Okay, not all statistics.
I Hate Statistics.
But this batter-vs.-pitcher thing has gotten completely out of hand.
Austin Jackson comes up against Matt Harrison, and Joe Buck, his words fraught with import, solemnly informs his victims that Jackson is a .500 hitter against Harrison ...
But of course Buck neglects to mention that Jackson’s .500 batting average against Harrison derives from five hits and 10 at-bats. Or that 10 at-bats is essentially meaningless, and don’t deserve to be mentioned at all.
Of course it's not just Joe Buck. If you believe the reports, Mark Kotsay is starting for the Brewers against the Cardinals tonight because he's got four hits in 11 career at-bats against Chris Carpenter. Granted, seven of those at-bats came 12 years ago. But Kotsay went 2 for 3 against Carpenter in August.
Yes, he did. Also meaningless, and shouldn’t be mentioned unless it’s with the express purpose of ridiculing Ron Roenicke’s decision to start Kotsay.
Granted, there might be an excellent reason to start Kotsay in Game 3 against Carpenter. But that reason is not 11 at-bats, no matter what happened in them or when it happened.
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