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50% is Good Enough
Sept 29, 2002
This week's message is still on the subject of accuracy. Are you getting ill yet? Not to worry - next week we'll get into more interesting issues like dealing with hitters.
By the way, if there are any hitters reading this - SCREW OFF!
There. Now that us pitchers are all alone, we can talk more openly about secrets. Later on, we'll ask our catchers to join in - but for now we've gotta get over this accuracy thing.
One of the things I like most about baseball (and fastpitch of course) is that it is a very mathematical game. As each "out" is recorded and each "count" matures, the situation changes. The best part about the game from a pitchers perspective is that we get four mistakes and the batter only gets three.
That's why 50% is the key.
By now you've probably got the message that I am a big believer in "spot pitching". I told team-mate Joe Mellott a few years ago that my goal is to hit the glove right on the button at least 50% of the time.
He had a good belly laugh. What happens to the other 50% he asked, as he was rolling on the ground.
That's a pretty good question. The reality is that the same things happen to those pitches that happens to any pitch when you're not throwing to a "spot". You're throwing the ball and taking your chances.
But the ones that hit the glove on the button are going to get a strike, or an out, nearly every time.
I like to play a little game of my own in my head while I'm pitching. I keep track of "hits" and "misses". If I miss two in a row, then I figure I owe my catcher two "hits" in a row.
50% is my goal, and it's easy to achieve. (You can always give yourself a coupla ball widths if you need to).
It's not uncommon to miss the glove by two feet and get a strike. It happens. It's one of the signs that you are becoming a "spot pitcher". Oftentimes someone will yell out "great pitch". I think to myself "no it wasn't, I missed by two feet" but the good news is that if you bounce back and hit the spot with your next pitch you'll be way ahead.
Darren Zack put on an absolutely dazzling display of accuracy in a 2-0 win over Fineline at South Memorial earlier this year. He was "hittin' nuthin but buttons" all night long. He must have been throwing more like 90%! The man rarely misses.
Fineline has some pretty good sticks but could not produce a single run. Zack struck out at least 2 batters every inning and finished with 16 (or was it 18? details are in the archives somewhere).
The interesting thing is that Zack was throwing mostly in the low 70's. I had my radar gun on him all night. There are seven pitchers in the lower mainland who I have clocked as fast or faster than Zack. There's probably ten pitchers on Vancouver Island who throw as hard as Zack.
I really have a good laugh when someone starts to tell Darren Zack stories. I especially like the ones about his rise ball that nearly hits the ground and then it climbs up to the top of the zone!
Or that the ball curves in two directions on it's way to the plate - or that he throws 17 different speeds!
I don't laugh in their faces but I laugh when I get home. I roll all over the floor - really!!
Darren Zack is the most accurate pitcher I have ever seen. He's also one of the most successful pitchers of all-time!
Anyway, my point is that accuracy is everything, but you only need to hit the target 50% of the time - unless you're Darren Zack of course. You'll stay away from "control problems" and won't give up many walks.
The secret to being able to hit the spot lies in your composure.
If you're worried, over-confident, scared, excited, or angry you probably won't have much success. You want to stay fairly calm and rational, thinking only about the few things that you need to think about to keep everything working.
A long time ago, someone told me to never look at the on-deck batter. I couldn't see the logic in this but now it's clear. In fact, I would like to propose an even more extreme strategy: "don't look at the batter".
I know you won't do this but I'm putting it out there anyway. If you don't pay any attention to the batter and start guessing which pitches might work - you'll be able to concentrate more on hitting the spot - right?
When that's all you have to think about, it's a lot easier to be accurate. And that's where this week's secret comes in:
This week's secret:
Let your catcher call the game
If you let your catcher do all the thinking and guessing about what might work with this batter, you'll be able to focus on what you need to focus on.
All pitchers are a little different. I like to think about where my glove was when the ball was straight up (12 o'clock position). I want it to be directly at the target.
I also like to look at where I landed. When I'm struggling, I tend to "overthrow" and land a bit too far.
You may think about something completely different, but don't start thinking about the batter - especially the on-deck batter!
Next week's topic:
