| They say that good pitching stops good | | | | pitching to someone like this a pitcher can |
| hitting. But what makes a good pitcher | | | | try two approaches. One of them involves |
| besides how hard he throws. If you ask Tom | | | | throwing pitches on the outside of the plate. |
| Glavin, who doesn't throw hard enough to | | | | This way, if the batter tries to pull the |
| knock a tin can off of a shaky bar stool, | | | | pitch he's only going to manage to hit the |
| he'll tell you that it's all in the approach. | | | | ball to the shortstop all day long. He'll |
| And a lot of that has to do with knowing | | | | almost never get a hit because he's not going |
| your hitter.In a situation where there is | | | | with the pitch the other way. Another |
| nobody on base, the pitcher deals with each | | | | approach is to jam the batter or throw the |
| batter one on one with very little regard to | | | | ball inside. If the batter pulls these |
| anything else, with some exceptions which | | | | pitches he's only going to end up hitting |
| we'll get to later. In a normal situation | | | | them foul.Let's say a batter is a great low |
| the pitcher has to go over the batter's | | | | ball hitter, regardless of whether the pitch |
| strengths and weaknesses, which he will get | | | | is a slow curve, split finger or even hard |
| from the team scouting reports that they go | | | | fastball. Against these type of hitters the |
| over before the game. There is no such thing | | | | pitcher will want to keep the ball up, which |
| as the perfect hitter. Everyone has at least | | | | is usually not a good thing. In this case, |
| one weakness. It is the pitcher's job to try | | | | it probably is. Most likely low ball hitters |
| to exploit that weakness.For example and | | | | have an uppercut swing to get the ball into |
| let's make this a simple one, let's say a | | | | the air, like Jeremy Burnitz. If you throw |
| batter is a dead fastball hitter. In other | | | | these batter balls up in the strike zone, |
| words it is very difficult to get him out by | | | | most likely they will swing under the ball |
| throwing a fastball by him. However, he has | | | | and either pop it up or swing and miss it |
| a lot of trouble with a curveball. In this | | | | completely.These are just a few of the many |
| case, the pitcher will use mostly his | | | | different situations and batters that a |
| curveball to throw strikes and when he does | | | | pitcher is going to have to deal with not |
| throw a fastball he will only throw it to | | | | only day to day but batter to batter. It is |
| "show" the batter the pitch, meaning that he | | | | a constant psychological war against the |
| will throw it out of the strike zone so the | | | | opposing hitter. The pitchers who are able |
| batter can't hit it.In another example, let's | | | | to adjust to this war of nerves are the ones |
| say a batter is a dead pull hitter. When | | | | who go on to have hall of fame careers. |