Ye who knows about Baseball, will you please answer this?

Question

What type of team do you think would be consistently better? An offensively orientated team that hits 250+ home runs per year. Or a defensive team with a pitching lineup that has an ERA of less than 2.00 per year.

Also could someone explain what a Balk is and how it comes about?

Answer 1

I would say a lineup under 2.00, dont get me wrong, both feats are excellent, but I just think a team under 2.00 ERA is pretty much impossible, but if you load a team with star hitters, like Ortiz and Pujols and all that, you might get 250 HRs. Even if you get like Santana, Clemmens and all those great pitcher, a ERA under 2.00 is virtually impossible. But hey, that is just my opinion, I am more of a defensive player, and that is why I think ERA under 2 is more impressive.
For your second question, please consult my site.

Answer 2

Hello Sword, I know some baseball through my hubby so I will try this one. The way you asked your question leaves some room for error but if a defensive team has a line up with an ERA of under 2.00 per year, there is almost no team that would beat them! If you look, there are only a few teams with ERA's under 4.00 !!!! Under 2.00 would make them nearly unbeatable!
As for the balk rule, that is a very hard question to answer because there are so many little infractions that a pitcher can do with a runner or runners on base.
Try to google this and you may find the explanation your looking for.
Good questions

Answer 3

This is a hard question to answer (except the balk question which was answered quite nicely).

There are many examples of Offensive teams who crush teams all season long, but fail in the playoffs (Texas was already mentioned). Then there are teams that focus on Pitching & Defense that have failed also (LA Dodgers a few years ago).

I'd take my chances with the Pitching / Defensive team over an offensive team for this reason, if you get to the playoffs, pitching & defense are the keys to winning a short series.

Just my 2 Cents here.

Answer 4

Okay, for starters you want to have the pitching. It is very easy to win games when your staff has an era of less than 2. It's great to have the offense but if your mediocre staff gives up one more run, you lose. Take the pitching.

And for the balk. A balk is an illegal move, usually toward home plate, by a ptcher with a runner or runners on base. The runners automatically advance a base. When a pitcher goes to his set (put his hand to his glove before a pitch), he can't remove his hand unless he is delivering his pitch. Another type of balk is when a pitcher goes to throw his pitch but doesn't release the ball during the stretch. The final type of common balk is when a pitcher goes to his set, and then his front foot moves toward home plate before throwing to a base to hold a runner. As said earlier, the runner or runners automatically advance when an umpire calls a balk.

Answer 5

The defensive team no doubt about it. A balk is when a pitcher comes to a set position in preparation to making a pitch and then instead tries to pick a runner off base. The rule says that he can,t do this.

Answer 6

You give me a team with an ERA of 2.00 and I will win every World Series for the next 30 years or until they change the rules / ballparks to encourage more offence. You should have made the ERA 2.75, it would have made the problem harder.
You've already gotten good explanations re: balks

Answer 7

a balk is when a pitcher either steps off the rubber after already set or when he turns his shoulder look a runner at 1st or 3rd depending on the hand, a better pitching team will win, thats why theYankees can't win or the Braves, they have no pitching. also if a picher drops the ball while on the rubber its a balk, the penelty for a balk is either a ball in the count or the runner(s) advance 1 base

Answer 8

Good pitching always beats good hitting.

A balk is when the pitcher "fakes" a move towards another base while throwing it to the plate. It's a highly subjective call by the umpire, but there are hard and fast rules for what the pitcher can and can't do. He has to come set, for example, before throwing.

Answer 9

If you look at the Yankee teams that one in 96, 98,99 and 00, they did it with pitching. They went up against teams with better offenses in the playoffs (Cleveland and Texas) and beat them everytime. Good pitching always beats good offense. The Balk rule is when the pitcher starts his motion towards home plate and then stops.

Answer 10

A mixture of both. A balk comes about when the pitcher when does not step off the pitching rubber and throws to a base.

Answer 11

definitely a defensive team. if you look at some of the Texas Rangers teams of the 90s compared with the Atlanta Braves of the 90s... (I won't pretend to know exactly how many home runs each hit.) You will see the better pitching team (Braves) regularly won their division, while the Rangers struggled despite having some big time hitters. as with most sports, offense will win some games, but defense wins championships.