The battle between the pitcher and the hitter is the ancient core of baseball. Everything in this team sport emanates from that one-on-one duel at 24 paces contested an average of 76 times each game. The odds are stacked in the pitcher’s favor. The pitcher initiates the action. The hitter does not know what is coming. Measured by keeping the batter off base, the pitcher wins 68% of these duels.
But what if the hitter knows what’s coming? The ancient balance flips. Such knowledge can be gained legally, such as a runner at second base relaying signs to the hitter, or illegally, such as the 2017 Astros misusing in-game technology to steal and relay signs.
This season, a new element is changing how batter-pitcher matchups are won and lost—and by extension, how games are won and lost on a nightly basis. High-speed, multicamera systems with deep learning algorithms are tilting outcomes and setting off full-blown paranoia about pitchers tipping their pitches like never before.
