Zero To One
tedr:
With Garza’s no-hitter today, there have been 5 no-hitters this season. Even crazier is that this is only one fewer than the number of one-hitters this year, apparently. And one of those was Armando Galarraga’s (should-have-been) perfect game.
So it should be 6 no-hitters to 5 one-hitters this year. Crazy.
Lots of speculation as to if the absence of steroids is what’s behind this.
Steroids don’t help you hit the ball. Maybe it helps you hit the ball farther, but that’s questionable in itself. Players tend to use steroids to heal faster from injuries, so maybe you’ve got a causation if you can show that players who hit well have spent more time on the DL than in years past, and that’s due to a lack of steroids accelerating the healing process. Again, pretty dubious.
Players on steroids can change pitching strategy. Facing Barry Bonds in his juiced prime, changes how you pitch the entire Giants lineup. Pitchers are more aggressive with the men ahead of Bond’s, giving them pitches to hit. The last thing they want is to walk the man ahead of Bond.
Not trying to take anything away from the no-hitters and perfect games this season. But the steroid era was more than just chemistry, it was also a shift in attitude and confidence among players.
