Chapter 11 - Pitching

What are the attributes of a good pitcher? Students of the game seem to agree that control comes first on the list. You can have a pitcher with "all of the stuff in the world," but his career will be brief if he fails to control it.

Normally, a pitcher can come to a consistency of pitching in a relatively short period of time. If he grips the ball the same way every time he throws it, and throws with the same motion, he should be able to throw to the same place with regularity. Then, if he is wild, his pitches will be wild in the same place, high and outside, or low and inside, and so forth. If this pattern develops, you can help the player by having him lengthen his stride to throw higher, or shorten it to throw lower; hold on to the ball longer to throw lower, or release it sooner to throw higher; change the direction of the striding foot to move the ball inside or outside; and using a different target.

Mr. Rickey once signed a young pitcher in the South who threw the ball "with all the speed the ball could stand." However, the boy never advanced higher than the bottom rung of the professional baseball ladder because his hands were so small that he couldn't get a good grip on the ball and thus was plagued by control trouble. From then on, Mr. Rickey always checked the hands of prospective pitchers to be sure that they were large enough to get a good grip on the ball.

The size of the body doesn't seem to be of primary importance to pitchers if they have good coordination. They can be tall and wiry as the Dean brothers, Lefty Gomez, and Preacher Roe were in their prime and as Don Drysdale and Jim Bunning are today, or built more like fullbacks along the lines of Allie Reynolds and Early Wynn, or on the small side as are Whitey Ford, Ed Lopat, and Bobby Shantz. However, large hands, strong wrists and forearms are very helpful to a pitcher.

One reason many young pitchers have trouble with control is that they try to be too careful with their pitches. Instead of aiming for the corners, they should concentrate on getting the ball over the plate against most hitters. If a boy can throw hard or has "good stuff," he need not worry about the batter getting many hits in a game. The percentages are with the pitcher. Once the pitcher gets ahead in the ball-and-strike count, the percentages increase in his favor. Major league statisticians have proved that batters don't hit as well when they are behind the pitcher. The farther behind batters get—for example, two strikes and no balls—the worse they hit. This shows why it is so important for the pitcher to get ahead in the count. Once there are two strikes on the batter, the pitcher can aim for the corners of the plate or try to miss the strike zone by two or three inches in an effort to make the batter chase a bad pitch. Of course, if a pitcher has very good control, he should pitch to spots consistently.

LOW PITCHES TAKE AWAY POWER. Probably the best control pitchers ever to appear in the Little League World Series were Joey Sims of Birmingham, Alabama, and Angel Macias of Monterrey, Mexico. Neither could throw with as much speed as some other mounds men who have appeared in the tournament; but their ability to throw the ball where they wanted it to go made them unbeatable.

Both kept their pitches low, thus taking away the power of opposing batters. Studies prove that the large majority of extra-base hits are produced by hitting pitches above the belt. Macias struck out a power hitter with three inside pitches the first time he faced him. When the batter moved away from the plate the second time at bat so as to be set for the inside pitch, Macias poured three straight strikes over the outside corner of the plate and struck him out again.

This episode brings to mind the conversation of two members of the Baseball Hall of Fame about how to pitch to batters. George Sisler asked Mor-decai "Three-Finger" Brown about his style of pitching. Brown replied that he pitched high to batters who crouched over, pitched low to batters who stood straight up, pitched inside to batters who crowded the plate, and pitched outside to batters who stood away from the plate. If you don't know the weakness of a hitter, this is still a good pattern to follow.

CONTROL BALL AND TEMPER. Personal discipline is more important to a pitcher than to any other player. No matter what happens—adverse umpires' decisions, errors by his teammates, the actions of his opponents—the pitcher must keep his emotions under control if he is to remain effective on the pitching mound.

Effective pitching requires complete coordination of mind and body. An agitated mind will lose control of the body. How many times do you see a pitcher lose his temper because a decision goes against him or because an opponent hits a home run? Often enough for you to know that by the time he regains his composure and gets back to pitching in his normal pattern the game has been lost.

When teammates make errors, they are quick to blame themselves and will work harder for the pitcher who grins when the breaks are going against him. The pitcher who gives credit to his team when he wins and assumes his share of the blame when he loses is the pitcher who will gain the wholehearted support of his teammates.

Once a pitcher "blows his top" by sounding off at an umpire, teammate, or opponent, perhaps the best way of helping him discipline himself is to remove him from the game as soon as you can warm up a pitcher to replace him. His temperamental flare-up probably has destroyed his effectiveness as a pitcher for the day, and removing him from the game will serve as a lesson to him and other members of the team who may be tempted to lose their tempers.

LET UMPIRES MAKE THE DECISIONS. The parent or adult leader who permits the young player to blame his failures on the umpire can create the kind of incident that happened in the Eastern League some years ago when a promising rookie pitcher reported to Manager George Stirnweiss of the Binghamton club. The rookie did some of the greatest acting since Barrymore as he pantomimed his displeasure at any call of a borderline pitch which was not in his favor. One could sense from his portrayal that he wanted the spectators to realize that he was a fine, stalwart youth who was doing his best to get along in the world, but that the umpire was a blackhearted villain who was working against him.

Stirnweiss watched this performance for nearly two innings, and then he charged off the bench to the mound as though he were still carrying the football for the University of North Carolina. Obviously he was not impressed by the pitcher's histrionics, and later questioning brought out what he told the pitcher: "Young man, it is time that you make an election of professions. You can be an umpire, an actor, or a pitcher, but you can only be one at a time when you are playing for me. Right now it is your job to pitch. Leave the acting to the actors and umpiring to umpires or you won't do any more pitching here." The rookie followed Stirnweiss' sound advice; otherwise his baseball road would have been a rocky one.

First Fundamentals

THE GRIP. A young pitcher must learn how to grip the ball before he throws it. He should hold it with the second and third fingers resting on a seam at the top and with the thumb directly underneath. It should be gripped so that four seams will spin in the air as it is thrown, giving the batter less white surface to see as well as more raised surface to provide friction to help the ball hop or break. As the pitcher throws, he should lead with his elbow, and snap the elbow and wrist forward to make the ball spin backward. The fast ball should roll off the ends of the fingers. The faster the ball spins the more life it will have and the more effective it will be. It is this elbow and wrist snap that makes the ball spin.

FIG. 35. Carl Erskine, who holds the Major League record for strike-outs in a World Series game, shows a Little League pitcher how to grip the ball so that the thumb is directly underneath and the second and third fingers on top of the ball, with the ends of the fingers gripping seams so that they can make the ball spin rapidly when released. Erskine also emphasizes the importance of holding the ball upright so that the elbow and wrist can snap forward and down in throwing to make the fast ball spin backward in flight

FIG. 36. Here the pitcher grips the ball with the ends of his fingers so that the four seams will spin in the air as it is thrown. This spin gives the batter less white surface to see and more raised surface of seams to provide friction, thus helping the ball "break."

FIGS. 37(a)

(b). These pictures show a pitcher practicing the wrist and hand action required in throwing the fast ball. All young players should get into the habit of flipping their throwing hand forward in this way.
 
FIG. 38(a). In taking signs from the catcher, the pitcher stands with the foot under his gloved hand (right foot if he is a left-handed thrower) behind the rubber, and foot under his throwing hand (left foot if he is a left-handed thrower) located so that the heel is on the rubber and ball of the foot in front of the rubber. He holds the ball behind his back.

FIG. 38(b). As he begins his motion, his arms swing upward, glove hiding ball from batter as he pivots to the left.
FIG. 38(c). Pivoting on his left foot, he swings his right knee past his left knee and his arms come down with the glove still covering the ball. His eyes remain on the target throughout the pitching motion.

FIG. 38(d). As his right foot starts toward the plate, his left hand, gripping the ball, goes back toward second base. He pushes against the front of the rubber with his left foot to put power into the pitch.

FIG. 38(e). This side view shows how the body is turned sideways as the ball starts forward. Professional pitchers generally swing the glove forward at shoulder level to distract the batter's eyes from the ball.

FIG. 38(f). This picture shows the forward whip of the arm in throwing the fast ball and the stride straight toward the plate.

FIG. 38(g). As he follows through with his motion, the pitcher's arm swings past his opposite knee and his shoulder is pointed toward home plate.
 
FIG. 38(h). After completing his follow-through, he instantaneously hops into a crouch, swinging his glove in front of his chest to protect against a line drive. He faces the batter with weight on his toes so he can break in any direction for batted ball.

TAKING SIGNALS. In taking signs from the catcher, the pitcher should stand with the foot under his gloved hand (right foot if he is a left-handed thrower) behind the rubber, and the foot under his throwing hand (left foot if he is a left-handed thrower) located so that the heel is on the rubber and the ball of the foot in front of the rubber. The position of the feet is reversed if he is a right-handed thrower.

With runners on base he may want to straddle the rubber when getting the signal to avoid the possibility of balking. In this case he steps onto the pitching rubber before he starts to throw.

He holds the ball behind his back and covers it with his glove as he swings into action. Most pitchers prefer to wear large gloves—the better to hide the ball.

A stretching windup helps pitchers to keep their muscles loose and to get better body action. As they start their pitching motions, most pitchers bend forward and then rock backward with the glove hiding the ball from the batter.

THE PITCHING MOTION. As the arm swings upward, the pitcher turns the foot under his throwing hand so that he pushes off the front of the rubber with the side of his foot and gets more power behind his pitch. At the same time the knee of the other leg swings in front of the knee of the pitching foot as the body pivots sideways and the pitching arm swings backward toward second base. He steps directly toward home plate as he throws and follows through with his whole body It is helpful to swing the gloved hand high to help hide the ball and keep the batter from seeing it until it is actually released by the throwing hand. As his motion begins, the shoulder of his throwing hand should be pointed toward second base and as he finishes the motion, the shoulder of the throwing hand should be pointed in the direction of the catcher. This motion insures a complete body pivot and follow-through and takes strain off the shoulder.

When throwing to the batter, a pitcher often ends up off balance and in a bad position to field a batted ball. By taking a quick second step with the foot under the gloved hand, the pitcher can square around to face home plate. He should come up on the balls of his feet to get a fast start toward any ball hit in his direction and should bring up his glove in front of his chest to protect against line drives. A pitcher should throw with a quick, but smooth motion, making as few unnecessary movements as possible. He should not try to throw so hard that he cannot control his motions. Sometimes pitchers rear back too far, kick too high, and take too long a stride— and their control suffers accordingly.

You may recall how Herb Score's brilliant pitching career was sidetracked when a line drive off the bat of Gil McDougald hit one of his eyes. Score's pitching motion and follow-through were excellent, but he always ended up with his body facing third base and his glove behind his back.

Before the accident, Score could throw a ball at more than 100 miles an hour. McDougald swings a bat at 115 miles an hour. Dr. Creighton Hale calculated that this combination of speed propelled the ball back toward Score at more than 100 miles an hour. Knowing the normal reaction time of a major league player, Hale concluded that the ball would have traveled more than 45 feet before Score could determine its direction of flight. Meanwhile Score moved forward approximately six feet with his pitching motion, bringing the ball to within nine feet of him. Thus he had no chance to swing his glove around in front of him for protection because he had no time to react to the situation after determining his danger.

FIG. 39. Many young pitchers don't get their bodies behind their pitches. Here a right-hander in Little League World Series displays an excellent follow-through as his body goes forward, the shoulder aimed at the plate and arm swinging past his left knee.

If Score had been taught to take a second step and hop into a crouching position, while swinging his glove in front of his chest the instant he had completed his follow-through, he should have avoided serious injury. Young players who want to see pitchers who execute this motion very well should watch Lew Burdette, Bobby Shantz, Larry Sherry, Johnny Podres, and Billy Loes on television.

CONTROL. A number of things can affect a pitcher's control. First on the list is taking his eyes off the target. From the time a pitcher begins his throwing motion, he should keep his eyes on the place he wants the ball to go until it reaches its destination. To perfect his control, the pitcher should aim at a target every time he throws. In warming up, he can pick out some spot on the catcher, such as his left knee, and throw at that spot until he tuching gets so that he can hit it. Then he can try the right knee, left shoulder and right shoulder.

FIG. 40. Here another Little League World Series pitcher shows proper follow-through for a left-hander as his shoulder and arm swing forward. Note how he keeps his eyes on the target, bends low and seems to "pour his body" into the pitch without any strain. Stiff-backed pitchers handicap themselves.

Be sure that your pitcher grips the ball and releases it the same way every time he throws a particular type of pitch, such as a fast ball or change of pace. He should step in the same place each time he pitches, too. Otherwise, he probably will be a scatter pitcher who will have control trouble. If a boy grips and releases the ball the same way every time and is still wild, he should be wild in one particular place—such as high and outside. This you can correct by having him let go of the ball a little sooner or a little later as the case may be—sooner if he is throwing too low and later if he is throwing too high.
Slightly changing the direction of his stepping may help the pitcher to zero in on the target if he is pitching outside or inside consistently. If his pitches are to the left of the strike zone, have him stride a little farther to the right. If they are to the right of the plate, have him stride a bit farther to the left. Shortening the stride may help a pitcher who throws balls too high consistently, and lengthening the stride may help a pitcher who throws too low.

FIG. 41. Joey Jay played on the first Little League team formed in the state of Connecticut and is the first athlete to enjoy participating in both the Little League World Series and Major League World Series. Here Jay displays fine pitching form as he strides directly toward home plate with his elbow leading and elbow and wrist beginning to snap forward to release fast ball off the ends of his fingers. He keeps his eyes on his target.

THE CHANGE OF PACE. When a pitcher has learned to throw the fast ball properly and to control it most of the time, he may want to experiment with another pitch. This may be the time to teach him a change of pace. To throw the fast ball properly, he should grip the ball with the ends of his fingers, leaving space between the ball and the crotch of the hand.

For the change of pace or "slow ball," the pitcher pushes the ball back against the crotch of his hand as he begins his pitching motion. His index and middle fingers are on top and his thumb underneath the ball in approximately the same grip as for the fast ball. He lifts the fingers slightly as he releases the ball, keeping them relaxed and looser than for the fast ball, but throws both pitches with the same motion to fool the batter. If he uses the change of pace, impress upon him the importance of throwing it only to batters who are having success in hitting his fast ball. If a batter can't hit the fast ball, the change of pace may be just the pitch he can hit successfully.

FIG. 42. This grip is for the change of pace or "slow ball." The ball is pushed back into the crotch of the hand and the ends of the second and middle fingers are raised slightly as the ball is released. To throw the batter off in his timing, the rotation and motion should be the same as with the fast ball. However, this grip will slow up the flight of the ball. It often takes a long period of time to learn to control this pitch.

BREAKING PITCHES. There are many ideas and theories about when and how pitchers should begin to throw curve balls. Research indicates that throwing curves puts more strain on the arm than throwing fast balls because the twisting motion is not a natural one. However, a young player's bones are less brittle than when he matures, and he has more elasticity in his arm.

It is true that there is a limit to the number of pitches any arm can throw without wearing out! Throwing curves hastens the wearing-out process, but the limit varies with each individual. Tom Sheehan, the scout and pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants, was striking out members of a threshing-crew in a game on his father's farm with a curve ball when he was 12 years of age. Thirty years later his curve was still good enough to fool hitters in professional baseball. Clarence Mitchell, who pitched the Brooklyn Dodgers into a World Series, could throw a sharp-breaking curve when he was 50 years old.

Probably the pitch which puts more stress and strain and "wear and tear" on the pitcher than any other is the screwball. Carl Hubbell used this pitch with outstanding success for many years., they indicate that the curve ball doesn't have to be a dangerous pitch for a player to include in his repertoire if he knows how to throw it properly and if he refrains from using it too frequently. In fact, the evidence would indicate the real danger is that pitchers will injure their arms by trying to throw "trick" pitches without the benefit of proper coaching when their coaches refuse to show them how to throw curves, sliders, knucklers, and change-ups. Often pitchers will experiment by themselves if adults refuse to show them how to throw a certain pitch.

THE CURVE BALL. To throw a curve, the pitcher should be relaxed and hold the ball firmly, but not tightly, by the thumb and the second and third fingers, as shown in Figure 43. The grip should be fixed with the glove hiding the ball from the batter before the pitcher begins his pitching motion.

Almost all successful pitchers spin the ball off the second finger, snapping the wrist forward to give the ball a forward spin as it is released. Beginners should do what major league pitchers do each year as they begin spring training, tossing the ball at short distances and concentrating on getting a good spin on the ball and then gradually lengthening the distance they throw and increasing the speed with which they throw. For at least a week, boys should not throw the full distance.

The player should attempt to make the ball spin as rapidly as possible because it is the spin of the ball which makes it break. No youngster should try to throw a curve ball "hard," but should concentrate on throwing the slow curve and controlling it. He should keep in mind that it is not the speed of the pitch, but how fast he can spin the ball which is important.

Any player who doesn't have a stiff wrist should, with sufficient practice, be able to throw a curve. It may be that Little Leaguers should spin a few curves in practice for a full season before attempting to throw one in a game.

As in the case of the fast ball, the overhand curve is the best pitch for most pitchers. It is easier to control and will break downward, making most batters hit on top of it if they don't miss it completely. The overhand curve generally makes batters hit ground balls, cutting down the distance of hits and giving the infielders a better chance to field the ball. A sidearm curve, on the other hand, normally breaks sideways so that a batter can be fooled by it and still hit it solidly if he meets it in the strike zone.

It should be emphasized that the elbow leads the wrist and hand in the motion, with the elbow extended forward from the shoulder and the wrist snapping downward with the back of the hand toward home plate as the hand turns in releasing the ball. The second finger becomes the last contact with the ball, pressing against a seam to give it spin.

If the fingers grip the ball too tightly, the wrist will tighten up also, preventing a good wrist snap, and the extra tension may cause the arm to tire. Some pitchers find it easier to throw a good curve by shortening their stride slightly.

FIGS. 43(a), (b), (c). These photos show the hand and wrist action used in throwing an overhand curve, with the wrist rolling out and down as the ball spins off the ends of the fingers and over the top of the second finger. Beginners should go through this motion slowly as they start to use it.
 
If young pitchers master the use of the fast ball, curve, and change of pace, they may want to add other types of pitches to their repertoire. The slider is frequently used with good results by professional pitchers and can be taught to pitchers who have big enough hands to put strong pressure on the ball with their second or third finger, depending on how they want to spin the ball. However, a boy should not try to throw a slider without having an experienced pitcher or coach show him how to do it. The same thing is true of the knuckle ball—which is much more difficult to control— the fork ball, and other pitches.
HOLDING RUNNERS ON BASE. In pitching above the Little League level, pitchers must be taught to hold runners on base. If a runner steals a base, it is often the pitcher's fault for allowing the runner to get too big a lead. First he must become familiar with every facet of the balk rule, which every pitcher should memorize.

Proper control of the head can be very helpful to the pitcher. Peripheral vision will show him the distance the runner is from the base without a complete turn of the head. If the lead is too large, the pitcher should throw to the base. Veteran coaches claim that two successive throws to a base will tire out the runner who slides back to avoid a tag. Generally this will keep the runner from stealing on the next pitch.

Of equal importance with holding the runner close to his base is being able to maintain control and normal "stuff" in pitching to the batter from the "set position." The pitcher must be sure to fix his eyes on his target at home plate before he begins his pitching motion and to keep them there till the ball reaches its destination. The pitcher must keep in mind that he should begin his delivery only when he is relaxed and ready to pitch.

With men on base, it is advisable for the pitcher to change the timing between pitches in order to keep the base-runners from anticipating his moves. A clever pitcher like Preacher Roe or Lew Burdette will count to five before pitching one time, will count to 12 before pitching the next time, will count to three before pitching the next time, etc.

In pitching from the set position, a right-handed pitcher puts his right foot against the front of the pitcher's rubber and his left foot a comfortable distance in front of the rubber and slightly toward first when holding a runner on first base. When his objective is to hold a runner on second base, the left foot is more directly in line with home plate.

The left-handed pitcher places the left foot against the rubber, with the right foot a comfortable distance forward. The right foot is at an angle of almost 45 degrees toward first when he is holding a runner on first base and more directly in line with home plate when he wants to hold a runner at second base.

HIDE THE BALL. As the pitcher stretches, he may find that he can get better results by keeping more weight on the back foot although some pitchers prefer to keep the weight equally distributed on both feet. After raising the arms, with the glove hiding the ball from the batter, the pitcher must bring his hands to a position of rest in front of the body. The best rest position is slightly above the belt, with arms relaxed and glove still covering the ball. The ball must remain in the rest position for at least one second to avoid a balk, and the pitcher may throw to a base from the set position at any time. In throwing to first or third base he should be sure to have his eyes on the target before he throws.

In pitching from the set position, the pitcher shifts his weight to the back foot and pushes against the front of the rubber as he steps toward home plate with the front foot. Body action should be held to a minimum without taking away from the pitcher's normal "stuff." An exaggerated motion gives the runner more time to steal. He should keep his knee kick low and striding foot close to the ground. The arm and shoulder swing should be from second base to home plate with the same follow-through as used in the windup pitch, the pitcher hopping into a fielding position at the finish.

FIELDING THE POSITION. Being able to field his position is of great importance to a pitcher and his team. Pitchers must get into the habit of breaking for first base on any ground ball hit past them to the second-base side of the infield. If the first baseman attempts to field the ball, or does field it, and can't get back to the base in time to retire the batter, the pitcher should take the throw at first base. When the first baseman can get back to take a throw at first after fielding and throwing the ball to second base, the pitcher should continue on past the base to protect against an overthrow.

The pitcher should be on the alert and in position to cover any base left vacant in order to trap a runner between bases. On all throws from the outfield to home plate he should back up the catcher, and on throws to third base should back up the third baseman—being sure to back up deep enough to pick up the flight of the ball if it gets past its destination. When in doubt, he should run halfway between third and home and then break to back up the base to which the ball is thrown.

If the pitcher fields a ball, he should make his throw to the proper base as quickly and accurately as possible. Pitchers often delay too long in making the throw. Then if the baseman fumbles the throw, he doesn't have time to recover the ball before the runner reaches base.

The pitcher who traps a runner between bases should run at him with the ball to force the runner to break toward a base, keeping in mind whether there are other base-runners. If there is a runner closer to home plate, the pitcher must check to be sure that that runner doesn't advance a base before making a play on the trapped runner.

A pitcher must learn to keep out of the way of throws from the catcher to second base, as well as of throws between first and third base. Alert pitchers will drop to the ground when in the "line of fire" to give the thrower a clear view of his target.

Practice Drills

There are many practice drills which can be helpful to a pitcher. Outlining the strike zone with cord and throwing a certain number of pitches at it from the regulation pitching distance every day can be very helpful. By keeping a record of the number of strikes and balls thrown from day to day, one can check on improvement in control. (See Figure 50.)

To make the drill more realistic, a teammate can be asked to stand behind the strike zone in his normal position in the batter's box. This will help him to improve his judgment of pitches and to become more familiar with the strike zone—at the same time giving the pitcher a more normal target.

When the pitcher's control improves so that he can throw the ball where he wants it to go two-thirds of the time, he can limit the target area by putting another string across it halfway between the top and bottom. Then he can concentrate on throwing all of his pitches into the lower half of the strike zone. When he gets so that he can do this with a high degree of consistency, he can practice throwing at the corners of the strike zone.

Professional pitchers frequently aim their warm-up pitches at the shoulders and knees of their catchers between innings of games. It is very important for the pitcher to aim at a definite target every time he throws a ball. A key factor in control is keeping the eyes on the target from the moment the windup begins until the ball reaches its destination.

The best way to teach a pitcher to field his position is to have him participate in regular fielding drills along with the other players. However, there are other methods, too. During batting practice, the catcher can be instructed to set up a play situation on every pitch not hit by the batter.

In the first situation, the manager or coach tells the catcher to roll, the ball down the first-base line the moment he catches it. The pitcher fields the ball and throws to first base. On the next pitch that isn't hit the catcher should roll the ball about halfway between first and second, slowly enough for the pitcher to be able to field it, and the pitcher throws to the shortstop covering second base. Then the catcher rolls the ball down the third-base line, the pitcher fielding it and throwing to third base. In tossing the ball down the base lines, the ball should roll about one-third to one-half of the distance to the bases since balls bunted that far should be fielded by the pitcher.

Other situations to set up occasionally include having the catcher toss the ball behind himself into foul territory. When this is done, the catcher retrieves the ball while the pitcher rushes in to cover home plate, takes the throw, and simulates the tagging of a runner coming in from third. Another play is that of tossing the ball in front of the plate for the pitcher to field and toss underhanded to the catcher as might happen in a squeeze-play attempt. The catcher also can toss the ball directly back to the pitcher to simulate the batted or bunted ball which is hit in that direction. Be sure that the catcher doesn't throw the ball too hard in this situation, particularly when working with young players.

In using this kind of drill during batting practice, limit the fielding drills to about one or two plays per batter. Otherwise the drill will drag on so long that it won't be beneficial to the batters. This type of drill works best when there is time for a lengthy practice session.

When pitchers are warming up, it is desirable to have a manager or coach present. The pitcher should warm up about 10 minutes. Then the coach should check to learn whether he is ready to throw hard.

He should begin with easy tosses and gradually increase his speed. After about five minutes, he can begin to spin the ball, if he includes breaking pitches in his normal pitching routine. It helps to throw three or four fast balls in a row, then three or four curves, a few change-ups or slow balls, etc. To avoid possible injury, the catcher should be advised before the pitcher throws him a different kind of pitch.

When the pitcher is warmed up and bears down, the coach should check to see that he grips and throws each pitch the same way, that he hides the ball, and that his motion doesn't tip off the type of pitch he is throwing. The pitcher should throw in the same direction during batting practice that he will throw during the game so that the wind resistance will be the same.

If a pitcher doesn't follow through properly, a helpful drill is to place a small stone or stick in front of the spot where he finishes his pitching motion. The pitcher should pick up the stone or stick as he finishes his follow-through. This can be repeated until the motion becomes part of his pitching pattern.

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