Mickey Gasper's homer supplied Boston's only run in Friday's 1-0 win at Baltimore. MLB report.

A better way to follow a hitter

The home-run replay is the reward. To decide what comes next, watch the pitches a hitter chooses to leave alone.

For Gasper, our next-game question would be whether he gets something he can drive without widening the strike zone to find it. An opponent can try changing location or sequencing. The hitter's answer might be a walk or a hard single rather than another ball in the seats.

A useful scorecard needs only a few notes: the count before contact, whether the pitch was in the zone, and whether the ball was struck firmly. Keep those observations separate from the final result. A well-hit out and a soft hit tell different stories even though only one raises the batting average.

We would also resist assigning too much meaning to a single quiet night. The more interesting pattern is whether pitchers can get Gasper into defensive counts repeatedly. If they cannot, Boston keeps getting opportunities to turn a mistake into damage.

That makes his next full plate appearance worth watching. The swing that never happens can be as informative as the one that makes the highlight package.

Watch the earlier swing with the date attached

NESN's September 1 game highlights against Seattle include an earlier Gasper home run. The call describes a drive to right that tied the game in the first inning. The package continues through the rest of the contest, so viewers can see the swing inside a game rather than as a standalone celebration.

That clip is separate from Friday's Baltimore game. Keeping the dates attached matters when a run of highlights travels quickly through social feeds: the same swing can be reposted several times and look like another new result.

Our suggestion is to watch once at normal speed before searching for a mechanical explanation. Note the pitch location shown by the broadcast and the direction of the ball. If the camera does not clearly show something, leave that part of the observation open. A broadcast replay is useful evidence, but it is not a complete hitting evaluation.

Then watch the next plate appearance without demanding the same outcome. The pitcher may attack a different part of the zone, and the right response may be different too. The interesting test is whether Gasper keeps making choices that give him a chance to hit the ball hard. Following those choices will tell you more than replaying the loudest contact until the next game starts.