(舊文備份)Unwritten rule in baseball

原文發表於2010.04.27奇摩運動MLB專欄。

針對之前發生的跨越投手丘事件,後來演變成有的反基迷乘機靠北問候人祖宗三代,有的基迷則假裝中立跳出來說什麼他研究棒球幾十年來沒聽過這種事云云(Frank Russo,對,就是指你)。

有幾件事情必須弄清楚。

一、我的確不記得有跑者不准通過投手丘這種不成文規定。

二、不過任何一個懂得尊重別人的人,只要用大腦想一下就會知道這是多糟糕的行為。

所謂的不成文規定,多半指約定俗成的習慣,通常是一些約束球員不能做沒品事情的小規矩,違反了不會有什麼處罰,只不過通常會讓對手很火,自己隊友的背部也會因此遭殃(被球吻)就是了。

台灣球迷最喜歡爭論的「大幅度領先時不可以盜壘」就是最有名的unwritten rule。

而比起其他運動,棒球比賽有著更多這類不成文規定。有人說因為棒球比較細膩(不管從投打對決到數據都很注重細微末節),不過我寧可相信因為它是少數給予被婊的一方復仇機會的運動。絕大多數球類比賽中,被沒品行為婊的隊伍頂多怒火攻心也以其人之道反制,最後搞成場內大亂鬥,可是棒球運動因為拿球的是防守方,當投手的隊友在某種層面被婊的時候,他可以直接把球砸到對方打者身上。

用最簡單的話來說明,如果你不想要隊友挨皮肉痛,你就必須要尊重你的對手,不要做任何不尊重、羞辱、或無端激怒他們的舉動。

回到前面說的那個規定。當一場比賽才打到五局,對手就已經被幹了十分,他們球員的心情會好嗎?想當然爾一定非常低迷,想要趕快結束這場夢魘。而盜壘是什麼樣的戰術?在壘上施加壓力,干擾投手,追求增加再得「一分」機會的賭注。

我們知道在大比分的比賽裡,除非有提前結束的規定,否則贏十分還是贏十一分並沒有太大的差異。對方投手跟防守球員也知道,他們反而比較想趕快抓出局數結束比賽,所以比較不會去盯壘包上的跑者。在這種多搶一分並不重要,對方也很有可能懶得去管你壘上跑者在幹嘛的情形下,跑者盜壘會帶給防守方什麼樣的感想是落井下石?是羞辱?是吃豆腐?

不管跑者的本意是什麼,只要對手有這種想法,再來就會玩觸身球報復。反正他們也不在乎這場比賽會不會贏。

有的球迷會說什麼棒球比賽裡頭不是沒到九下三人出局前都不算比賽結束嗎,怎麼知道領先十分就不會被追平呢?

第一,如果領先十分不夠用的話,那多盜一個壘導致領先十一分也不會就夠用。第二,等到對手追個五分回來,從1比11變成6比11的時候再來盜壘不就好了。

回到這次的事件。Frank Russo寫文章說什麼其實打者通過投手丘這種事情並非沒發生過,比方說他就看過勇士隊的Rico Carty跑過什麼紅雀知名火氣大的Nelson Briles的投手丘然後沒事之類的,所以Braden這種小咖投手根本是沒事找事做。

I distinctly remember seeing Rico Carty of the Braves do the same thing after making an out in a game against the Cardinals when Nelson Briles was on the mound. Briles, who was known to have a bit of a temper, didn’t go crazy or threaten retaliation. He looked at Carty and nodded. The game went on without incident.

這種假裝中立的基迷真是可笑啊。如果這種事情那麼容易發生的話,為什麼他要講到一個四十年前曾經發生的事情呢?舉個近十年來的例子找不到嗎?而且我懷疑他根本就只是挑一個古早死無對證的時代來講,避免現代有人真的去找當年影片來求證。

而且要依樣畫葫蘆誰都嘛會啊,我也可以凹說2001年某場比賽,Curt Schilling投了七局的完全比賽,結果在第八局時被Ben Davis觸出內野安打,由此可見根本就沒有「打者不可以用觸擊突破無安打比賽」這種不成文規定吧哇哈哈。我舉的還是近十年發生過的事情,應該還有人對當時的口水戰記憶猶新呢。

很簡單的道理。投手丘是投手的地盤,跟投手「對決」的打者不應該沒事跑過去,就好像投手不會沒事跑去踩踩打擊區,或去摸摸對方打者的球棒一樣。什麼情況下有那種必要打者非得要跑去投手丘?啊不就是上去講垃圾話或上去幹架的時候,就算要說其實是要走直線才不小心路過,那如果比賽結束離開球場的大門離敵隊休息室比較近,難不成要走進敵隊的dugout嗎?

這跟是否存在那條不成文規定無關,一切都只是懂不懂得尊重別人的問題而已。而且不成文規定會演變,比方說現在我們看到足球比賽裡有人受傷,對手會把球踢出界外這種事情,也只不過是近十幾年才演變出來的新默契而已。我們不能就因為從沒聽過那種rule,就說沒品的行為是可以原諒的。

我想「打者不准跨越投手丘」大概就跟「幹砲完後不准甩棒」一樣,沒有這種不成文規定,可是白目到幹這種事的人容易觸怒對手,任何一個有sense的人都會意識到這種事情不能做(或隊友會提醒他下不為例)。

其實幹那種事的「是誰」和「在什麼比賽」其實也有很大的關係。同樣這種通過投手丘的事情,一個菜鳥選手幹,和AJP幹,投手就可能會有完全不一樣的反應(菜鳥只當他白目,AJP的話大概是想來幹架的)。幾年前曾有個拿過多次賽揚獎的藥罐子投手,因為某名人堂捕手揮擊的斷棒差點打到他,他一怒之下就把斷棒往對方丟過去。當時就有人評說如果幹這種事的投手是一個老虎隊的五號先發,大概就會被禁賽了。同樣的,就因為幹這種事情的不是什麼球場內的模範生,而是另一個幹過不少爭議事件的藥罐子(野手接飛球時喊聲干擾及出肘意圖打掉野手的球),對方會覺得他沒事要走過投手丘是帶有惡意也再正常不過了。

不過這又應驗了這幾年來流傳的一句俗話︰都是A-Rod害的。

補充:ESPN官網的這篇文章有談到Jim Palmer、Bert Blyleven和Goose Gossage這三位名投對打者通過投手丘這問題的看法。

The hitter runs across the mound while you’re nowhere near it. Is that an issue?

Palmer: “I don’t have any problem with that. Why would I care?”

Blyleven: “It doesn’t make any difference to me whether I’m standing on it or not — that’s my mound and you stay off my mound. When the left fielder runs from the first base dugout to left field between innings, you never see him run across the mound. You just don’t see players running across the mound.”

Gossage: “I’m sure I would have taken offense to it had it happened, but it never happened. I don’t ever remember seeing a baserunner who was all the way to third base run back across the mound. It was kind of a respectful thing. It probably would have been taken as an ‘in your face.'”

問:如果跑者經過投手丘而你不在附近,你會覺得不妥嗎?

Palmer:沒什麼感想。
Blyleven:幹你娘。
Gossage:幹你娘。

The hitter crosses the mound while you are standing on it. Is there a difference?

Palmer: “That doesn’t bother me, either. I don’t think A-Rod probably thought anything about it. But I do admire Dallas Braden for what he did, because it took some cojones. To his credit, he was able to yell and scream and it didn’t affect his performance.”

Blyleven: “It’s not right what A-Rod did. He could have run around the mound. You respect the game of baseball and you respect your opponents.
“I saw the interview with A-Rod, and the arrogance he showed. He should have said, ‘Hey, I’m really sorry. I didn’t realize I did that.’ Instead, he made a circus out of it. I believe Braden had every right to be upset; A-Rod ran straight across the mound, and he’s very good at lying. He said, ‘I don’t remember that.’

“Don’t be surprised if Braden pitches against the Yankees and A-Rod is up, and in the right situation Braden may come up-and-in on him or make him move his feet a little bit or even drill him. The sad part is, in today’s game, the discipline a player can get for hitting another guy isn’t the same as it was in the ’70s. It’s hard to do the ‘eye for an eye’ now.”

Gossage: “I was so mean, even my teammates were afraid to come on the mound. I remember once in San Diego, I was really struggling. They wanted to get the bullpen going, and [manager] Larry Bowa yelled to John Kruk to come out and talk to me to buy some time.

“There’s dust flying, I’m kicking the ground and I’m mad as hell, and I sense somebody standing by me. It’s Kruk, standing on the grass. I looked at Kruk and I said, ‘This better be good, [expletive].’ Kruk was just a rookie then, and he was petrified. He turned around and ran back to first base. He never said a word.”

問:如果跑者經過投手丘而你在附近,你會覺得不妥嗎?

Palmer:沒什麼感想。
Blyleven:幹你娘。
Gossage:幹你娘。

這兩位巨投還說不但他們從沒見過有跑者會跑過投手丘,連自己球隊的外野手回休息區也不會跑過投手丘。結果Frank Russo這個ㄐㄐ迷在那邊靠夭說這種事情很普遍常發生,然後說他記得1969年的時候曾經看過一次。

笨蛋才會信Russo講的鬼話。

在〈(舊文備份)Unwritten rule in baseball〉中有 3 則留言

  1. 很明顯的這只是某些米國人崇尚英雄主義的表徵(當然很多台灣人也是如此),一個人做錯了事跟他的身分有什麼關係,他是狗屌的全壘打王,或是生涯勝投用手指就數的出來的小咖跟這件事有什麼關係,事件本身跟身分無關吧,加上今天養雞隊員對完全比賽後的評論更是令人不滿,更白爛的是很多台灣網友竟然也跟著酸這位投手,搞屁啊你們是吃米國人的口水多了是吧,竟說些不是人話的論調,頭腦就不能清楚一點嗎

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