And if a hitter can't hit the low and away slider over the course of his career (like Soriano) perhaps he should try laying off it instead of crowding the plate. It goes both ways.
A pitcher like Clemens or Pedro throwing at someone just to do it is unprofessional. However, if a pitcher wants to protect the plate from a hitter who is crowding the plate, as a catcher I am calling the high and tight fastball. Not designed to hit the batter, but give him the idea that I'm not afraid to do it. By the same token, if he digs in and crowds the plate again, that's his choice.
It's all a matter of choice. The pitcher has a right to the entire plate as does the batter. If a batter wants to crowd the plate then he has to understand there's a chance the pitch is coming inside.
Soriano was not hit because he was showing up the other team (like what's being debated in the Dukes thread). Soriano was crowding the plate and the pitcher threw high and tight and the pitch was actually not that far off.
