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Meet Junebug, Inchworm, Stitches and Z. Four outstanding pitchers that make it tough to be a batter. The Four Aces went down to a pair but the Groove is back with 3 of a kind when they picked up AP. Junebug and Inchworm have moved on and we wish them well.
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The Aces Pitching Tip
October 21, 2004 --
Attacking the Hitters
There are, obviously, many different approaches a pitcher can take to beat a good hitter. I often see pitchers working the low outside corner (with say drops and curves) on "Big hitters" in order to keep them from getting the sweet part of the bat on the ball. However, batters today are getting smarter and better and learning to go with those outside pitches.
One of my favorite ways to beat a big hitter is to throw hard and at the hands with inside pitches. When you bust a batter hard and inside it is difficult for them to get their bat head around and/or to get extended on the ball. And often, if they do get a hold of one, it's nothing more than a foul ball.
I like to start low and inside with a low rise or screwball for the first strike (getting that first pitch in there for a strike is extremely important and gives you as a pitcher more room to "play".) Then I like to "climb the ladder", meaning, throw the next pitch slightly higher than the one before. Once they bite, I continue to climb. To the batter it seems as though it's that same pitch (the strike) over and over.
But if you're going to go inside on a big hitter, you've GOT to make sure you get that ball INSIDE and be careful not to hang the pitch over the plate. Otherwise you just might be waving goodbye to the ball as it leaves the park. By: Jocelyn Forest
New England Riptide Pitcher
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STITCHES # 6
I've never thrown an illegal pitch but what they do to hitters is a crime.
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Z # 16
Some people go places and some people travel. Some people have a job and some people have a career. Some girls throw and some pitch. I'm a Groove pitcher. Which are you.
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