Ask a pitcher to name a heaven-on-earth experience, and most will tell you it's having a two-strike advantage on a hitter. Curt Schilling says, "it's like being able to hold a guy under water." There are unlimited ways to finish off the at-bat -- teasing a hitter with a pitch just off the plate, or going right after him for the in-your-face, three-pitch strikeout.
Regardless of the strategy, the underlying philosophy is the same: the closer a hitter gets to Strike Three, the greater his panic. Not surprisingly, pitchers usually win this one-sided battle. With an 0-2 count, American League hitters were kept to a .195 average last year. National Leaguers fared even worse, batting just .187.
But what happens if the hitter is oblivious to that behind-in-the-count fear? What if he does some of his best work at two strikes? Welcome to Side B of that heaven-on-earth phenomenon, embodied by Barry Bonds, who hits home runs at any point in the count, and Ichiro Suzuki, who, thanks to his unique swing, has the ability to keep an at-bat alive even when he's down 0-2.
Scouts were divided as to who represented the greater threat -- Bonds and his muscles or Ichiro and his creative mechanics. So we hereby award the Hot Stove's Two-Strike Hitting crown to both of them, with a respectful nod towards Oakland's Jason Kendall, who batted .341 swinging at 0-2 pitches last year. That's one of many reasons why A's GM Billy Beane coveted him.
Kendall, like Bonds and Ichiro, has a rare ability to not let an 0-2 count turn him into a bad hitter. But what makes Bonds and Ichiro unique is how dangerous they are despite the wide philosophical gulf that separates them. Ichiro frustrates pitchers, while Bonds intimidates them. Pick your 0-2 poison.
In winning the AL batting crown last year, Ichiro struck out just 63 times, and batted .271 when he was down two strikes. Actually, there were hitters like Kendall who posted a higher average in those situations. And Ichiro struck out more often than Bonds and the Reds' Sean Casey, among others. But no one in the big leagues can extend an at-bat and purposely foul off as many 0-2 pitches as Ichiro -- a gift that comes from his bizarre half-slap swing.