Pitching 101

Gather 'round kids.  Now hear this, commit it to memory and take it to the grave with you:  You do not have to throw the ball 90+ miles per hour to be a successful big league pitcher.  The only key to success with sub 90+ MPH "stuff" is changing the eye level of the hitter.

The slower the pitch, the more movement it should have.  That said, movement in and of itself is seldom enough if pitches are always down, or always up, or always in, or always away.  There in lies the key:  The slower the "stuff" the more variety is required in location, up, down, inside and away.  That's it.  That's all you need to know to be a successful big league pitcher with sub 90 MPH stuff, change the eye level of the hitter.

Now let's apply it to some big league realities.  Let's take, for example, Manny Ramirez...let's just say he's facing, oh, I dont know, Mike Mussina for example.  Let's say Manny took Mussina deep in a prior at bat, and now Moose has turned the tables and jumped out to an early 0-2 count, both strikes down and on the outside corner.  Manny has two options, and only two options:  Look down and in, or look for a 3rd consecutive pitch down and away.  Why only those two options you ask?  Why doesnt Manny have to look up and in or up and away?  Because Mussina never gave him a worry he would throw there.  At no point in any at bat did Moose throw anything other than low and in, or low and away - HE NEVER CHANGED THE EYE LEVEL OF THE HITTER.

So what happens, you ask?  Manny was ready for low and in, but Moose tricked him up, throwing a 3rd consecutive pitch low and away, this time for a ball, bringing the count to 1-2.  How many options do you think Manny has now?  I'll give you hint, 1.  Manny decided to zone in on low and in and he got his wish, and he didnt waste the opportunity taking Moose deep to left.

The moral of the story is this, rather than being worried about Kyle Farnsworth throwing behind Manny later in the game, we should be concerned about why Moose didnt do it when he had Manny set up 0-2.  Change the eye level of the hitter, right?  0-2 after two low and away strikes, perfect time to throw one off the plate up and in.  Back him up a bit, change his eye levels, and most importantly not allow Manny to sit and focus in one zone and then give him his wish. 

I said early in posts that Moose appears to have matched his "stuff" with the right mental approach, throwing slow, slower and even slower to marginalize hitters' ability to stay balanced.  That's all well and good, but if he continues to avoid our simple lesson from today, he'll be in big trouble...especially against Manny Ramirez.

On to Baltimore, Go Yanks!