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Updated: June 5, 9:56 AM ET Baseball's unwritten rules ESPN.com | |||||||||||||||||
| Former major leaguers and current ESPN analysts Dave Campbell (an infielder), Mike Macfarlane (a catcher) and Orel Hershiser (a pitcher), weigh in on baseball's unwritten rules:
Dave Campbell Unwritten rules in baseball are like a code of conduct that is implied in any business. Some of baseball's unwritten rules have been around for almost a century, and during that century the nature of the game has changed. In the so-called dead ball era prior to Babe Ruth, the scoring of most games was greatly depressed compared to today's scores. With the 1930s came an offensive explosion, similar to what happened in the late '90s. Some of the rules that applied in one era of baseball wouldn't apply now. Stealing a base with a five-run lead was perhaps uncouth in 1916, but tell that to a manager who has to play at Enron or Coors Field in this day and age, where a five-run lead is comfortable but by no means safe. Swinging on a 3-0 count with a monstrous lead is still among the most egregious of the unwritten rules. It's interesting that Bobby Valentine didn't see anything wrong with Tsuyoshi Shinjo swinging on a 3-0 count, yet the Mets were totally incensed when Vladimir Guerrero swung on 3-0 when the Expos had a 10-0 lead earlier this year. Guerrero was promptly drilled by Turk Wendell. Of course, Guerrero was raised in a different culture. Felipe Alou has noted on a number of different occasions that it often takes Dominican players longer to assimilate to American baseball. While they spend several hours a day playing as youngsters in the Dominican, the instruction is still lacking. Even though Vlady has been in the bigs for a few years, maybe he just didn't know about this rule. Either way, swinging at a 3-0 pitch with a big lead is definitely a no-no. Peeking in at catchers is another big offense. If a hitter is caught sneaking a peek down to see where the catcher is setting up, he'll get one under the chin posthaste. However, it is fair game to steal signs from second. The runner at second can look in at the catcher's signals in an attempt to decipher what the catcher is calling, or he can lean in to determine the location of the pitch. While standing on second base, veteran ballplayers can subtly pass the information they decipher along to the hitter. This is simply considered gamesmanship -- no one would think of it as cheating. But if the defensive team becomes aware of any sign-stealing taking place from second, don't be surprised if the hitter gets knocked down. Stealing bases with a big lead was an important unwritten rule that has gotten more and more gray with the advent of offensive-minded ballparks. But the old rule holds fast enough that if a team has a 10-run lead, and someone tries to steal, that action calls for retaliation. Diving across the plate while swinging is another rule that has evolved with the times. Up until the mid-1950s, there were only a handful of players who could consistently hit to the opposite field. All of the top hitters in today's game have the ability to hit to the opposite field, and most of them are able to cover the outside of the plate. If it becomes blatant that they are diving out pitch after pitch to reach part of the plate, pitchers have to reclaim the inside of the plate, and they usually do that by brushing someone back. As the game evolves, so do the written and unwritten rules. Hitters can be sure, however, that anytime they do something that appears to rub salt in the defensive teams' collective wounds, it will undoubtedly come back to haunt them. Mike Macfarlane The single most important factor driving players to abide by the unwritten rules is the fear of embarrassment. That's why they exist. Virtually every game of every player's career is televised, so the potential for embarrassment and looking foolish in front of a substantial number of people is very high. The quest for individual glory in a game that is deemed out of hand also drives these rules. Stealing a base simply because it's easy and will pad your stats seems like a small thing, but ballplayers feel that it attacks the integrity of the game. It's a game that demands discipline and a competitive spirit. We always felt that players who deliberately tried to embarrass opponents and gratuitously add to their numbers undermined that spirit. Regarding the situation with Curt Schilling and Ben Davis, I can certainly see both sides of the argument. As a catcher, I can understand the frustration that Schilling and his manager Bob Brenly felt. You've worked very hard for something that could be very special. But as a teammate of Davis, it's clear he was doing what he needed to do to spark his team. Getting on base was obviously a chore for San Diego that night, but the game wasn't out of reach at 2-0. Getting on first in that case could have rattled Schilling enough for the next batter to hit a home run for the tying blow. I could sit on either side of the fence in that case, depending on my perspective. If I were catching that game I would have been very, very upset and I understand Brenly's reaction. In general, stealing signs -- even as the one giving them -- never bothered me. It's part of the game. Doing it late in the game in a blowout is out of bounds. Generally, the score dictates how a player will feel about certain infractions. Swinging on 3-0 pitches isn't bad unless the game is out of hand. Stealing a base when you're winning by seven in the eighth inning is easy to construe as embarrassing, but what constitutes "out of hand" isn't easy to put your finger on. However, you can sense when the unwritten rules kick in. In one instance you're an offensive player trying to win a game; in another, you're a stat-hound out for your own personal glory. And that is the biggest transgression. Orel Hershiser From a pitcher's perspective, lest we inspire Little Leaguers everywhere to go head-hunting on diamonds all across the country, the unwritten rules of baseball should stay precisely that: unwritten. There are some that can be discussed. The most important unwritten rule for a pitcher is to be as aggressive as possible, within the rules and the sportsmanship of the game. Each player will view sportsmanship differently, depending upon his makeup, which is why unwritten rules are always such a debate. Head-hunting is definitely an unwritten rule that all pitchers are taught not to break. At the same time, everyone knows that in today's game a pitcher must pitch inside. Few, if any, pitchers deliberately head-hunt. More likely, there are pitchers who throw inside, indifferent to the consequences (a beaned player) that an inside pitch may bring. A pitcher's attitude is often: "If I throw in a general direction, and a hitter is too aggressive, he's getting himself hit. I'm not hitting him." Protecting oneself from having the catcher's signs stolen, by varying the signs, is an important thing to consider. It is a pitcher's own fault if his signs are picked up; he needs to be smart on the mound and realize that if his signs aren't complicated enough, someone will try to figure them out. Don't be naive and think the opponent wouldn't play that way. Winning and losing is a cutthroat business, and stealing signs is a fair part of the gamesmanship that goes along with playing in the big leagues. It's not cheating. There is always an underlying current of wonder about how far the rules or the sportsmanship of the game can be pushed. It is an ongoing, cyclical debate. Because the game gets so much exposure -- more media and television coverage -- more parts of the game are exposed to the fans and the competitors. The result is more and more people with more and more opinions on something that is not necessarily new to baseball. Everyone in the game knows it takes a certain amount of aggressiveness to pitch effectively. Each individual personality then decides how far he will stretch the rules -- unwritten or otherwise. |
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