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Major League Baseball recently completed its second round of inter-league play and the dominance of the American League caused me to reflect a bit on the following: Which is better, “small ball” or “hammer ball?” Let’s take a look. National League teams typically play what has come to be known as “small ball.” Small ball teams typically play for one run whenever they can get it and are prone to employ the bunt, the hit and run and the stolen base as typical strategies to get a runner into scoring position, particularly with less than two outs. Proponents of “Hammer ball,” more often seen in the American League, typically forego the bunt, hit and run and other National League strategies in favor of getting a couple of guys on base and waiting for someone to belt a three-run homer. |
The obvious question is: Why are the two leagues so different in their styles of play?”
The answer is both simple and complex. American League teams tend to have two factors that promote hammer ball: smaller ball parks and the designated hitter. Let’s face it, it is easier to jack the ball over the fence if the fence is closer. You don’t have to be Einstein to figure that one out. Add to that the fact that the designated hitter rule, employed only in the American League, means that pitchers do not have to bat. American League managers have the option of putting another power hitter in the lineup on a daily basis, thus increasing the likelihood of a long ball.
Take a look at the typical successful American League team. The Red Sox, Yankees and the Texas Rangers come to mind immediately. From top to bottom, the lineups of these teams are loaded with guys who can hammer the ball out of the park like Popeye on a spinach binge. A recent game between the Rangers and the Houston Astros illustrates the dominance of hammer ball and why the American League dominated inter-league play by a wide margin of victories. The Rangers pounded out 10 home runs enroute to a lopsided 18-2 win. Seven different Rangers went yard against the Astros. With a lineup like that, it is easy to see why Manager Buck Showalter didn’t flash Hank Blalock the bunt sign when he came to the plate with runners at first and second and no one out in the fifth inning. In Showalter’s mind, either Blalock or one of the Goliaths following him could deposit the ball in the bleachers at any time. Why risk having a runner thrown out on a botched hit and run or muffed bunt? Just wait for the long ball. Blalock obliged, hammering the ball off the façade of the second deck in left field and making Showalter look like the second coming of Earl Weaver.
National League teams, generally playing in larger parks and without the benefit of the designated hitter, have to employ different strategies. National League managers are more likely to play “small ball,” looking to plate one run even if they have to sacrifice an out to do it. To get a feel for what I am talking about, consider the following scenario:
In the sixth inning of a heated game, the Braves and Mets are tied 3-3. The Braves’ first hitter in the sixth walks and steals second base to get into scoring position. Atlanta manager Bobby Cox, unless his next batter is a good bet to nail a homer, will give the bunt sign. The hitter lays down a sacrifice bunt and is easily thrown out at first. However, the runner on second has moved to third with just one out. The runner on third can now score in several ways that don’t involve a base hit. He can score on a ground ball to shortstop or second base; he can score on a sacrifice fly; or he can cross the plate on a wild pitch or passed ball. In other words, having that runner on third with only one out gives Cox a much better shot at scoring a run.
Typically, the National League manager is going to try to punch a run across the plate whenever the possibility presents itself. The American League manager, on the other hand, may be more content to just sit back and wait for a tater. There are, of course, exceptions.
The Chicago White Sox, an American League team, currently have the second-best record in baseball. Chicago skipper Ozzie Guillen has maneuvered the Sox to the top of the heap by playing small ball. Granted, Chicago has several definite long ball threats but Guillen has the Sox approaching the game like they were playing in the National League. The “Go-Go Sox” are constantly on the move, stealing bases, laying down bunts and employing the hit and run.
Over in the Senior Circuit, the St. Louis Cardinals come to mind. Playing in the National League, Cards’ manager Tony LaRussa has a marked tendency to manage the club like an American League team. He can afford to. St. Louis has mashers like Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen lurking in the middle of the lineup, more than enough to have opposing pitchers reaching for the Maalox.
A case can be made for the value of both small ball and hammer ball. Additionally, with several newer and smaller parks coming on line in the National League, especially in Cincinnati, Houston, and Philadelphia, the Senior Circuit may increasingly come to favor the long ball. In the long run, is this a good thing? Stay tuned.