Would You Throw At Pedro Tonight?

[DoubleX]

Pedro is pitching against the Nationals tonight. If you're Frank Robinson, manager of the Nationals, and former head disciplinarian of Major League Baseball, would you throw at Pedro in retaliation for his hitting three Nationals last week and then not being punished by the league (whereas Robinson and some Nationals players were)?

I don't like to advocate this kind of play, but IMO, Pedro has this coming for a while, and lot of teams have good reasons to throw at him. IMO, he's taken advantage of the system and hides behind protection. By this I mean, when Pedro doesn't have his best stuff, he throws at guys intentionally, knowing that a warning will come and the opposing team will thus be unable to retaliate without losing at least a pitcher and perhaps risk suspensions. Plus, until last year, he had the DH to hide behind. My point is, I think Pedro has this coming, and from a lot of teams, and now that he is in the NL and has to hit, I think he deserves a taste of his own medicine.

[BristolBoy]

Two wrongs do not make a right, even in baseball. Be the bigger man/team.

[RedSoxVT92]

Hitting players is a stupid way of settling things. The Nationals should take the classier road instead of beaning Pedro. And also I belive they have already been warned before the game and hitting him may result in displanary action. Anyways why put an extra man on when Pedro is almost an automatic out.

[DoubleX]

Two wrongs do not make a right, even in baseball. Be the bigger man/team.

Ah, but intimidation is part of the game. That's exactly why Pedro does it, and especially does it when he's struggling and obviously doesn't have his best stuff. He throws high and inside to gain the upperhand and compensate for his mediocre stuff on that day. He plays the intimidation factor. So why shouldn't his opponent also play the intimidation factor by using it against Pedro? You intimidate him and he'll think twice about doing it again to you, which gives you the upperhand again, especially on those days when he's struggling and would normally resort to intimidation.

IMO, it's more than just retaliation, it's strategy.

[BristolBoy]

Ah, but intimidation is part of the game. That's exactly why Pedro does it, and especially does it when he's struggling and obviously doesn't have his best stuff. He throws high and inside to gain the upperhand and compensate for his mediocre stuff on that day. He plays the intimidation factor. So why shouldn't his opponent also play the intimidation factor by using it against Pedro? You intimidate him and he'll think twice about doing it again to you, which gives you the upperhand again, especially on those days when he's struggling and would normally resort to intimidation.

IMO, it's more than just retaliation, it's strategy.

But you can intimidate without knocking the guy on his ass. I've got nothing against the idea of zipping one past his eyeballs, but I don't think hitting him does anything - that's all I was trying to say.

[DoubleX]

But you can intimidate without knocking the guy on his ass. I've got nothing against the idea of zipping one past his eyeballs, but I don't think hitting him does anything - that's all I was trying to say.

I never said anything about hitting him. I said "Throw At" him, which is the title of the thread. That can include just buzzing as you suggest, and I think that would work also. My belief is that he needs to be thrown at and intimidated. A team needs to tell him that they won't stand for him throwing at their players and let him gain an advantage that way. Throwing at him levels the playing field.

[wdw]

Couple things. 1) I don't think you are going to intimidate Pedro by knocking him on his ass. The only thing that will come of that is him throwing at one of your guys the next inning. 2) Wasn't his control just off the day he hit three Nationals since it was his first day back? Or is there some kind of feud I don't know about?

[Mattingly]

I'd agree that Pedro throws at people when he doesn't have his best stuff. I've seen Yankee batters hit when he wasn't up to par. On his best days, the Yanks would have to scratch and claw to get hits, and I don't remember many hit batters. It seemed that Jeter and Soriano got hit in the hands one day, both had to be taken out of the game. Seemed more like his way of taking out the guys liable to do the most damage against him.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't say so, but since I've seen him wearing the "chin music" tee shirts before, so if someone pitches him on the inside of the plate, should he complain? If so, what would be his complaint? If not, then hit his batters.

I'm not advocating some bean-brawl, but if he's hit 3 Nats batters before, letting him *AND* his batters go unscathed doesn't seem to make much sense to me.

Keeping them off the inside of the plate makes sense to me, though not necessarily hitting them.

[BadKarma]

Do you really think throwing at Pedro will intimidate him? That would be like buzzing Nolan and thinking you are going to intimidate him. I agree that some of the guys he has hit may have been intentional, or at least not the complete accident he tries to make out to be. But I do not believe that retaliating at him in that way, is going to make him back down. The only thing that will accomplish is to put a man on base, that probably would not have been able to get on base in the first place.

[1905 Giants]

Drop him on his butt. Retalitaion, Intimidation, whatever, throw at him

[Mattingly]

Do you really think throwing at Pedro will intimidate him? That would be like buzzing Nolan and thinking you are going to intimidate him. I agree that some of the guys he has hit may have been intentional, or at least not the complete accident he tries to make out to be. But I do not believe that retaliating at him in that way, is going to make him back down. The only thing that will accomplish is to put a man on base, that probably would not have been able to get on base in the first place.

People kept talking about what would happen if Clemens--who had Sean Estes throw *BEHIND* his rather large ... ahem ... but somehow missed--were in the NL. Well, the past two seasons, Clemens was in the NL, and since last season, so was Pedro.

If he throws at batters, then let him step into the box. Now what is this, a reversal of the old standard? He's in the NL, so why shouldn't he face the same chin music that AL batters have had to face from him all this time?

In either case, if there are any warnings, he'd have gotten some chin music, not just his hitting 3 guys. He's too used to it being one-sided. I remember once when he was with the Red Sox, he'd made some very animated hand gesture to the ump that many of us felt could've gotten anyone else tossed. He may be on his way to Cooperstown, but he should be held to the exact same standards as everyone else. I'm tired of the umps giving him the "untouchable" thing.

[Bob Hannah]

Seems like more of feud between Martinez and Jose Gullien. Guillen has faced him about forty times. Martinez has hit Guillen in five of those plate appearances. Guillen has hit Martinez well, batting over .300 v. him with some power.

I wouldn't throw at Martinez, but I would allow him to get on base.

[Mattingly]

Seems like more of feud between Martinez and Jose Gullien. Guillen has faced him about forty times. Martinez has hit Guillen in five of those plate appearances. Guillen has hit Martinez well, batting over .300 v. him with some power.

I wouldn't throw at Martinez, but I would allow him to get on base.

Nah, Pedro needs a new exercise regimen. Skipping rope works for boxers, so he should try this sometime.

[Baseball Guru]

2) Wasn't his control just off the day he hit three Nationals since it was his first day back? Or is there some kind of feud I don't know about?

Exactly.. He walked 5 guys in that game.. It was his 1st game after only 2 starts in ST, so he was wild to begin with... Plus that 2nd time that Guillen got hit was BS... He made NO attempt to get out of the way of that inside pitch and that did not warrant IMO, going towards the mound on Pedro..

Also, there is pretty much no tolerance tonight for anyone being thrown at.. The warnings have already been given so the ump can throw a pitcher out if they think they are throwing at someone...

[digglahhh]

Whatever the case, not hitting him, but inducing the warning by buzzing him might be prudent.

If you induce the warning, then Pedro loses a weapon as he can't come inside. Getting Pedro to retaliate would be to the Nats advantage, you'd have to be willing to trade Armas for Pedro should both wind up getting ejected...