Taking you to school: LOOGY
If I'm going to start putting together a baseball-themed graphic novel for the masses I should probably start educating the masses on obscure baseball terms. I realized this today when I was at a Nats-Pirates' game with some friends. The Nats had runners on first and second with one out and a left-hander coming up to bat. The Pirates, with their once-comfortable lead now dwindling, put a left-handed pitcher into the game in an attempt to force a double play. My friend said, "Didn't this guy used to be a closer?" to which I responded, "Well, he's a LOOGY now."
No-one knew what I was talking about.
"A LOOGY? A Lefty One Out Guy?"
Nothing. I thought to myself, "What if I used the word LOOGY in the baseball book? Would anyone know what I meant?" So I need to start teaching you - I need to take you to baseball school.
A LOOGY is a left-handed specialist whose only purpose is to pitch to a left-handed batter at a key position late in the game in an attempt to get him out. A left-handed slider breaks down and away from a left handed batter, making it difficult to hit (same goes for a righty on righty). If you're up by a run in the seventh with two outs, there's a lefty at bat, and your opponents have runners on second and third you will, without a doubt, go to your LOOGY. You can always tell the LOOGY on your team: they pitch in almost half of the games within an entire season yet have fewer innings pitched than games played. They'll also only have a save or two, if that much.
You may think this sounds dumb - that a LOOGY isn't a real position. However, I'll have you know that a LOOGY can stick around for well over 20 seasons since their arm isn't stretched thin like other pitchers. Many LOOGYs have had long, successful, and well compensated careers. LOOGYs win games - very few major league teams play without a certified LOOGY on their roster. It's probably the second most important pitching specialist behind the closer.
And, with that, I'll leave you with a picture of the greatest LOOGY of all time...
Jesse Orosco. I got his autograph when I was nine-years old. I was with my parents in Philadelphia for a Mets-Phillies game and I saw Jesse walking down the street. I got his autograph on a piece of paper from my mom's purse. My father told me to thank him for winning the World Series for us and I did. Jesse smiled at me and handed the paper back and walked on - leaving this kid with one of the greatest memories of his life.
No-one knew what I was talking about.
"A LOOGY? A Lefty One Out Guy?"
Nothing. I thought to myself, "What if I used the word LOOGY in the baseball book? Would anyone know what I meant?" So I need to start teaching you - I need to take you to baseball school.
A LOOGY is a left-handed specialist whose only purpose is to pitch to a left-handed batter at a key position late in the game in an attempt to get him out. A left-handed slider breaks down and away from a left handed batter, making it difficult to hit (same goes for a righty on righty). If you're up by a run in the seventh with two outs, there's a lefty at bat, and your opponents have runners on second and third you will, without a doubt, go to your LOOGY. You can always tell the LOOGY on your team: they pitch in almost half of the games within an entire season yet have fewer innings pitched than games played. They'll also only have a save or two, if that much.
You may think this sounds dumb - that a LOOGY isn't a real position. However, I'll have you know that a LOOGY can stick around for well over 20 seasons since their arm isn't stretched thin like other pitchers. Many LOOGYs have had long, successful, and well compensated careers. LOOGYs win games - very few major league teams play without a certified LOOGY on their roster. It's probably the second most important pitching specialist behind the closer.
And, with that, I'll leave you with a picture of the greatest LOOGY of all time...
Jesse Orosco. I got his autograph when I was nine-years old. I was with my parents in Philadelphia for a Mets-Phillies game and I saw Jesse walking down the street. I got his autograph on a piece of paper from my mom's purse. My father told me to thank him for winning the World Series for us and I did. Jesse smiled at me and handed the paper back and walked on - leaving this kid with one of the greatest memories of his life.
Labels: baseball
June 6, 2007 3:45 PM
Good shit. Now I know what to do in MLB 2K7 when I'm down 20-7 in the 7th inning. It's LOOGY time.
of course that would require me to figure out who all the pitchers on my team are and what they're good for.
June 7, 2007 12:42 AM
You wouldn't risk injuring your LOOGY in that situation - you couldn't win that game.