u/SpiralRavine

I’ve been seething about this for weeks and it’s time I finally say my piece.

Vaush is wrong about baseball being boring.

To the uninformed viewer a game with a 0-0 scoreboard two hours into game time looks like nothing has happened, but in baseball it’s precisely the opposite.

The key dynamic in any baseball game is the pitcher vs the batter. Every at bat is a duel between these two players, with the pitcher trying to retire the batter and the batter trying to work the pitcher. They’re running the pitch count up, fouling off tough pitches, doing everything they can to either draw the walk or put the ball in play. This tension sets the stage for every moment of the game.

Now, to get to a point where by the 7th inning nobody has scored a run means that both starting pitchers have battled the entire batting order at least twice, throwing anywhere from 70-90 pitches, and carrying the entire game on their shoulders. They’re gassed, the batters have gotten plenty of looks at their stuff, and the dreaded third time through the order arrives. It’s only a matter of time before the starting pitcher gets pulled for their reliever. The tension has built over hours, with each team going back and forth battling but ultimately coming up short against the defense. It’s a dance where each team is trading blows and making moves to try and break the game open.

In an 8-2 game the mistake pitch doesn’t change much, but in a 0-0 pitcher’s duel that one hanging slider over the plate can change everything.

Then it happens. The crack of the bat. The roar of the crowd. The whole stadium holds their breath as they watch, the ball soars and then… the anticipation finally shatters. The ball either landed in play or flew out of the yard. Now we’ve got a ball game. There’s nothing like it, you just doesn’t understand ball.

He can watch a duel for two hours and then complain nobody threw a punch. If you’re not entertained, you simply failed to watch. To call it boring is uncultured.

And even if you don’t understand the game being played, you just can’t beat the vibes of a clear summer’s day at the ballpark. It’s where the magic happens.