We think that this crazy Sean Doolittle pitch caught the plate, thank you very much
Sean Doolittle has earned a deserved reputation as one of baseball's top relievers this decade in no small part thanks to his super command of the strike zone. He generally doesn't walk a lot of hitters, and he's only uncorked one wild pitch since the start of the 2018 season.
So normally, I give Doolittle the benefit of the doubt when judging whether or not a home-plate umpire correctly called one of his borderline pitches. Take this one from Monday night for example, which wasn't technically a pitch since Johan Camargo asked for time in the middle of his delivery:
"Was that up?" -@whatwouldDOOdo pic.twitter.com/cHLK5dcxER
— Cut4 (@Cut4) July 30, 2019
I mean, I guess it was up if we're being picky. Doolittle has a gripe, if you ask me.
I'm not saying that Camargo would've made quality contact, but maybe he could've fought it off. Heck, Vladimir Guerrero built a Hall of Fame career out of hitting bad-ball pitches like this. One of those giants from "Game of Thrones" probably would've given it a try, anyway.
Andrew Mearns is a writer for Cut4 whose baseball obsession was born from the shattered dreams of Mike Mussina's perfect game attempt in 2001. He has a startling memory of World Series highlights that barely functions as a party trick.
