It doesn't really matter anymore, since we wound up winning, but something interesting fell out of my time spent messing around with the PITCHf/x data. Using the RHB and LHB strike zones defined by this John Walsh article:
Felix: threw 15 pitches in the zone that umpire Sam Holbrook called balls
Shields: threw 0 pitches in the zone that umpire Sam Holbrook called balls
Of the 44 balls Felix threw yesterday, 15 of them should've been called strikes. He was just getting royally screwed, particularly down in the zone. He was doing a great job of pitching to the knees, but more often than not, Holbrook didn't see it that way.
Interestingly, all 15 of those pitches were fastballs, so it's not like Holbrook was getting confused by curveballs or sliders. He was just giving Felix a smaller strike zone than the one he gave James Shields. Why? I dunno. Maybe jealousy. Although it'd be fun to blame Rob Johnson for this. Nice framing, douchebag.
According to the box score, Felix threw a pretty good game, missing bats and keeping the ball on the ground despite not having his best location. According to reality, he was even better than that. Kudos to the King on a job brilliantly done.
0 recs | 63 comments
Well he is King Felix
Is there any other way for him to get screwed?
Eyebrows - April 24, 2009
Sometimes he takes his lovers from the common folk.
Or when he invokes the right of Prima Nocta
joof - April 24, 2009
Pun intended!
Jeff Sullivan - April 24, 2009
There was a man who entered a local paper's pun contest.
He sent in ten different puns, in the hope that at least one of the puns would win. Unfortunately, no pun in ten did.
Eyebrows - April 24, 2009
Puns have gone meta!
Aaron Campeau - April 24, 2009
OH GOD WHY AM I LAUGHING AT THIS I HATE PUNS
pdb - April 24, 2009
Puns are the greatest thing ever and you know it deep in your heart.
Eyebrows - April 24, 2009
There's a lot to be seen when Eyebrows LookoutLanding.
R.J. Anderson - April 24, 2009
!
Eyebrows - April 24, 2009
Wonderful.
For some reason when I see name-based puns in a newspaper sports section, I want to light it on fire. But when it happens at LL, it’s hilarious.
Teej - April 24, 2009
Rob Johnson = New WFB?
BFR - April 24, 2009
No.
marc w - April 24, 2009
How?
I don’t get the connection.
Eyebrows - April 24, 2009
Articles always rave about him, even though the numbers don't back it up.
Thingray - April 24, 2009
Oh, right.
Eyebrows - April 24, 2009
At least that's the connection I'm making.
Thingray - April 24, 2009
WFB was useful
BrettJMiller - April 24, 2009
I won't say I miss him, because he represented so many things that made me mad, but he was indeed useful.
Teej - April 24, 2009
Fuck Sam Holbrook
Wilder. - April 24, 2009
Also, yes, I realize that I'm getting off-topic.
So I will concur that Felix was getting shafted. I was considering taking some screenshots, because those calls were ludicrous.
Eyebrows - April 24, 2009
Lineups!
RF Ichiro
LF Endy Chavez
DH Ken Griffey Jr.
3B Adrian Beltre
1B Russell Branyan
2B Jose Lopez
C Rob Johnson
CF Franklin Gutierrez
SS Yuniesky Betancourt
Aaron Campeau - April 24, 2009
Russell!!
I am so happy he is back tonight.
Wilder. - April 24, 2009
Hey Branyan is back in.
Eyebrows - April 24, 2009
BRANYAN!!!
Rollo Tomasi - April 24, 2009
YES! BRANYAN!
EnglishMariner - April 24, 2009
Ahahaha Griffey will never play the OF again!
EnglishMariner - April 24, 2009
Until the ASG! Where he will break his legs!
EnglishMariner - April 24, 2009
Never leave us again, Russell.
BrianL - April 24, 2009
In a few hours everyone will be crying as he k's for the 5th time.
I don’t believe this, but this is LL, our minds can change pretty quickly!
marinerdan - April 24, 2009
His K's are a thing of beauty because he looks so lost.
EnglishMariner - April 24, 2009
Branyan's Ks make me giggle.
Strikeouts don’t bother me if the hitter can produce when they’re not striking out.
Aaron Campeau - April 24, 2009
Thank god for that
Graham MacAree - April 24, 2009
Branyan is going to hit a HR so far with his built up fluid that it will knock that gay halo over outside the stadium, leading to the secret Anaheim rat lair.
EnglishMariner - April 24, 2009
The halo is in foul territory
Jeff Sullivan - April 24, 2009
Ricochet.
Thingray - April 24, 2009
Off the Goodyear blimp.
Eyebrows - April 24, 2009
Idiot
Jeff Sullivan - April 24, 2009
I wonder if Johnson's placement is the AL equivalent of the pitcher batting 8th
JI - April 24, 2009
Gutz only hits well in our fantasies.
Rollo Tomasi - April 24, 2009
It's a mighty thin limb I'm going out on
but I’m going to wager he has more raw talent and better career numbers than Rob Johnson
JI - April 24, 2009
Of course
but I doubt swapping them in the order would make much of a difference.
Rollo Tomasi - April 24, 2009
Running out an order of your lowest OBP hitters in descending order wouldn't make that much of a difference
but Gutierrez is clearly the better hitter of the two.
Aaron Campeau - April 24, 2009
Yeah I was kidding
JI - April 24, 2009
That fucking god for Branyan.
I hope Yuni is only starting due to Cedeno’s hammy.
BrettJMiller - April 24, 2009
Angel lineup
From Baker:
3B Chone Figgins
RF Gary Matthews Jr.
LF Bobby Abreu
CF Torii Hunter
1B Kendry Morales
C Mike Napoli
2B Howie Kendrick
DH Robb Quinlan
SS Erick Aybar
RHP Shane Loux
EnglishMariner - April 24, 2009
Seems pretty straightforward.
Thingray - April 24, 2009
Hunter has been hitting very well recently.
Worryingly, when I simulated tonight’s game on The Show before, Hunter hit an other HR. Griffey hit a 3 run HR for us and Chavez with a solo shot. We won 7-4 thanks to three perfect innings from the pen.
EnglishMariner - April 24, 2009
I sure hope that video game can actually predict the future!
What inning is Junior gonna hit his HR in?
Thingray - April 24, 2009
It was the 4th! And it was a four run outburst!
EnglishMariner - April 24, 2009
Well, that's it everyone. No point in watching it now.
He’s already spoiled the ending.
Eyebrows - April 24, 2009
I was kind of hoping I would get Chavez' only HR of the year.
Sec 108 - April 24, 2009
Maybe this was inside the park.
Thingray - April 24, 2009
Nope, 355 ft to right. Hit tracker would class it as a 'just enough'.
Beltre also got thrown out via an assist from Hunter trying to leg out a double.
Bedard walked Figgins to open the game.
Ichiro had a bunt single.
THIS IS ALL GOING TO HAPPEN!
EnglishMariner - April 24, 2009
How many balls were called strikes?
Any idea of the breakdown there?
BQueezy - April 24, 2009
CAPS! CAPS! CAPS! CAPS!
Wilder. - April 24, 2009
???
Eyebrows - April 24, 2009
.
pdb - April 24, 2009
Eh, that's only a singular Capp.
Eyebrows - April 24, 2009
Oh, Andy Capp, you wife-beating drunk.
John Morgan - April 24, 2009
I'm glad I wasn't the only one that thought Felix was getting squeezed and Shields wasn't.
Scruffy Lefty - April 24, 2009
Yup, yup
I was watching the game on gameday while working and you have confirmed what I was seeing. Many strikes called balls. At one time I think I saw about three strikes in a row called for balls. My non-verbal comment was “WTF! Are you blind!”
AKlurker - April 24, 2009
All this talk about Felix.
Watching this strike zone against Morrow was massively painful.
ThundaPC - April 24, 2009
It's a conspiracy to overthrow the King!
BUCKETSinSB - April 24, 2009
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