Irony with Graham

Irrelevant. Doc Graham never said anything about an "at-bat".

He said he wanted the chance to stare down a big league pitcher, and wink at him. Then his "dream" scenario elaborates. He wishes he at least got to have a go verse a major league player. At ray's field he does.

You failed at following dialogue and tried to school an air tight plot point with your irrelevant knowledge of baseball.

In this case, a mis-applied failure.

Can somebody with a keen interest in baseball - as distinct from my working knowledge at best (although I have watched the whole of Ken Burns' `Baseball') - explain what a sac-fly is.

He hits a sacrifice fly because he sacrifices his baseball dreams to become a doctor, not just once in in early life, but a second time to save Karin. And the second time he does know that if he crosses the line that he gives up becoming a baseball player, yet he does so anyway, knowing that what matters most in the end is being a doctor.

It's the metrics the front offices are using.

I didn't start playing any ball until I was 40 (softball), and hardball in an over-38 league when I was 58 (the first time in my life I saw a baseball thrown overhand). Needless to say, I was over matched more than a few times having never played even little league ball. So I got by on my wits. I watched the pitchers and looked for any predictability (like a first pitch fastball or second pitch slider on the outside corner on a 0-1 count) that I might be able to exploit. In the four years I played/subbed, my average was just over .260. I've played less than 40 baseball games in my entire life.

I mention all of that because I knew when to try to make contact or hit behind the runner. Two strikes? Pure defense mode just looking to make contact. I had four home runs in about 100 plate appearances, all "ambushes". Pitchers that would throw a fastball for strike on the first pitch. There was another guy I ambushed for a home run because when he threw his change-up, he led with his elbow (Pedro Martinez he wasn't). There's a time and a place for swinging for the seats, but it isn't every at bat..

So in today's game, there are too many "launch angle" hitters. Every good team needs three or so good thumpers, but you need what I call "tough outs". Guys who can work the count, foul off tough pitches, and punch the ball through the infield. These are the types of hitters that do better against "aces".