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We do not need robins or groundhogs to tell us that winter is just about over because we have “Pitchers and Catchers” which is the day that the first players report to training since the 1920’s when MLB teams started practicing in locations other than their own fields allowing the newer players to learn the roster and get a feel for their positions while giving the veteran players the opportunity to get warmed up. Since they practice on more than one field they get the chance to play each other and gain a little competitive feel during pre-season. This also gives fans a chance to get just a little closer to their favorite teams and players.

This means that baseball fans have a tendency to head to Florida and Arizona during the spring; basking in the sun and catching some top baseball action. Many of these stadiums are well located making it easy to stay in one location and still be able to catch several different teams.

You can check out spring training by visiting the Grapefruit League found in Florida or the Cactus League out of Arizona. Each team has what is considered a home field during spring training; in Arizona you will find them in the Tempe, Tucson, Scottsdale and Phoenix areas. One you definitely want to visit is Peoria stadium so that you can catch  the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners; or head to HoHokam Stadium to watch the Chicago Cubs.

In Florida the major areas are Ft. Lauderdale and Ft. Myersand down the Space Coast to Walt Disney and Kissimmee. Try staying in the central part of the state so that you can visit several different stadiums and keep in mind that many of them are “home” to two different teams allowing you to see that many more games.

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Normally baseball is considered a balanced game between the pitcher’s mound and the batter’s box but since the balance is so precarious and delicate the history of baseball is usually marked by a gradual movement or tilt to one side which results in many distinct times of low or high run scoring. So far in 2010 is looking to be the year in which that balance has taken a marked tilt towards pitching; but it has not been what can be considered an abrupt change.

It would seem that, on the whole, major leagues are trending back to defense and pitching after the explosion in the late 90’s of offensive playing. As a matter of fact scoring due to runs has actually decreased during each of the last four seasons from approximately 4.86 scoring runs in each game of the 2006 season to the current score of 4.47. However, since the much warmer summer months are ahead of us that figure will very likely increase.

To follow are a few samples of some of the pitching dominated past seasons:

1968 – considered by many to be the year of the pitcher; only one year, 1908, had fewer runs scored (3.38) than the 3.42 of 1968. During this season 49 of the pitchers had ERA’s below 3.00 which is the most since 1917 and 7 of them were below 2.00 which is the most since 1919.

1972 – since pitching dominated so much during the 1968 season the mound was actually lowered prior to the beginning of the 1969 season which was thought to end the pitching dominance but it was only four years later that pitching again took control. This resulted in only 3.69 runs per game being scored which was the 9^th lowest rate of scoring of all time and 2^nd lowest (after 1968) since 1918.

1981 – although it is also remembered as the season divided by the players strike it was also a season where pitching dominated. This season scoring rate ties with 1976 as one of the toughest scoring seasons since 1972 with two no hitters only five days apart during May which the last one being a perfect game with Len Barker of the Indians. Later when play resumed Nolan Ryan had his 5^th no hitter during late September.

Be sure to continue watching to see how the 2010 season will unfold and where it will fall in the baseball pitching dominated statistics.