-04-29 | Ozzie Smith | STL | ATL | Kent Mercker | tied 3-3 | b9 | -23 | 2 | 8 (3-2) | 0 | 0.02 | 0.17 | 4.59 | Intentional Walk |
| 1991-06-07 | Dwight Smith | CHC | LAD | Mike Morgan | tied 1-1 | b4 | -2- | 2 | 8 (3-2) | 0 | 0.01 | 0.11 | 1.48 | Intentional Walk |
| 1993-08-11 | Lenny Dykstra | PHI | MON | John Wetteland | tied 5-5 | b9 | --3 | 0 | 8 (3-2) | 0 | 0.00 | 0.42 | 2.30 | Intentional Walk |
| 1996-07-22 | Barry Bonds | SFG | CHC | Amaury Telemaco | down 1-0 | b6 | -2- | 2 | 8 (3-2) | 0 | 0.02 | 0.11 | 2.11 | Intentional Walk |
| 1998-08-08 | Brian Giles | CLE | @TBD | Rick White | ahead 1-4 | t8 | -23 | 1 | 8 (3-2) | 0 | 0.00 | 0.17 | .50 | Intentional Walk |
| 2002-07-15 | Cliff Floyd | MON | PHI | Terry Adams | ahead 1-4 | b2 | -23 | 2 | 8 (3-2) | 0 | 0.01 | 0.17 | 1.05 | Intentional Walk |
| 2002-09-02 | Alex Rodriguez | TEX | HOU | Jeriome Robertson | ahead 0-2 | b3 | -2- | 1 | 8 (3-2) | 0 | 0.01 | 0.25 | .87 | Intentional Walk |
| 2005-10-02 | Ryan Howard | PHI | @WSN | Jon Rauch | ahead 3-5 | t7 | -2- | 2 | 8 (3-2) | 0 | 0.00 | 0.11 | .84 | Intentional Walk |
Often, when there is a 3-2 IBB it is obvious that a situational change prompted the IBB. Runners moved up, scored or were tagged out during the at-bat, prompting the manager to reassess the situation and call for an intentional walk. It is also possible that if the batter or pitcher had to be replaced, a match-up change would instigate an IBB as well. What is particularity confusing, especially in retrospect, are those at-bats which meet neither criteria and there is still an IBB after a long series of pitches. Did the batter hit a foul ball so intimidating that the manger wanted nothing to do with him. Did the manager recieve some late breaking information that made hime change his mind? Or was the manager just a bit slow in making his decision. What changed?
July 13th, 2011 at 9:28 am
First off, how do none of these have a negative WPA?
Second, I would look at how many of the previous pitches were a ball. It's possible that the foul balls came when the AB was 1-2 or 2-2. Then a ball was thrown, moving it up to 3-2, at which point the manager threw the towel in.
July 13th, 2011 at 10:02 am
congrats to John Wetteland for appearing on this list twice.
July 13th, 2011 at 10:12 am
@1
I think its the WPA from the batters perspective, not the pitcher.
The sole negative one there was the Holmes/Beltre play where the winning run was already on base in a walk-off inning and the IBB sets up the double play. The other walk-off inning cases are 0.00 except the Smith/Mercker play. There I'd guess the reason was that there was already two outs and loading the bases increases the risk of a BB/HBP ending the game.
Just thinking out loud though.
July 13th, 2011 at 10:35 am
Hey David-
Yea, I realized that some of these were basically neutral. In a bottom-of-the-last-inning, tie-game situation, the lead runner is all that matters. A runner behind him is either moot or slightly negative for the offensive team because it opens up the DP possibility.
However, most of these are registering as basically non-impactful on the result of the game, which I find hard to believe. Most of the teams were ahead, so tacking on more runs is only marginally helpful, and positioning yourself to tack on runs even less so. But all of these are between -.01 and .02.
July 13th, 2011 at 10:35 am
Goddamnit. Duh. Statistics fail. .02 WPA is really a 2% change, which actually makes sense. I was thinking it was .02%. I got it now.
July 13th, 2011 at 10:36 am
My all-time favorite full-count "intentional walk":
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/02/10/rollie-fingers-johnny-bench-and-the-intentional-walk-that-wasnt/
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK197210180.shtml
(I also love the fact that Fingers came on in the 5th inning of game 5 to strike out Bench more conventionally, though he went on to lose that game.)
July 13th, 2011 at 10:41 am
I didn't look at all of them. With Mark Grace, sometime during his at bat Sandberg stole second so maybe they decided to walk him at that point to try for a double play. Guerreo's also. Perez and Estrada, Eric Anthony, Adrian Beltre - runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd during his at bat before the walk. Some were not so obvious why they wouldn't just throw 4 pitches. You can see for all but 1, 1st base was open and a runner was on 2nd. In Dyksra's game the runner stole 2nd and continued on to third on the error. The score was tied in the bottom of the ninth. They walked Dykstra but chose to pitch to Duncan rather than walk him also to load the bases and creating a force out chance at home, and bringing Kruk to the plate. Duncan drove in the run with a single
July 13th, 2011 at 10:43 am
Another intentional walk that wasn't, though of a different variety:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1648147/miguel_cabreras_intentional_hit/
Here is the game:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL200606220.shtml
WPA of 27.
July 13th, 2011 at 10:50 am
Ozzie Smith in 1991 during his at bat, Milt Thompson "stole" second with third base occupied. It was ruled defensive indifference rather than a steal. Milt Thompson was also the runner who set Dykstra up for his walk.
July 13th, 2011 at 11:11 am
So, 11 of these came with 2 outs where runners moving up wouldn't seem to make much difference. GIambi, Bonds, Howard and Cliff Floyd I get not wanting to face them and I get walking the #8 hitter to face the pitcher but there are a few that don't make sense:
- walking Johnny Estrada to face Orlando Hudson? Hudson was a better hitter & a switch hitter to boot. This one may have something else going on though - McBride was brought in to start that inning and was really laboring at 39 pitches already in the inning. He had given up hits to 3 of the 4 hitters he'd faced, wrapped around a DP. He was immediately yanked after the IBB.
- Dwight Smith to face Chico Walker? Neither one was great. . . .or even good
- Eric Anthony to face Dan Wilson. This makes some sense but this was a bizarre situation. Frank Viola started off facing Anthony and got him to 0-2 but uncorked a wild pitch to move the runner up. Quantrill was brought in to finish the AB and delivered the IBB whereupon he was immediately relieved. This was in the 3rd inning?? There were almost certainly some injury issues going on here - that was Viola's last start of the year for the Red Sox and it was May 3rd so he obviously was injured. I wonder if Quantrill was brought in just to give Scott Bankhead some additional time to warm up?
- Tomas Perez was walked to face the pitcher, Randy Wolf. Wolf made them pay with a single to drive in a run. Phillies followed with a wild pitch, walk and a bases-clearing double to score 5. Oops.
- TOny Pena was walked to face Luis Rivera? Rivera was not good but Pena was no big threat himself
- Ozzie Smith was walked to face Ray Lankford? Platoon issue here - Kent Mercker is a lefty and so is Lankford but Lankford was still better against lefties than Smith
July 13th, 2011 at 11:15 am
@10 also of note on the Tomas Perez at bat was that there was a wild pitch that moved runners from first/second to second/third. Then Perez was walked to set up Randy Wolf.
I was shocked to see Tomas Perez was intentionally walked, before checking and seeing he batted 8th.
July 13th, 2011 at 11:19 am
In the Mark Grace one, Ryne Sandberg was on ahead of him, he fell to 0-2 and Sandberg stole 2nd (as the winning run in extra innings at home). Earlier in the game Grace hit a tying HR in the bottom of the 9th, in his last AB. He then fouled off several pitches and was IBB'd starting at a 2-2 count. Maybe Felipe Alou had too many visions of the previous at bat and decided enough was enough with Gracie.
July 13th, 2011 at 11:28 am
Grace's AB also was 16 pitches, not 11. It's separated because of the stolen base which came on the 5th pitch.
July 13th, 2011 at 11:30 am
Wow, I've only looked at two of these and already its crazy. Maz's AB ended this way:
Intentional Ball
Foul Ball (????)
Intentional Ball
Did he swing at one of the intentional pitches?
July 13th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
@13, No the total AB was 11 pitches, if you check the 11 pitches after the stolen base, it actually relists the previous 5 before the SB. You can be sure because after the SB the first play is "throws to first base" which would be a balk if that was the next thing to happen after the SB.
July 13th, 2011 at 12:26 pm
I also recall seeing (I believe in a PIT @ CHI game from 1982) an attempted intentional walk where one of the pitches went through the strike zone after the catcher had moved outside the plate. Needless to say, the runners advanced.
July 13th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Can anyone link to a game with a catcher's balk. I don't think I've ever seen it in the majors?
Also, in this game, that I had the misfortune to attend, with R3 R2 1 out in the top of the 9th, Ray King was asked to IBB the hitter, but on the first pitch he throws it over the catcher's head for a WP and a run scores. He then completes the IBB.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL200104270.shtml
Thankfully those dark days in Milwaukee seem like a distant memory considering all the positive things happening recently for the Brew Crew.
July 13th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Paul Quantrill also made the list twice. What is even more intriguing is the fact that 7 out the 18 instances involved the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals franchise.
July 13th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
FYI...
The Adrian Beltre game ended when the next batter was plunked with the bases loaded.
A walk-off Hit-By-Pitch
July 13th, 2011 at 8:26 pm
@17, Topper009 re: "catcher's balk":
Here are a couple of games in which such balks were called:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIN/MIN199909270.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL200006240.shtml
The first one involved pitcher Kip Wells and catcher Mark Johnson for the White Sox; the second was Greg Maddux and Fernando Lunar of the Braves.
BTW, a couple of sites have the Maddux game occurring on June 24, 2004, but that's an obvious error, as Maddux was with the Cubs in 2004, not the Braves, and he didn't pitch on June 24 that year. Also, although this rarely enforced rule is often thought of in the context of an intentional walk, neither of the two above came on IBBs; the catcher simply wasn't fully in his box.
P.S. I found those games via the Umpire's Resource Center website:
http://www.umpire.org/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=232
P.P.S. In case anyone is wondering ... Despite the term "catcher's balk," the balk is formally charged to the pitcher.
July 14th, 2011 at 12:09 am
I really wish the catcher's box rule would be enforced on IBBs. It would just slightly increase the chance of a wild pitch, or of a hittable pitch (how many batters would be ready?).
July 14th, 2011 at 10:17 am
I found references to two types of plays considered a catchers balk
The catcher's balk was put back into the rule book in 1949 (after removal in 1940) in an attempt to curb the intentional walk. At that time, under the National league interpretation a catcher must remain in his normal position behind the plate until after the ball is thrown when an intentional pass is given. Then he may take one step on either side of the plate to receive the pitch. If the catcher does not conform to this rule, a balk was called.
The American league ruling, commonly known as "Boudreau's box," allows a catcher to take a stance anywhere within the lines of the catcher's box. The catcher's box extended in a triangle behind the plate. The farthest corner of the triangle was 14.54 feet from the plate. In 1950, the catcher’s balk reverted to the old rule again this season. A catcher may stand as far away from the plate as he wants in issuing an intentional walk to a batter.
In 1951, the rules were changed. In the past, the catcher was charged with a balk if he stepped in front of the plate without the ball trying to break up a squeeze play or a steal. The balk was now charged to the pitcher and the batter awarded first base on the catcher's interference. So it's a double penalty - runners advance and batter goes to first.
Watch a clip of Jackie Robinson’s steal of home in the 1955 World Series as Yogi Berra steps up across the plate. I don’t know if the rule had changed since 1951 because the batter wasn’t given first base, maybe Kellert had to swing.
8.05(l)
If there is a runner, or runners, it is a balk when the pitcher, while giving an intentional base on balls, pitches when the catcher is not in the catcher’s box
7.07
If, with a runner on third base and trying to score by means of a squeeze play or a steal, the catcher or any other fielder steps on, or in front of home base without possession of the ball, or touches the batter or his bat, the pitcher shall be charged with a balk, the batter shall be awarded first base on the interference and the ball is dead.
July 14th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
Very interesting reading up on the catcher's balk rules. I honestly thought the entire purpose for the rule was to prevent the defense from using 8 fielders behind the pitcher with no one on base and less than 2 strikes, because in that scenario you don't need a catcher and would be better off with 5 IFers. Obviously the ump couldn't stand where he does and it would be a big time waste for the catcher to have to return behind the dish with 2 strikes. I assumed some guy in the 1800s tried this and then they invented a catcher's balk. I never knew it was meant to not allow IBBs.
July 14th, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Notice that Wetteland's 2 appearances on the list came exactly 1 year apart... weird
July 14th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
From 1948 to 1950 AL walks ranged from 5227 to 5622.
From 1951 to 1952 AL walks ranged from 4462 to 4882.
From 1948 to 1950 NL walks ranged from 4396 to 4474.
From 1951 to 1952 NL walks ranged from 4147 to 4362.
Ted Williams received a lot of "intentional walks" when the catcher stood way outside the box and the pitcher tossed 4 pitches before the rules were changed.
July 14th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
Ted Williams was interviewd in 1949 about the new rules and if it would give him more pitches to hit.
"If I start hitting bad balls when they're trying to pass me, I'll be doing them a favor. That's what they want me to do. That's why they pitch me inside, or throw the ball in the dirt." A more effective curb to his intentional walks he said the presence to Vern Stephens batting behind him. Williams' attributed his walks drop from 163 in 1947 to 128 in 1948 due to Stephens.
July 14th, 2011 at 8:34 pm
Rule 4.03
When the ball is put in play at the start of, or during a game, all fielders other than the catcher shall be on fair territory.
(a) The catcher shall station himself directly back of the plate. He may leave his position at any time to catch a pitch or make a play except that when the batter is being given an intentional base on balls, the catcher must stand with both feet within the lines of the catcher's box until the ball leaves the pitcher's hand.
PENALTY: Balk.
(b) The pitcher, while in the act of delivering the ball to the batter, shall take his legal position;
(c) Except the pitcher and the catcher, any fielder may station himself anywhere in fair territory;
(d) Except the batter, or a runner attempting to score, no offensive player shall cross the catcher's lines when the ball is in play.