In all team sports competition there are versions of games within games. In baseball, each at bat gives us a glimpse of pitcher versus batter. The bigger picture of that game is the battle between the pitcher and the entire batting order of the opposing team. In any given game, therefore, two of these battles exist. Each team’s starting pitcher has his own game against the hitters of the other team.
Before I continue, I want to tell you that a pitcher does not compete against the opponents by himself. When he is on the mound, it is a good idea for the pitcher to understand that he has eight teammates working with him against that one batter. In other words, it is nine against one. That kind of thinking can make a pitcher feel a lot more confident about his odds.
With the designated hitter in the lineup in today’s game of baseball, a pitcher never really competes directly against the opposing pitcher, but the ability of the other pitcher can influence how a pitcher competes in any given game.
When a pitcher throws a well-pitched game, whether his team wins or loses, there is usually a method that he uses consistently throughout that game that determines his success. For example, sometimes a pitcher does a great job of throwing first pitch strikes (getting ahead of the hitters) and then forces the hitters to swing at pitches on the edge of or out of the strike zone. A game with this kind of M.O. usually becomes a game pitched very efficiently, with a pitcher keeping his pitch count low and thus being pretty strong in the later innings.
Another way a pitcher can be efficient is when he gets leadoff batters out consistently. By getting the leadoff batter out in an inning, especially in a closely contested game, the innings become relatively stress free on both the defense and the pitcher.
As with most things in life, a pitcher can be effective and win games in many different ways. Sometimes a pitcher may throw a relatively low percentage of strikes (ie., less than 60%), get behind the hitters, but still throw some good pitches later in the count and get a lot of hitters out. Other times a pitcher may allow leadoff hitters to reach base and then turn around and get double play ground balls, allowing his defensive teammates to help get him out of trouble.
In some more stressful innings, some of the better pitchers pitch through trouble after perhaps a couple hits, or a walk and a hit, or some combination of walks, errors and hits. This is what we call taking care of damage control. Sometimes these situations are managed by pitchers who have great potential for strikeouts and can get some harmless infield popups with runners in scoring position.
In the big picture, a pitcher who can recognize potential problems and make early adjustments can give his team a chance to win. A pitcher who can manage stressful situations effectively and maintain a positive thought process, thus controlling his emotions, has a better chance to help his team to victory than a pitcher who does not do that. A pitcher who can keep his pitch count low early in a game has a better chance of completing the game and leading his team to a victory than a pitcher who throws too many pitches in the first few innings.
A pitcher’s job is simply to give his team a chance to win, and there are many ways to do that. Some ways are easier than others. A pitcher has to understand that his teammates are putting the same effort into the team’s success that he is, and that his teammates who may come in from the bullpen to relieve him have the same team goals as he does.
Next time you really sit down to watch a game, check out the two pitchers competing against their opponent’s hitters. They may do things differently, but they both have the same goals in mind. Each pitcher may also have a different method the next time he steps on the mound, too, depending on so many factors.
Nine against one, one pitch at a time!
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