WALKING WITH THE BABE: Rickey Henderson Approaches Majors' All-Time Leader in Bases on Balls

Baseball Digest, Dec, 2000 by Jim Caple

Stolen base king two shy of surpassing Ruth's mark of 2,062 free passes

WHEN PETE ROSE BROKE TY Cobb's hit record, the Reds commemorated the feat by painting a circle around the spot where the ball landed in the outfield and marking it with the number 4,192.

Which presents an interesting question. When Rickey Henderson breaks Babe Ruth's career walk record next season, should his team commemorate the plate appearance by painting a circle where the catcher squatted?

A home run sets off fireworks and provokes hand-slapping, forearm-bashing and knuckle-grinding congratulations. A triple brings fans to their feet in excited anticipation, shouting "Go! Go! Go!" A double produces hearty applause. Even an infield single provokes a spirited reaction.

But the lowly walk? Nothing, other than scattered claps, a complaint from the pitcher and a glare from the opposing manager.

"It's as effective as a hit, but you don't get paid to walk," Mariners pitcher Jamie Moyer said. "Does the media make a big deal about walks? Do they make a big deal about the leader in walks, the way they do about the leader in home runs and hits and doubles? No.

"And you know why? Because a walk is boring. Listen to the word. Walk. You take four pitches and walk to first base."

No sports anchor replays a walk and says, "There shall be a feast for everyone! Bring me your finest meats and cheeses!" No, a walk is just four pitches outside the strike zone--a breaking ball in the dirt, a fastball that just misses the corner, a navel-high fastball that no longer passes for a strike. Ball one. Ball two. Ball three. Ball four. See you later.

But with Henderson on pace to set a new major league mark with more than 2,062, it is time to fully appreciate the base on balls, to give the humble stat its due.

BALL FOUR: NOT JUST A BOOK TITLE

Blessed with a strike zone so small it couldn't hold Amazon.com's profit margin, Henderson has walked 2,060 times in his career, the equivalent of nearly 35 miles of free passes and a minimum of at least 8,224 pitches deemed unacceptable by the Humble One.

Ruth's mark stood longer than the Golden Gate Bridge, yet no national media tracks Henderson's pursuit, no little boxes at the top of the sports page show his progress.

"The record is important to me," Henderson said. "But I don't know if it is to anyone else."

Don't worry, Rickey. Your teammates noticed.

"A walk is very valuable to a ballclub, and very underrated," shortstop Alex Rodriguez said. "It's much better than a hit. With a hit, you could hit the first pitch up the middle, and the next guy could ground into a double play the next pitch. Two pitches, two outs. With a walk, he's got to throw at least four pitches. That puts the next hitter in a great position to look for the perfect pitch. You make the pitcher work. That's the whole key to the game. That's how you tire teams and pitchers."

Said pitcher Brett Tomko: "Any time you hear a name mentioned with Babe Ruth, it's pretty weird. But it's also pretty special, even if it's the all-time hamburger eating record."

You wouldn't know it from the newspaper stats pages. A batter's walk total and on-base percentage are rarely printed in team statistics, though a pitcher's walks are noted, as if the stat was only a negative one. It wasn't until 10 years ago that box scores even included batters' walks. The media isn't alone.

"I don't think even a lot of prayers understand the importance of taking your walks and getting on base more frequently," Minnesota Twins coach Paul Molitor said. "If you asked every player in the clubhouse what his batting average was, I bet they would all know. But how many would know their on-base percentage?"

Consider: Henderson's career batting average is .283, which he acknowledges is nothing special. But thanks to his walks, his on-base percentage is an exceptional .404--few players have a higher OBP since baseball expanded in 1961--and a much better indication of his offensive value.

"Some of the big guys get the walk, and they get mad because they didn't get the opportunity to hit the ball out of the ballpark," Henderson said. "But to me, getting a walk is getting something started."

"Even when he wasn't swinging the bat well, he was able to get on base and score runs," Molitor said. "What's so amazing about a guy like Rickey is that every time a team goes over the scouting report when they face him, they say to make him earn his way on. His career batting average is .280 or whatever. The focus is always on making him swing the bat. And he's still walked 2,000 times."

THOSE DAMN BASE ON BALLS

Unlike a base hit, a walk only advances runners one base, and only if first base is occupied. But walks create all sorts of subtle effects base hits don't. Walks make opposing managers impatient, and can lull infielders, so they don't field sharply.

"I'd rather see Rickey get a walk than a base hit, because the pitcher is ticked off that he walked him," Rodriguez said. "And then he's got to keep him close on top of it, and he's got to worry about the next batter.