Breaking Pitches; Spin vs Speed

[halskinner]

A pitcher wins the battle against good hitters by making a series of great pitches. She may have to make more than 5 great pitches to a good hitter. A "good" pitch is a pitch at the edge of the umpire's strike zone. A "great" pitch is a breaking pitch at the edge of the umpire's strike zone.

A good hitter is waiting for the pitcher to make a mistake and put the ball in the hitter's wheelhouse. A good hitter will also know the umpire's strike zone.

When a good hitter battles a good pitcher, the count generally gets to 2-2 or 3-2. At that point, every great pitch your DD throws requires the hitter to counter by making a great swing and fouling the ball off. If your DD doesn't make a great pitch and leaves the ball over the middle of the plate, the hitter wins. If the hitter fails to make a great swing, the hitter will strike out, ground out or pop out.

Neither the batter nor the pitcher can continually making great swings and great pitches. However, these battles can go on for 10 or 15 pitches. That really is what separates mediocre pitcher from great pitchers--how many times in a row can a pitcher throw a great pitch in a row?

One of the reason the old timers are amused by the newbies is because they don't get this. They think, "Ooh...my DD can throw a rise ball with speed and control 50% of the time. She is destined or greatness!" In reality, she isn't close to being good enough. She might get on a college team, but she'll never pitch.

Good hitters don't give up. They foul off the pitches until the pitcher makes a mistake. If a pitcher has a riseball that works only 50% of the time, that means the good hitter will win in two pitches.

A good pitcher has to be able to throw sharply breaking pitches with speed and location 99.5% of the time.

I am amazed, being one of the old timers you refer to, that you made no mention at all of the pitcher taking away the hitters timing. That is a huge part of a champion pitcher's game plan. It is NOT simply a case of location and ball movement.

A pitcher that controls the hitters by taking away the hitter's timing, seldom gives up a hit that makes it out of the infield.

Speed, location, movement,,, and disrupting timing. The four elements of successful pitching