Throwing Quality Off-Speed Pitches

At the high school and college levels (and beyond, in pro ball), the ability of a pitcher to throw a quality off-speed pitch in a fastball count is critical.

Remember, if getting outs is the ultimate goal, a pitcher's ability to fool hitters, induce weak contact, or to miss bats entirely can not be underestimated!

Here's What Roger Clemens Thought About Brushback Pitches, Hitting Batters And Pitching Inside

This blog was taken from a 1998 spring training post-game interview with Roger Clemens. During this game, Blue Jays shortstop Alex Gonzalez was hit in the head by a pitch from New York Yankees starter Hideki Irabu. As it would turn out, Roger hit the Yankees shortstop the next half inning.

In this section, the Rocket discusses that most beloved subject of all dominating major league pitchers: the inside of the plate.

Q: Now, you had an HB, today, a "hit batsman." What pitch was that?

Roger: That was an inside fastball. To Derek Jeter.

Q: Irabu, himself, hit two Jays during the game. First Canseco, then shortstop Alex Gonzalez in the top of the 5th. Tell me about the 5th.

Roger: Alex was having a great at bat against Irabu. He worked Irabu to a 3-2 count and then started fouling fastballs off, over and over. Real good swings on them.

I had just come into the dugout, from my between-inning calisthentics. And then Irabu hits Alex in the head. I mean, it was dangerous. He got hit right in the temple. Thank God that, when he turned to avoid the fastball, his batting helmet stayed on. Because it just absolutely smoked him.

Knocked him right down. And he lay what seemed like forever. The Yankees immediately took Irabu out of the game, brought a replacement in. [Mike Buddie, who mainly played at Columbus in 1997, the Yankees AAA team.] We brought Craig Grabeck to fill in for Alex.

I went out and pitched my own end of the fifth, the bottom. A man got on [an error by the Jays], but we got a double play ball to get out of that. Jeter came up [Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter]. I threw a fastball away from him, on the left side of the plate. Then I came back with a fastball inside -- hitting Jeter in the upper rib cage.

There was no incident or anything. Jeter ran down to first. Pretty much, hey, just the game of baseball -- no, let me take that back, just the game of hardball. Right there.

After the game, the reporters asked me about my location. And then they said, "Was your location good on that Jeter pitch?" And I told them exactly what that pitch was: a fastball inside. It was a very meaningful fastball, sure, but it was just an inside fastball. In the major leagues.

Q: Some reporters were asking you, after, if you feel pitchers sometimes have to retaliate when their teammates get hit in the head.

Roger: And my only answer to that it is extremely unsettling when one of your teammates gets hit in the head. I can't underline that enough. I have to dress and be with these guys, every day, day in and day out, seven months of the year. I want their respect.

But I want Jays fans to know that Irabu sent his interpreter over to apologize to Alex in the clubhouse. I was in there when that happened. I thought that was very professional.

Q: Do you think he was aiming for Alex, because of that long at bat? Or did it just get away?

Roger: I can't comment on what was going on in his head. I just take at face value what his interpreter told us in the clubhouse: It was unintentional.

I hope Alex is okay. We won't know until tomorrow how he is. It's scary. Think about it. You've heard all the devastating things that can happen to a boxer from a punch. Well, here we have a baseball, a sphere that is harder than your knuckles. And it comes in at 95-plus mph. And that hits you in the head. It is dangerous. Myself, anytime I've ever gotten a fastball up around a guy's shoulder or head, it even scares me, let alone the hitter.

I pitch inside for a purpose. I believe that that is what got me to the bigs. And I believe that that is what has kept me in the bigs. I consider pitching inside part of my job up there on the mound. That's my livelihood.

But, I also understand that batters have kids and families. And I respect that. And that's why you never want to play around with a guy's head. A pitcher can get the job done in and around the belly button, maybe as high as the chest, to get a hitter to back off the plate.

Q: Many great pitchers of the past have said they can't believe the way some modern batters take the whole plate.

Roger: I have to pitch inside. I enjoy it and it's necessary. Sometimes, my control with my fastball can be detrimental because it lets guys get real comfortable up there. So I have to come inside.

Hall of Fame pitchers like Don Drysdale and Bob Gibson talked to me a fair bit, early in my career -- and Nolan [Ryan], to some extent. And that's where I learned about pitching inside. I mean, "Big D," before he passed on, he told me that he thought his "most important pitch" of any game was "the second knockdown pitch."

Q: [Laughter]

Roger: 'Cause then the hitter knew the first one wasn't a mistake.

Q: After the second brushback, I bet they were a little more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, huh?

Roger: You bet. In my first two years in the majors, I had to learn that just because you can throw hard doesn't mean everything. You keep throwing it right over the middle, guys are going to start turning it around on you big time at this level of play. They will hit it all over the place.

So you have to throw pitches that then set up other pitches. If you have a guy who is covering both sides of the plate, you have to get one side back.

Unfortunately, there are just some stubborn hitters. [long pause] Well... there are some stubborn pitchers, too.

That's what pitching inside is all about.

Don Drysdale requests you please pay attention.

Various Pitch Counts, And The Baseball Pitches You Might Throw In Them

What's the pitch count?

3-0, 3-1, 3-2, 2-0, 2-2 and 1-1

What to throw?

Must have strike. The hitter must hit the ball, so as a pitcher, think fastball strike below waist. Think spin and movement, not velocity. A curve/slider down in zone is a good choice. You can throw a change up sometimes, but you definitely must throw this pitch for a strike. Try to fool hitter with pitch selection, not with location.

What's the pitch count?

1-1, 0-1 and 0-0 (get ahead pitch)

What to throw?

We want a strike. Fastball down on outer third of plate, or a curve/slider is down crotch to knees.You can also throw a change up sometimes (except on 0-0 count). Remember this: 1-1 is the most pivotal count; go 2-1 and you become much more predictable. 

What's the pitch count?

1-2

What to throw?

Power pitches in good locations. Fastball outer third of plate below crotch, or a curve/slider below crotch on outer third of plate. No off-speed pitch here. Use power pitch that gets hitter out now. Throw a put away pitch; throw your best baseball pitch!

What's the pitch count?

0-2

What to throw?

Let's get him now! You have hitter where you want, so put ball in tough location -- a non-strike outside at the knees or halfway between inside corner and toes at the belt buckle. Command the inside part of plate. We want power in good location, such as a hard fastball, a hard curve or a slider. Do not let count get past 1-2. If you have the hitter 0-2 and do not get the hitter with this pitch, then you must get the hitter with the 1-2 pitch.

3 Hints For Smarter Baseball Pitching

1. With a runner at 3B and less than two outs, always go with power. Throw a fastball and hard breaking pitch as opposed to a change up. 

2. If you are in trouble, think about pitch location and pitch movement, not pitching velocity.

3. Smart pitching is when you get a baseball hitter to hit an unprecedented pitch when you are behind in the count or in trouble.

Pitching With Runners In Scoring Position

One of the things I did in pro ball when pitching with runners in scoring position (which happened a lot since I was a closer, especially when I was called in to pitch in the middle of an inning), was to analyze how batters changed their approach.

With runners in scoring position, some batters get less aggressive, some get more aggressive. So I always tried to observe what the batters' tendencies were.

This gave me an idea about whether I could expand the strike zone a bit, or whether I needed to be more fine with my baseball pitches.

3 Baseball Pitching Tips For Outdueling Hitters

1. Save your strikeouts.

Runner on 3B, fewer than 2 outs. Runner on 2B, no outs. Or if a poor hitter up with a runner in scoring position. Those are the only times a strikeout should enter your mind. A strikeout isn't a byproduct of anything other than having your game plan and making good pitches. Ultimately, you should try not to show all your pitches in the first at-bat; save something for later in the game, to get the guy out when it matters.

2. Don't fear the runner.

A guy on 1B shouldn't dictate your pitch selection to the batter. Don't be afraid to throw an off-speed pitch, just because there's a guy on base. Ultimately, only 17% of stolen bases lead to a run that wouldn't have scored anyway, so you're better off concentrating on the hitter and getting him out.

3. Be the first to adjust.

After the first time through the batting order, you should have a pretty good idea about what to expect. But everybody makes adjustments. It's a matter of knowing enough about the hitter to pick up adjustments he may be making ... and then you making adjustments to stay one step ahead.

Baseball Pitching: It's A Numbers Game

As baseball pitchers, statistics are an important part of our work. Statistics can provide a base for which a lot of assumptions can be made. In the Chicago Cubs organization where I played, managers, catchers and pitchers used statistics of batters against opposing teams to develop our pitching strategies and set defensive positioning on the field. However, I should point out that a group of numbers are not stand-alone, gospel truth, set in stone of and by themselves. Statistics can however, with a lot of intuition and reasoning, support a series of decisions that aid and assist both the pitcher and his coach(s).

Here's a terrific article on the Let's Talk Pitching baseball forum by Coach John Baker on using, interpreting and understanding baseball pitching statistics to your advantage on the mound.

How Pitchers Can Use Batting Practice To Develop A Pitching Strategy On Game Day

Batting practice can be an invaluable pitching tool and used to evaluate opposing hitters and formulate a pitching strategy. I used to use pitching charts because it made it easier to record the information. I also recommend that the starting pitcher, as well as some of the relief pitchers should do the observing along with the aid of the pitching coach. This will help get some good discussion around how you may want to pitch to certain hitters in the lineup.

By observing where opposing hitters tend to hit the ball, what their baseball swing is like, and what pitches they have trouble with, you can start to classify them and possible methods of pitching to them.

Pitching Strategy: Why You Shouldn't Pitch Inside Late In A Close Game

Watch any MLB game on TV and you'll almost always hear the announcers talk about not pitching inside late in a game. That's because statistics show that most home run hitters pull their home runs. In other words, right-handed hitters hit more homers over the left field fence than any other area; left-handed hitters hit more homers over the right field fence than any other area. And the pitch they do that most on is an inside pitch because they can turn on it.

Source: Baseball Analysts

If you're a baseball closer coming into finish a close game ... or a starting pitcher looking to finish a complete game in which you have a narrow lead -- pitch outside, especially to your power hitters or your home run threats (like the 3rd and 4th hitters in a lineup).

The reason is simple: You don't want to get beat on one swing, on one pitch. By pitching outside late in a game, especially a close one, statistics work in your favor. Make the hitter put the ball in play. Let your teammates help you get those final three outs. But remember, they can't help defend against a home run!

Pitch Counts: 3 Ways To Maximize Strikes And Lower Pitch Counts

As a baseball pitcher, it's important to throw efficient innings; it's important to be effective with as few baseball pitches as possible. This will help lower your pitch counts, improve your durability over the course of the long baseball season, and position yourself to be successful at the end of the day.

Three things to think about are as follows:

1. Throw two out of three pitches for strikes.

2. End 75% of all at-bats within three pitches.

3. End 100% of all at-bats within five pitches.

In order to end at-bats quickly, you must maximize the number of strikes you throw early in the count. In other words, you must be aggressive and throw strikes on the first three pitches. Make the hitter put the ball in play. The way to do this is to throw a first pitch strike. That first strike is the soul of every pitcher's success.

MLB pitching statistics show that pitchers who throw first-pitch strikes generally do well. Those who don't throw first-pitch strikes generally struggle.

MLB pitching statistics also show that pitchers give up base hits on fewer than 10% of their first-pitch strikes.

The takeaway is this: Go right after the hitter on the first pitch!