Our goal every game is to have our pitchers throw a shutout. You can’t lose if the other team can’t score. There are 3 things a pitcher has to do to throw a shutout and none of them require the ability to throw a certain velocity. When our pitchers work out to add velocity, we really want them to focus on pitching shutouts.
3 THINGS NECESSARY TO THROW A SHUTOUT:
- Eliminate the walks.
- Stop the running game.
- Prevent the long-ball extra-base hit.
MEANS OF ACHIEVING OUR GOALS
Goal #1 – Eliminate the walks
Facts: 91% of all walks begin with a ball on the first pitch, and hitters hit below .200 on the first pitch, in general — .083 on the first pitch of a game. Extra base hits come far more often when the pitcher is behind in the count. Therefore, we will try to throw a strike on the first pitch every time, which means a FB 99% of the time. Generally, throw the FB in there slightly high or slightly low (depending on the weakness of the hitter) on the first pitch. The catcher’s cup or Face masks are good targets on the first pitch.
- Know the batter’s favorite height (hi or lo) before he comes up, by looking at the on-deck hitters’ swing between pitches.
- Use the automatic shake-off a lot on the first pitch to make sure the hitter thinks he’s getting something other than a FB.
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