PITTSBURGH — The only man in the past decade to take a .400 batting average into the 50th game of the season found a word for the quest a few days later: “Insane,” Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger said about hitting .400 for a season. “Just insane. You can hit .300 for a week or two and then you have no shot.”
In four games, during which he went 4-for-18, Bellinger’s average dropped from .404 to .386.
Forget .400. These days .350 is the new .400.
In just the previous decade, pitching development, shifts, hyper-focused scouting, velocity, increased spin and deeper bullpens have conspired to plunge the major league batting average from .