Clutch hitter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A clutch hitter is a baseball player with a knack for coming up with the "big" hit. The big hit is typically a game-deciding hit, sometimes a home run, often coming with two outs. Being known as a clutch hitter is a position of high honor and responsibility, as the clutch hitter is recognized as the "go-to guy" for the team, and his exploits in pressure situations are celebrated by both fans and players alike.

[edit] Famous clutch hits

Notable instances of clutch hitting include:

Bobby Thomson, 1951 for the New York Giants against the Brooklyn Dodgers at the Polo Grounds. In the final game of a three-game playoff series to determine the National League champion, Thomson, with two men on base in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Giants trailing 4-2, blasted a line-drive walkoff home run off Ralph Branca to clinch the pennant in dramatic fashion for New York. Although the Giants would eventually lose the 1951 World Series in six games to the New York Yankees, this home run, known as the Shot Heard 'Round the World, is considered to be one of the sport's greatest moments.
Bucky Dent, 1978 for the New York Yankees against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. In a one-game playoff for the American League Eastern division championship, Dent, an unlikely candidate for clutch hitting, came up with two outs and, after a lengthy at-bat, sent a ball over the Green Monster for what would eventually be the game-winning run. The Yankees would go on to win the World Series.
Dave Henderson, Game 5 of the 1986 American League Championship Series for the Boston Red Sox against the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium. In the bottom of the ninth, with the Angels one strike away from their first trip to the World Series and Rich Gedman on first, Henderson drilled a two strike Donnie Moore offering into the left field stands to give Boston a 6-5 lead. The home run proved to be the turning point in the series, as the Red Sox took the momentum from the Angels and used it to propel themselves to a seven-game ALCS triumph. Boston would go on to lose the 1986 World Series in heartbreaking fashion to the New York Mets.
Kirk Gibson, Game 1 of the 1988 World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Oakland Athletics at Dodger Stadium. Coming to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, one baserunner and a deficit of one run, and battling with a recent injury, Gibson hit a walk off home run off Dennis Eckersley (who would later coin the term "walk off"). The Dodgers would go on to win the series.
Joe Carter, Game 6 of the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Philadelphia Phillies at SkyDome. Coming to bat with the Jays trailing 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth, one out, and two men on base, Carter hits a walkoff home run off Phillies closer Mitch Williams to win the Series for the Blue Jays, giving Toronto back-to-back World Series titles (1992, 1993).
Aaron Boone, 2003 for the New York Yankees against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. In the last game of an aggressive and violent ALCS, midseason acquisition Aaron Boone hit a walk off homerun against the first pitch of Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield in the bottom of the 11th inning. The opposing team and situation lead many people to compare it to Bucky Dent's homerun, leading Boone to get the playful nickname "Aaron *Bleeping* Boone.
David Ortiz, Game 3 of the 2004 American League Division Series for the Boston Red Sox against the Anaheim Angels at Fenway Park. In the bottom of the tenth inning, with a 6-6 tie, Ortiz hit a walk off home run to win the game and complete the sweep of the Angels.
- Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. In the bottom of the twelfth inning, with a 4-4 tie, Ortiz hit another walk off home run. Had the Yankees won this game, it would have been a four-game sweep to prolong the Curse of the Bambino for at least another year.
- Game 5 of the same series. At the bottom of the fourteenth inning, again with a 4-4 tie, Ortiz came up with two outs and Johnny Damon on second base. Belting a short single (viewers would later joke that it was only a single because his arms were tired from all his home run hitting), Ortiz allowed for Damon's impressive speed to carry him to home plate and score the winning run. The Red Sox would win the series, becoming the first Major League Baseball team to win a best- of-seven playoff after a deficit of three games to none, and would go on to win the 2004 World Series. Ortiz would later be honored with a plaque naming him as "The Greatest Clutch Hitter in Red Sox History."

[edit] Does clutch hitting exist?

Various baseball analysts, including Bill James, Pete Palmer, Dick Cramer, and the Baseball Prospectus editors, have found so-called "clutch hitting" ability to be a myth. This is not to say that clutch hits, like those listed above, do not exist, but rather that any innate ability to perform well in high-pressure situations is an illusion. In his 1984 Baseball Abstract, James framed the problem with clutch hitting thusly: "How is it that a player who possesses the reflexes and the batting stroke and the knowledge and the experience to be a .260 hitter in other circumstances magically becomes a .300 hitter when the game is on the line? How does that happen? What is the process? What are the effects? Until we can answer those questions, I see little point in talking about clutch ability." Most studies on the matter involved comparing performance in the "clutch" category of statistics (production with runners in scoring position, performance late in close games, etc.) between seasons; if clutch hitting were an actual skill, it would follow that the same players would do well in the clutch statistics year in and year out (the correlation coefficient between players' performances over multiple seasons would be high). Cramer's study was the first of its kind, and it found that clutch hitting numbers between seasons for the same player varied wildly; in fact, the variance was the kind one would expect if the numbers had been selected randomly. Since Cramer published his results, many others have tried to find some evidence that clutch hitting is a skill, but almost every study has confirmed Cramer's initial findings: that "clutch hitting," in terms of certain players being able to "rise to the occasion" under pressure, is an illusion. Despite the evidence, though, most people in baseball steadfastly believe in the idea of the clutch hitter. "You can take those stat guys," Derek Jeter once told Sports Illustrated after SI informed the Yankees shortstop that many analysts deny clutch hitting as a skill, "and throw them out the window." While many do not believe clutch hitting actually exists, supporters of it cite Jeter's teammate, Alex Rodriguez's (A-Rod) constant struggles in clutch situations as proof that even great statistical hitters like A-Rod (who was the 2005 MVP) are different players in the clutch.

Jeter is perhaps a prime example of the difference between perception and reality when it comes to "clutch hitting." Widely considered a "clutch player," Jeter's career BA/OBP/SLG (through the end of the 2005 season) numbers are .314/.386/.461, while his playoff numbers are in fact marginally worse at .307/.379/.463. Jeter's home run to win Game 4 of the 2001 World Series helped earn him the nickname "Mr. November," but his offensive numbers for the series were a very poor .148/.179/.259, though none of the Yankees were able to produce at their normal level. This is mostly due to Arizona's pitching, which included the co- World Series MVP's of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. The New York Yankees ultimately went on to lose the series in seven games.

The problem with clutch hitting is that some people interpret it as always getting that big hit in a critical situation. While the reality is that it is unreasonable to think a player can get a hit each time out. To many, being "clutch" is being able to handle the pressure and getting that game tying/go ahead/ or winning hit. No one remembers a poor batting average in a series where a player hits a game winning home run.