WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.120 align:middle line:10% - --an enormous number of strikeouts so far this season, 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:04.290 align:middle line:10% a record-setting amount. 00:00:04.290 --> 00:00:07.470 align:middle line:84% And we're starting to see just discussions about pitchers 00:00:07.470 --> 00:00:09.660 align:middle line:84% being so far ahead of hitters in a way that I 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:11.740 align:middle line:90% think we haven't seen before. 00:00:11.740 --> 00:00:13.980 align:middle line:84% And so you guys have, obviously, seen 00:00:13.980 --> 00:00:15.630 align:middle line:84% the game change more than I have. 00:00:15.630 --> 00:00:19.110 align:middle line:84% And so I'm curious what-- what has been your-- 00:00:19.110 --> 00:00:21.488 align:middle line:84% your perspective on how you've seen the game change over 00:00:21.488 --> 00:00:23.280 align:middle line:84% the course of the last 10 years, especially 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:25.230 align:middle line:84% as we've seen kind of the influx of kind 00:00:25.230 --> 00:00:27.270 align:middle line:90% of three-outcome game and-- 00:00:27.270 --> 00:00:29.820 align:middle line:84% and launch angle and the introduction of video 00:00:29.820 --> 00:00:31.110 align:middle line:90% as such a main thing. 00:00:31.110 --> 00:00:32.340 align:middle line:90% Tim, we could start with you. 00:00:32.340 --> 00:00:33.930 align:middle line:90% - Yeah, I'm-- 00:00:33.930 --> 00:00:35.640 align:middle line:84% I must say I'm a little bit worried 00:00:35.640 --> 00:00:37.320 align:middle line:90% right now where the game is. 00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:42.240 align:middle line:84% As we all know, there were 1,092 more strikeouts than hits 00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:43.390 align:middle line:90% in the month of April. 00:00:43.390 --> 00:00:46.500 align:middle line:84% We've never had a month like that in Major League history. 00:00:46.500 --> 00:00:49.260 align:middle line:84% And routinely, I watch a big league pitcher, 00:00:49.260 --> 00:00:53.490 align:middle line:84% whether it's Cole or deGrom or Bieber or Corbin Burnes, 00:00:53.490 --> 00:00:55.920 align:middle line:84% and I wonder, how does anybody ever 00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:57.390 align:middle line:90% get a hit off of these guys? 00:00:57.390 --> 00:01:00.210 align:middle line:90% That's how good the stuff is. 00:01:00.210 --> 00:01:03.570 align:middle line:84% And when our best pitchers locate, 00:01:03.570 --> 00:01:07.720 align:middle line:84% the hitter basically has no chance to get a hit. 00:01:07.720 --> 00:01:09.870 align:middle line:90% And that is not very healthy. 00:01:09.870 --> 00:01:13.890 align:middle line:84% Last year, the Reds had more walks than singles. 00:01:13.890 --> 00:01:17.400 align:middle line:84% That's never happened to any team in a full season, 00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:19.050 align:middle line:84% even though that wasn't a full season. 00:01:19.050 --> 00:01:21.258 align:middle line:10% This year, we've already had two games in which there 00:01:21.258 --> 00:01:24.000 align:middle line:10% were six hits total by the two teams 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:25.200 align:middle line:10% and at least 30 strikeouts. 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:26.100 align:middle line:90% Two. 00:01:26.100 --> 00:01:28.290 align:middle line:84% We've only had four in the history of baseball. 00:01:28.290 --> 00:01:33.090 align:middle line:84% We've already had 40 times that a hitter has struck out 00:01:33.090 --> 00:01:35.070 align:middle line:90% at least four times in a game. 00:01:35.070 --> 00:01:35.970 align:middle line:90% OK? 00:01:35.970 --> 00:01:37.930 align:middle line:10% Bill Buckner and Mike Scioscia-- different era, 00:01:37.930 --> 00:01:40.110 align:middle line:10% I get it-- never struck out three times. 00:01:40.110 --> 00:01:44.620 align:middle line:10% And 40 times already has a hitter struck out four times. 00:01:44.620 --> 00:01:46.110 align:middle line:10% That's where we are. 00:01:46.110 --> 00:01:48.690 align:middle line:10% The stuff the pitchers have today 00:01:48.690 --> 00:01:52.140 align:middle line:10% is so amazingly good, so violent, 00:01:52.140 --> 00:01:54.270 align:middle line:10% and they don't even have to throw their fastball, 00:01:54.270 --> 00:01:56.910 align:middle line:10% because their secondary pitches are so good. 00:01:56.910 --> 00:01:58.980 align:middle line:90% And my worry is-- 00:01:58.980 --> 00:02:02.460 align:middle line:84% is that we've lost the value of the hit. 00:02:02.460 --> 00:02:05.190 align:middle line:84% We're all trying to get the ball up in the air. 00:02:05.190 --> 00:02:08.190 align:middle line:10% We are being taught by the-- the clubs, 00:02:08.190 --> 00:02:09.699 align:middle line:10% get the ball up in the air. 00:02:09.699 --> 00:02:12.868 align:middle line:10% And in trying to do that, you strike out all the time. 00:02:12.868 --> 00:02:14.160 align:middle line:10% You don't put the ball in play. 00:02:14.160 --> 00:02:18.240 align:middle line:10% And yet, to make the adjustment and tell a hitter tonight, 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:21.060 align:middle line:10% hey, we want you to hit it the other way tonight, 00:02:21.060 --> 00:02:23.190 align:middle line:10% we want you to put it in play against Max 00:02:23.190 --> 00:02:24.810 align:middle line:10% Scherzer, good luck. 00:02:24.810 --> 00:02:27.360 align:middle line:10% They've never been trained to do that. 00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:30.570 align:middle line:10% It's going to get even worse if they try to make the adjustment 00:02:30.570 --> 00:02:32.640 align:middle line:10% right now in season. 00:02:32.640 --> 00:02:34.560 align:middle line:10% So this adjustment, to me, at least, 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:37.650 align:middle line:10% has to start in the batting cages of literally 00:02:37.650 --> 00:02:41.550 align:middle line:10% 10-year-old kids, and we start to change the way they approach 00:02:41.550 --> 00:02:43.150 align:middle line:10% their approach at the game. 00:02:43.150 --> 00:02:45.120 align:middle line:84% Otherwise, we're going to have a lot more 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:49.040 align:middle line:90% six hit, 30 strikeout games.