SEATTLE -- For 22 straight innings earlier this month, Chicago Cubs pitcher Cole Hamels was doing exactly what he wanted with a baseball: throwing it over the plate. The results showed in the form of three consecutive starts without his issuing a walk, leading to three wins for his team.
No pitcher in the history of the game wants to walk opposing hitters, but Hamels has taken the desire to avoid walks to a new level, one that is tailored to today's era. It goes like this: Walks are bad, really bad. Home runs are OK.