Cabrera Night in Osaka

> Well, three home runs in three games is a pretty good
> home run pace. And people doubted that he'd
> adjust to the higher strike zone.

Huh? Did people really say that? I could imagine he'd have trouble with high fastballs if they came in fast enough, but the fastest pitcher in Japan plays on his team! In general, I don't think there are many pitchers in Japan who could put enough velocity on the ball to get a letter high fastball by him. Fooling around in the upper part of the strike zone may only help him...

So Cabrera hit three on one game? Did anybody actually see him hit those big ones? Was he returning to his 2001 form or those "more driveable, high-impact Osaka Dome balls" worked against the rather inconsistent Buffaloes pitchers?

Did we already talk about the suspicions raised last season concerning Buffaloes' highly "drivable" balls, which were alledgedly made for the Buffaloes by a sporting goods manufactuerer whose company name begain with the initial "M." Officials said they checked on the balls only to find their balls met the official requirements and there was nothing illegal about them.

I remember reading in one of Japanese sports papers (which one I can't seem to recall) that more than a few good hitters who played in the Swallows-vs-Buffaloes Japan Series last year said they had found it harder to hit long line drives in the Jingu Stadium than in Osaka Dome.

Which somehow leads this suspecting Aniki to cast his mind back to the intentional in-dome air pressure adjustments made reportedly by Tokyo Dome stadium officials to make it more hitter-friendly for the home team. Central League 2001 Green Book -- official data book for the previous season --- has some stats that show pressure-changeable Tokyo Dome sees more homeruns than other stadiums. Which makes me wonder if other dome stadiums use a similar pressure change strategy. Nearly all the sluggers' teams --- the Giants, Buffaloes, Hawks and also Ham Fighters of the year 2000, franchise in dome stadiums. Is this a mere coincidence?

I don't know if you like this sort of argument, but I thought I might as well present this perspective to help us think more realistically before we jump to conclusions about Cabrera superbly adjusting to the new strike zone and returning to his sensational 2001 form.

By the way, are American baseball fans used to seeing the franchise team get all the advantages and don't really care as long as they are not illegal? Has any of you heard of any MLB team using "more drivable" balls and having their stadium officials change the in-dome air pressure to create an instant hitter-friendly park when the home team is on offense? If this happened in the US and got out in the media, how would fans react?

I am only a rookie here. Your feedback will help.

> Did we already talk about the suspicions raised last
> season concerning Buffaloes' highly "drivable" balls,
> which were alledgedly made for the Buffaloes by a
> sporting goods manufactuerer whose company name
> begain with the initial "M." Officials said they
> checked on the balls only to find their balls met the
> official requirements and there was nothing illegal
> about them.

It was brought up at the end of last year. I checked the 2000 PL home run stats compared to the 2001 stats, and it's all but obvious that one or more teams were using a livelier ball.

> I don't know if you like this sort of argument, but I
> thought I might as well present this perspective to
> help us think more realistically before we jump to
> conclusions about Cabrera superbly adjusting to the
> new strike zone and returning to his sensational 2001
> form.

I don't think anyone's jumping to conclusions. It's a question of form following function: many, many MLB players (and I count Cabrera among them as he came up through the D'Backs' system) feast on high pitches. Unless it's far enough in or fast enough, it allows them to generate maximum swing speed. So, pitchers try to keep the ball down, because while it may result in a few balls golfed out of the yard, more often than not it will result in a ground ball rather than a gopher ball. You'll hear MLB pitchers talking all the time about "keeping the ball down". Consequently, umpires see most pitches low in the zone, adjust their stances to see the low strike, and lose the high strike. Which causes efforts to be made to get the high strike called.

Anyway, I don't imagine Cabrera would have to adjust to anything. Pitchers may be able to fool him by changing his eye level once in a while, but I don't think there are many pitchers who would be able to get the high hard one past a power hitter like Cabrera. Matsuzaka is certainly one of them, but he's a non-issue. I suppose there may be a question of judging whether a high pitch is a ball or a strike, but Cabrera strikes me as something of a free swinger anyway...

> By the way, are American baseball fans used to seeing
> the franchise team get all the advantages and don't
> really care as long as they are not illegal? Has any
> of you heard of any MLB team using "more drivable"
> balls and having their stadium officials change the
> in-dome air pressure to create an instant
> hitter-friendly park when the home team is on
> offense? If this happened in the US and got out in
> the media, how would fans react?

First, all MLB teams use the same ball, made by Rawlings. There is some debate whether that ball has been made livelier or not, but no one team is getting any kind of advantage. Both the Metrodome and the old Kingdome were homer friendly domes, but I don't think I've heard of anyone utilizing air conditioning to get an advantage. I'm sure such a practice would be frowned upon. However, it's a matter of fact that teams will utilize their homefield groundskeepers to get their team advantages. A slugging team hosting a speedy team, for example, will almost certainly water the basepaths to slow them down. A team with poor infield defense will grow the infield grass taller to slow the ball down. Mounds in the visitor's bullpen will be of a different feel and angle than that of the actual mound. Roger Clemens has said that he doesn't think all MLB mounds are to spec, that some are taller than 10 inches.

Again speaking very generally, I'd say that MLB fans don't mind so much when a team plays such tricks, as long as it's the same for both teams. Having a compressed air pressure dome be naturally friendly to hitters, like the Metrodome, is one thing; having the air conditioning blow one way for the home team and the opposite way for the visiting team would be quite another.

>
> First, all MLB teams use the same ball, made by
> Rawlings. There is some debate whether that ball has
> been made livelier or not, but no one team is getting
> any kind of advantage. Both the Metrodome and the
> old Kingdome were homer friendly domes, but I don't
> think I've heard of anyone utilizing air conditioning
> to get an advantage. I'm sure such a practice would
> be frowned upon. However, it's a matter of fact that
> teams will utilize their homefield groundskeepers to
> get their team advantages. A slugging team hosting a
> speedy team, for example, will almost certainly water
> the basepaths to slow them down. A team with poor
> infield defense will grow the infield grass taller to
> slow the ball down. Mounds in the visitor's bullpen
> will be of a different feel and angle than that of
> the actual mound. Roger Clemens has said that he
> doesn't think all MLB mounds are to spec, that some
> are taller than 10 inches.
>
> Again speaking very generally, I'd say that MLB fans
> don't mind so much when a team plays such tricks, as
> long as it's the same for both teams. Having a
> compressed air pressure dome be naturally friendly to
> hitters, like the Metrodome, is one thing; having the
> air conditioning blow one way for the home team and
> the opposite way for the visiting team would be quite
> another.

Actually, I remember the Twins being accused of doing just that when the park opened in the mid-80's. They would allegedly turn the air conditioning on when the home team batted and turn it off when the other team was up. Don't know if the story was true.

Just my two-cents worth about Cabrera's hitting and baserunning.

Geki-nama Sports on Channel 12 showed footage of Ihara starting Cabrera again on Wada

PLEASE, I NEED THE E-MAIL TO ALEX CABRERA, I'M FROM CARACAS, VENEZUELA.
Buenos d

Thanks for your feedback on the MLB fan reactions to livelier balls and in-dome air pressure changes. I am happy to know that American baseball fans, although portrayed by Japanese media as more fanatical and tolerant of unfair home team advantages, are quite fair and reasonable. I tend to show more respect for American players and fans, as baseball to me is still an American game and despite the current Japan-mania with Nomo, Sasaki and Ichiro, there is hell of a lot Japanese star players can learn from the big boys in the majors.