The Third Cut is the Cheapest: How the Cubs Hit in Two-Strike Counts

Baseball is a truly fascinating sport, one in which the seemingly infinite matrix of possibilities seems to be expanding before us like the very universe. New metrics are being created and discovered each day, to the extent that the old ones are often left to moked, lumped in with the likes of Blackberries, flip-phones, and standard-def TV.

But some things, like a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers, a nice watch, a solid pair of Timberlands, and situational hitting, never go out of style. The metrics we use to measure at-bats may shift, but the fact that a batter needs to adjust his approach given the count, score, and presence — or lack thereof — of runners on base.

I’ve written recently about both…