Question to the board:

Is the "ball five" chant reserved for a four pitch walk, or any sequence of four consecutive balls? If the first pitch is a strike but then the batter is walked on a 3-1 count, shouldn't we be asking for ball five on the next pitch? If not, why not?

These are the questions that keep me up at night.

It would make sense to do it that way, But I've always seen it after a 4 ball walk. If it's a split count, it doesn't count.

4 pitch walk only

Wildmen03 said:

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4 ball walk. The balls don't split batters to start off the chant. That's just how it's always been.

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Right, but what if it goes S-B-B-B-B? That's four balls in a row to the same batter.

I demand logic and bright line rules!

Follow up: the ball five chant is badass. Why not start it after any four balls in a row instead of limiting it to just a four-pitch walk?

People who follow the game closely do it this way.

That situation happened today and there were a few folks doing the ball 5 chant. But, not enough to take off.

The Ball 5 chant ONLY starts (and continues) after a BBBB at-bat. After that, the escalating Ball count continues for each consecutive ball that is thrown.If the opposing pitcher hits a batter while the count is going,the count keeps going the same as if the pther had trown a ball on the pitch that hit the batter.
HTH

And I'm not real keen on the Ball Five chant after an intentional walk. Sure, it's a four-ball at bat, but the pitcher is trying to throw balls. Getting on his case about missing the strike zone when it's intentional seems silly to me.

the_phoenix612 said:

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Wildmen03 said:

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4 ball walk. The balls don't split batters to start off the chant. That's just how it's always been.

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Right, but what if it goes S-B-B-B-B? That's four balls in a row to the same batter.

I demand logic and bright line rules!

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Usually pitchers don't want to start with a balls, so a 4-0 count means no question he had 4 bad pitches (and heckling should begin). If a pitcher starts 0-1 or 0-2 he might intentionally try and get a batter to chase one or two.

Also, its pretty hard for fans as a whole to remember the order the balls come, especially if we are in a situation where there are a lot of throws to first.

So today we saw B-B-Hbp-(new batter)-B.

That's 4 balls thrown, with the first batter already walked....seems like a ball 5 chant would get under the skin of a pitcher who can't find the strike zone.

The Debt said:

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So today we saw B-B-Hbp-(new batter)-B.

That's 4 balls thrown, with the first batter already walked....seems like a ball 5 chant would get under the skin of a pitcher who can't find the strike zone.

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It's not really as difficult to comprehand as you are trying to make it out to be. (I realize that we're probably being trolled here, but I'll play) A pitch that results in a HBP only advances the Ball 5 chant if it takes place after the BBBB at-bat that got the chant started, and before any strikes are thrown to end the Chant.

I think it is hilarious. Only Aggies are crazy enough to think of something like this.

When did it start?

A four pitch walk and only a four pitch walk triggers the chant but I still think if the previous batter reached base via a BB or HBP those balls should be taken into consideration for the chant. For example a let us say the a batter walks with the final two pitches being balls in his AB, then a four pitch walk occurs in the next AB the chant should begin with Ball 7 not Ball 5. I know this means paying closer attention, but certainly enough folks still keep score (keep track of pitches) in the stands so everyone else could follow their lead.

Aggie12B said:

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The Debt said:

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So today we saw B-B-Hbp-(new batter)-B.

That's 4 balls thrown, with the first batter already walked....seems like a ball 5 chant would get under the skin of a pitcher who can't find the strike zone.

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It's not really as difficult to comprehand as you are trying to make it out to be. (I realize that we're probably being trolled here, but I'll play) A pitch that results in a HBP only advances the Ball 5 chant if it takes place after the BBBB at-bat that got the chant started, and before any strikes are thrown to end the Chant.

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No, I'm not trolling! The crowd started a ball five chant in Frisco after a S-B-B-B-B walk against Baylor, but some of the players were laughing about it and trying to wave people off of doing it.

the_phoenix612 said:

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Wildmen03 said:

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4 ball walk. The balls don't split batters to start off the chant. That's just how it's always been.

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Right, but what if it goes S-B-B-B-B? That's four balls in a row to the same batter.

I demand logic and bright line rules!

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B-B-S-S-B-B, next batter B-B. The Chant can't start then. That's way too much math for us dumbasses that follow baseball regularly......

The HBP should be a ball though

If there is ever 4 (four) balls in a row, the chant should start. Don't start gettin all High and Mighty on this one. The object is to get in the pitchers head.


4 Balls in a row - Start the Chant

ColoradoMooseHerd said:

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If there is ever 4 (four) balls in a row, the chant should start. Don't start gettin all High and Mighty on this one. The object is to get in the pitchers head.


4 Balls in a row - Start the Chant

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Finally a voice of reason here. You'd think the Ball 5 chant started in the 2010s with the "definitive guide" I'm reading here.

MidTnAg said:

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I think it is hilarious. Only Aggies are crazy enough to think of something like this.

When did it start?

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I started going to games in spring of 2000 and we were doing it then. Though the chant was much slower back in the day.

PhatMack19 said:

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the_phoenix612 said:

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Wildmen03 said:

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4 ball walk. The balls don't split batters to start off the chant. That's just how it's always been.

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Right, but what if it goes S-B-B-B-B? That's four balls in a row to the same batter.

I demand logic and bright line rules!

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B-B-S-S-B-B, next batter B-B. The Chant can't start then. That's way too much math for us dumbasses that follow baseball regularly......

The HBP should be a ball though

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But you baseball fans love math. Baseball is all about the numbers.

I know we were doing the chant back in '93. It seemed pretty clear th crowd had been doing it before then.

I graduated in 92 and my recollection is we were doing the ball five Chant back in 89 during the glorious year of John Byington and Chuck Knobloch

Baron de Bastrop said:

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I graduated in 92 and my recollection is we were doing the ball five Chant back in 89 during the glorious year of John Byington and Chuck Knobloch

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Yes. Ball 5 chant has been around for decades. We were doing it i 89 and a few years before. I can't speak to when it started but it was before my time.

CDub06 said:

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PhatMack19 said:

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the_phoenix612 said:

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Wildmen03 said:

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4 ball walk. The balls don't split batters to start off the chant. That's just how it's always been.

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Right, but what if it goes S-B-B-B-B? That's four balls in a row to the same batter.

I demand logic and bright line rules!

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B-B-S-S-B-B, next batter B-B. The Chant can't start then. That's way too much math for us dumbasses that follow baseball regularly......

The HBP should be a ball though

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But you baseball fans love math. Baseball is all about the numbers.

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And it wouldn't be all that hard to keep track of. May even make a bigger impression that we are paying attention.

Can't carry over a ball count to the next batter because the only plate appearance that ends with a ball is a walk. I mean unless you want to count HBP.

Don't mess with a good thing, leave it alone.

why can't you carry over?

Say the count goes Ball-Strike-Ball-Ball-Ball - for the walk. Next batter he throws a first pitch ball, so that is four balls in a row. Then he throws 2 more balls, which makes it 6 balls in a row. You are not allowed to start chanting/counting the balls yet?

This is when it should be done. You want to get in the pitchers head. This would be the perfect time.

To make up a stupid rule, that was not even a rule until recently, defeats the true purpose of the ball five chant

ColoradoMooseHerd said:

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why can't you carry over?

Say the count goes Ball-Strike-Ball-Ball-Ball - for the walk. Next batter he throws a first pitch ball, so that is four balls in a row. Then he throws 2 more balls, which makes it 6 balls in a row. You are not allowed to start chanting/counting the balls yet?

This is when it should be done. You want to get in the pitchers head. This would be the perfect time.

To make up a stupid rule, that was not even a rule until recently, defeats the true purpose of the ball five chant

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The point is the pitcher can't find the strike zone. If you carry it over then it loses much of its effect.

I think walking a batter when you put strikes on him doesn't warrant the chant. But if he threw one or two balls, then hits a batter, i think the ball chant should start will the next batter, which may even be "ball 2!", "Ball 3!", or "Ball 4!"

The whole point of the chant is to shame the pitcher for putting a guy on base because he couldn't pitch a single strike.

ColoradoMooseHerd said:

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why can't you carry over?

Say the count goes Ball-Strike-Ball-Ball-Ball - for the walk. Next batter he throws a first pitch ball, so that is four balls in a row. Then he throws 2 more balls, which makes it 6 balls in a row. You are not allowed to start chanting/counting the balls yet?

This is when it should be done. You want to get in the pitchers head. This would be the perfect time.

To make up a stupid rule, that was not even a rule until recently, defeats the true purpose of the ball five chant

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You can do whatever you want, just don't expect everyone to join you.

My head hurts reading this thread.

Ball 5 chant starts only after a 3-0 count is followed by a ball, i.e. a 4 pitch walk

ColoradoMooseHerd said:

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why can't you carry over?

Say the count goes Ball-Strike-Ball-Ball-Ball - for the walk. Next batter he throws a first pitch ball, so that is four balls in a row. Then he throws 2 more balls, which makes it 6 balls in a row. You are not allowed to start chanting/counting the balls yet?

This is when it should be done. You want to get in the pitchers head. This would be the perfect time.

To make up a stupid rule, that was not even a rule until recently, defeats the true purpose of the ball five chant

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While there is no reason it can't carry over as you suggest and I understand your point that the chant is designed to get into the pitchers head so why not use a simpler criteria to do the chant more often but as far as I can remember the chant has only began after a four pitch walk. If the hitter before also reached base via a free pass at least a few of us down stairs tried to add those pitches to the count but were more or less drowned out by the rest of the crowd.

The Debt said:

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The whole point of the chant is to shame the pitcher for putting a guy on base because he couldn't pitch a single strike.

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Here. That's it.

What this thread makes me think of.

I am ok with starting it if the pitcher starts 0-2 then throws 4 straight balls, but everyone would have to watch with lance like focus to see if there was a foul in there.