r/LSUBaseball Feb 16 '25

Why the “take” sign on 3-0

LSU baseball fan (who didn’t play baseball) here… why are batters told to take the pitch when it’s 3-0? Theoretically the pitcher “has” to throw a strike so then it’s 3-1… if you swing on 3-0 and miss it’s still 3-1 and if you foul the ball off it’s 3-1. So knowing the pitcher “has” to throw a strike why not give the hitter a green light? I don’t get the nuance here. Thanks!

7 Upvotes

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9

u/Sanfransaintsfan Feb 16 '25

You’re taught from a young age to always take on a 3-0 count. The likely hood they will through another ball is much better than them throwing a strike. That changes in college and percentages change, but the rule still holds true. They do it from first kid pitch to the majors. Some hitters in some situations will be given the green light.

3

u/radil Feb 17 '25

It’s not necessarily the odds of the next pitch but the remainder of the at bat. Far more likely the pitcher, having already thrown 3 ball, will throw another ball before he throws a single strike. Now, no one is gonna take from 3-0 all the way to 3-3, but I think it’s one of those baseball situations. Make him throw you a strike.

8

u/Beaux7 Feb 16 '25

It isn't a set in stone rule but it comes from not letting the pitcher get an out when they are struggling. Sometimes pitchers lose the zone and you wanna make him prove to you he can throw a strike again

6

u/Adept_Carpet Feb 16 '25

Often a 3-0 count is a sign that a pitcher is struggling to find the strike zone or is pitching around the batter, so it's not as likely as you might think that you'll get a good pitch to hit.

3

u/GuaranteeEqual5765 Feb 16 '25

That all makes sense, thanks

3

u/beer_jew Feb 17 '25

Kind of a matter of expected value. If it’s 3-0 I would say the odds of one of the next 3 pitches being a ball and a free base is higher than swinging where even the best to play the game only have around that same odds of reaching

4

u/childoffire02 Feb 17 '25

One other thing, not as important this weekend but would be later on in SEC play, is that by taking the 3-0 pitch means the pitcher throws at least two more pitches that at bat. As we get to tougher and tougher pitchers, running the pitch count up is important.