How to pitch on a moment's notice

[sluggers]

We have a great thread about pitchers needing to be told in advance when they are going to pitch. Of course, there is the old Yiddish softball saying, "Coaches plan and God laughs."

When this happens, there no time for whining and complaining. It is time for the pitcher to bust her rear end and get ready.

My DD would work very quickly getting her arm loose and then she would start increasing her effort to get her pitches to game speed. She would do reps as quickly as she possible could. She would catch the ball and then go immediately into a windup for the pitch.

In the usual FUBAR situation, she would not have time to work on her breaking pitches. So, she would pitch on the edge of the strike zone for the first inning. She would never attempt a breaking pitch over the plate. After the first inning, she would run down to the bullpen and get her breaking pitches going.

With fastballs and good control, she could get through a couple of innings. She would never make it a second time through the order without her drop.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

After the first inning, she would run down to the bullpen and get her breaking pitches going.

Great advice, and the above is how we handle it most of the time in travel.

I also find this to be very pitcher specific. Some girls can just walk in from the parking lot ready to go it seems. It's not clear how much better they could be if given advance notice.

 

[Hillhouse]

I think I made it clear in my post about the fact s**t happens and the planned pitcher may not be able to go, so the back up will have to prepare quickly. While it's not something that happens a lot, there's no question this happens, and it's happened to me personally many times. Obviously if the pitcher has an injury, the new pitcher gets as long as needed for their warm ups. There's no time limit or restrictions on the amount of warm up pitchers when it's an injury replacement. It's not uncommon for the team to send the injured pitcher out for a single pitch then claim an injury on that pitch, giving the back up all the time needed. Is that ethical? You decide. I'm only saying it happens.

But if it's a last minute change for starting the game, the incoming pitcher has to do whatever they can to get ready quickly. Pitchers who feel they need 45 minutes to warm up are really doing themselves a disservice in this regard. They need to warm up each individual pitch for 10 mins, etc. etc. It boggles the mind sometimes. And Sluggers hit on something that I did and always made my pitchers do in games while coaching if things weren't working: go to the bullpen and keep throwing between innings! Bullpens are not just for relief pitchers warming up and pre-game warm ups. Your starting pitcher can and should use the bullpen between innings if needed, whether that's because a pitch isn't working and they need to put extra time to get it going. OR if the offense if having an exceptionally long inning, scoring a lot of runs, go to the bullpen and keep turning your arm over to stay loose.

I'm always amazed at pitchers (and coaches who don't encourage them) to use the bullpen to continue working on getting pitches working.

 

[Towny9]

First time I sent a girl down to warmup mid game when the starter was struggling I looked down in the bullpen and I see her on both knees doing her drills. Had to have a whole talk about how when coach sends you down to get warm you gotta get ready quick. There isn’t time to do all the warmup/drill shenanigans you do at lessons!

 

[HighStrung]

DD goes through her warm up routine before every game whether she's pitching or not. She's a quick one to warm up so that helps. She typically throws 10-15 walk thru's at about 80%, then walks up to about 25-30ft and does essentially does a "landing position" pitch with a full windmill for probably 10 more pitches. Then moves back and mounds up for full speed for 8-10 fastballs and approx 2-3 of each of her movement pitches. Whole process takes about 10 minutes.

That way, if she's needed and wasn't expecting to pitch she can be fully ready in about 5 minutes, she's gone in due to an emergency before with about 2 minutes warmup and still came in doing very well. That being said, we've also spent a decent amount of time practicing coming in cold. She's been a part of a few teams in the past that were known for being a little light on pitching staff and she ended up pitching in games she wasn't expecting to more than a few times, so we prepared for it.

She's a movement pitcher and known for her accuracy but I've never understood how she can get her movement pitches ready so quick, but she sure does it. Guess it's literally the hundreds of hours working on them.

 

[canyonjoe]

I know it's a different sport but I remember in Little League or Babe Ruth and even HS they would just bring you in from SS or wherever in the middle of an inning. It wasn't ideal but like anything in life you just did your best.

 

[Hillhouse]

When I was coaching, I always told the pitchers the day before who was starting and who was 1st in relief. The relief pitcher was always told to be no more than "8 away from being ready". So, she had to be 8 pitches away from being ready to enter the game. If there was a hiccup in that plan, I'd delay the pitching change by going out to the circle and wait for the umpire come out and tell me "lets go". So, I'd walk back to the dugout, wait until everyone is set, batter in the box, etc. Then call time out again and do it again until the ump came back to the circle where I'd be forced to make the change due to my 2nd visit.

Obviously with time limit games in TB tournaments that strategy would be frowned upon.

 

[EdLovrich]

I'd delay the pitching change by going out to the circle and wait for the umpire come out and tell me "lets go". So, I'd walk back to the dugout, wait until everyone is set, batter in the box, etc. Then call time out again and do it again until the ump came back to the circle where I'd be forced to make the change due to my 2nd visit.

This works in USA, USSSA and NFHS, but, in NCAA you need to make a change on the second visit, IIRC (someone please speak up if I am wrong) the proper mechanic by the PU is to get the change as you are coming out for the second trip in a half inning, since you HAVE to make a change at that point.

 

[EdLovrich]

addition to the above, in non-NCAA codes, you would not even have to make the change then, as long as you haven't used your 3 charged defensive conferences. As an aside, under baseball rules (OBR) you would not be able to come out for a second visit in the same at-bat even if you DID intend to make a change.

 

[Hillhouse]

This works in USA, USSSA and NFHS, but, in NCAA you need to make a change on the second visit, IIRC (someone please speak up if I am wrong) the proper mechanic by the PU is to get the change as you are coming out for the second trip in a half inning, since you HAVE to make a change at that point.

That's exactly what I said I did. Please re-read what I wrote.