Phillippe Aumont has been one of the best stories so far this season, but tonight it seemed that all unraveled as he set an IronPigs record with 8 walks. Overall his final line was 5 IP 2 H 3 ER 8 BB 3 K. A bit after the game Greg Joyce of Lehigh Vally Live sent out these set of tweets.
Phillippe Aumont: "The sun was pretty brutal. Not trying to make an excuse out of it, but it kind of got me off-balance." (more coming)
— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) May 24, 2015
Aumont: "It was a little scary. Logan came out there & I was like ‘I’m not comfortable man. Not scared, but I’m really tentative right now.’
— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) May 24, 2015
Aumont said he couldn't see catcher Logan Moore squatting down behind home plate & if a guy hit a ball up the middle, he couldn't see it.
— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) May 24, 2015
@Matt_Winkelman @GJoyce9 Probably was telling him here…seemed genuinely uncomfortable, but I'm glad he got the win pic.twitter.com/xbM3sK61hk
— Cheryl Pursell (@CherylPursell) May 24, 2015
@Matt_Winkelman @GJoyce9 pic.twitter.com/evObSNgQur
— Cheryl Pursell (@CherylPursell) May 24, 2015
I haven’t watched the game, nor was I standing where Aumont was, so we can’t say whether this is entirely the truth. However, even if it was not debilitating and just Aumont gripping the ball a bit tighter because of some anxiety over throwing a baseball at 95 mph towards other human beings, this is something they could cause some wildness. What really got me curious was this:
The 12 walks by IronPigs pitchers & 19 walks combined in this game both set franchise records.
— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) May 24, 2015
So I decided to look at the other pitcher in the game, White Sox RHP Junior Guerra (who is also a great story). Guerra entered the game with 17 walks in 40.2 IP while throwing between 55% and 60% strikes. Todaywent 4.1 innings while walking 5. Now both pitchers could have just been wild today, but it is worth looking at some of the context before skewering a player on their performance and how it affects them going forward.
I will say that regardless of anything, Greg said that Aumont appeared legitimately rattled and concerned about the sun issue both during and after the game. This shows a level of maturity from Aumont to own his performance but also acknowledging the danger of what he is doing. You can bet the Phillies and their coaching staff are aware of what went on and the context of the performance. It is important that we also keep the context in mind when judging it as well.
Sal Rende on Aumont: "If you can walk eight guys and give up three runs in five innings, you must be doing something right.”
— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) May 24, 2015
FWIW: Home Plate Ump was a bit inconsistent both ways, all night, as well.
Wow, great insight. Was taken aback by 8 bb. But I think this eases my mind. Look forward to his next start.
One more example of why to not judge by a boxscore. Watch a game before you form opinions on these guys.
Is there some rule that says pitchers are unauthorized to wear sunglasses?
Would seem that would be the logical thing to do…..Lowell Palmer back in the day had to have permission from MLB since he had an eye condition, but that was in the 70s I think.
After a little bit of research found out that there is no rule forbidding a pitcher from wearing sunglasses while pitching. The only reason why an umpire might not want the pitcher to wear them is because they are distracting to either the batter or umpire because of their color or the glare they give off.
Any batter worth their salt would say that the glasses were a distraction just to gain a mental edge.
Wooh, good seventies knowledge their my friend
Looking at box score last night and saw the 8 walks, I noticed all the walks that were issued by both teams pitchers. Let’s throw this one out and see what Aumont does going forward.